Interview with:
Alexandra Faer Bryan
author of:
Green Kitty –
Stories My Grandma Still Remembers
a Children’s Book about Alzheimer’s
Winner of a gold seal of excellence from
Mom’s Choice Awards!
Interview:
Tell us about your book?
Green Kitty-Stories My Grandma Still Remembers is full of true, heart warming and funny animal stories. The book was written to help children understand dementia in an entertaining manner. But it has been called a book for all ages and for anyone who loves animals. It just won a gold seal of excellence from the prestigious Mom’s Choice Awards as well as placing as a finalist for both Book of the Year and International Book of the Year in children’s fiction.
What inspired you to write it?
Having grown up on a farm and being surrounded by animals all my life, I have collected many varied anecdotes about pets and other animals. But the inspiration to write the book came from working as a nurse in an assisted living facility and seeing so many children who didn’t know what was happening to their grandparents or how to respond to the their illness.
Have you always enjoyed writing?
Actually, I hate to write. English was my worst subject in school. But writing this work was a labor of love because of all the people that I know that are affected by dementia.
What type of work do you do?
I have been a registered nurse since 1978 and love being able to help people with their problems. There is a huge amount of joy in seeing that something that I did made someone’s life better.
Is this book related to your work in some way?
My book sneaks information about dementia into a book that children will want to read because of the amusing stories and to solve the mystery mentioned in the opening chapter.
What do you hope readers will “take away” from reading your book?
The “take away” from Green Kitty should be the feeling of family love and caring that the book expresses and tries to share.
Who do you think will benefit most from this book?
Families who are experiencing the trauma of life with someone with dementia or related memories issues are the ones that will receive the most from Green Kitty.
Who are you speaking to?
The intended audience for Green Kitty is both people who love animal stories and families dealing with elderly victims of memory problems.
About the author: Alexandra Faer Bryan
A mother, nurse and author who loves to read, Alexandra began writing in 1985. She has written three very different books since then: an instructional manual for a massage class, a nonfiction account of her nursing experiences, and this children’s book. Her fondest memories of being a young mother are of reading books out loud to her son. Dementia is a cause close to her heart because her mother and others in her family have suffered with the disease.
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