'Celebrating Grandparents', an e-book for children
By Laila Akber Cassum & Dr Shelina Bhamani
“Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.” – Alex Haley
“Celebrating Grandparents,” was launched on December 6, 2021, under the collaboration of Geriatric and Gerontology Clinical Stream at the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery, AKU-SONAM, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, AKUH.
The idea behind the book was conceptualized in December 2020, and it finally came to fruition under the authorship of Dr Shelina Bhamani, ECD Parenting Education Programme Lead and Assistant Professor, Research at the department of Ob/Gyn, AKUH, and Laila Akber Cassam, Senior Instructor, and head of the Geriatric & Gerontology Stream at AKU-SONAM. The book was skillfully illustrated by Maria Riaz, edited by Maliha Fazal and Umaima Mughal and the content reviewed by Dr Marie Andrades.
“Celebrating Grandparents,” is a free-of-cost e-book, created with the intent to instill values of love, respect and empathy in children for the elderly and strengthen our deeply rooted sociocultural values in them. The story is innovatively set up in an all too familiar environment of an online classroom for kids to engage even more. It subtly tackles emotions of love and sorrow, joy and grief and teaches young kids how to navigate through them while taking care of their grandparents. The book will set a precedent for kids and be a harbinger of positive change in them.
The e-book will be disseminated through various platforms to help raise awareness for much needed compassion and empathy for the elderly and the way we perceive them in society.
