Singing with Momma Lou 
By Linda Jacobs Altman
Illustrated by Larry Johnson
9781584300403
Nine-year-old Tamika Jordan dreads visiting her grandmother at the nursing home. Momma Lou has Alzheimer's and always forgets who Tamika is. After her father shows her Momma Lou's scrapbooks, Tamika comes up with an idea to jog Momma Lou's memory. Tamika is successful in reaching her grandmother one day when Momma Lou recognizes a newspaper clipping of a Civil Rights demonstration and leads everybody in a celebration of song.
Linda Jacobs Altman tells a moving story of intergenerational love and hope, while Larry Johnson's evocative paintings bring this memorable story to life. This a book to be shared by the whole family.
Altman learned about the effects of Alzheimer’s when her mother was stricken with the disease. While it was a tragic experience, she learned from her mother the power of the human spirit.
- Awards
-
Best Children's Books of the Year
Bank Street College of Education
Myers Outstanding Book Awards
Honorable Mention
Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in North America
- Interest Level
- Grades 1 - 4
- Reading Level
- Grade 2
- Themes
- African/African American Interest, Disability, Grandparents
- Accelerated Reader
- Level: 3.8
Points: .5
Linda Jacobs Altman is the author of Amelia's Road, also published by Lee & Low, and named a "Choices" selection by the Cooperative Children's Book Center. Altman, who lives in Clearlake, California, frequently writes for the educational market.
Larry Johnson is a fine artist who has illustrated several children's books. He also serves as a Youth Minister at a Baptist church and is cohost of a weekend sports radio show. Johnson and his wife live in Stoughton, Massachusetts. To find out more about Larry Johnson, visit his Web site: larryjohnsonart.com
