Young Silvio and his siblings, Tomas and Patricia, are looking forward to traveling to Nicaragua to visit their grandparents.
Before the journey, their parents explained to the children that they might notice their abuelitos having difficulty remembering important things, and with basic conversations and activities.
This is the gist of “Juntos: Living With Alzheimer’s,” a new children’s book by St. Petersburg resident Silvio Delgado, with illustrations by Rachel Stotler, an artist and designer from Sarasota.
Juntos is a Spanish word meaning “close together.”
Although it’s not the first book for the very young to deal with the subject of Alzheimer’s, it might be the first to approach it bilingually: Delgado’s text transitions between English and Spanish seamlessly, making it easy to understand at once or in sections.
And understanding is key to the lesson the author is trying to impart, Delgado said.
“Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of conversations with my family around big emotions and heavy topics,” he said. “And I wanted to provide space for families to engage in not just storytelling, but also sharing what they are personally feeling.”
He considers “Juntos” (published by St. Petersburg Press) to be a form of bibliotherapy – described by Psychology Today as “a therapeutic approach employing books and other forms of literature, typically alongside more traditional therapy modalities, to support a patient’s mental health.”
Although the story was inspired by real events in his family, Delgado made it universal, so children confused by the realities of the devastating disease might find comfort in the words and actions of Silvio, Tomas, Patricia and their parents.
“I also intentionally incorporated both languages because I wanted to make sure kiddos like me who learned Spanish as a first language, or kiddos who just want to be exposed to another language, can see that on these pages.”
At the end of the book are several blank pages, for “unpacking” feelings.
“There are no lines,” Delgado pointed out. “I wanted kiddos to journal however they feel most comfortable. Even if it’s with images instead of words.”
“Silvio’s approach to his storytelling touched my heart,” Stotler said. “The brilliance of using his characters to showcase how we can all help our loved ones who may be affected by this made for an easy translation into visuals.
“Not to mention, Silvio is one of the kindest human beings I’ve had the pleasure of working with – his constant encouragement, thoughtful feedback and how he carries himself made for an effortless flow.”
Delgado, who has a master’s degree in education, is the Florida director for iTeach, an educator certification program that aims to support people “passionate about becoming teachers.”
He has more than 17 years’ experience in classroom and administrative work, including a lengthy stint as a middle school math teacher in Phoenix (teaching in English and Spanish).
“When I was a teacher, and when I was a school administrator, I used to do a lot of children’s book readings to the little ones,” he said. “Even though I was a junior high teacher, we partnered with lower grades as book buddies. And so my junior high kiddos would teach little ones to read.
“So I’ve always had a passion for children’s literature and literacy.”
In “Juntos,” the children – with understanding and love in their hearts – enjoy their Nicaraguan holiday with Lito and Lita, helping them with everyday tasks and routines. They cook together, dance, sing and go on walks together.
“Tomorrow will bring more stories with sonrisas (smiles) and maybe even tears,” young Silvio, the narrator, says near the end of the book. “I am SO excited to share those stories with you about what we teach our abuelitos to help them live with Alzheimer’s.”
