The Inside Illness Pack gently opens the door to conversations about health, ageing, and memory through stories filled with love, empathy, and understanding. These heartfelt tales help children make sense of what happens when someone they care about isn’t well — whether it’s a parent who feels tired, a grandparent who forgets things, or a loved one living with dementia. Each story reminds young readers that even when bodies or minds change, the bonds of love, laughter, and shared memories remain strong.
Perfect for Early Learning Centres, the Inside Illness Pack nurtures compassion and emotional resilience, helping children recognise that illness is a part of life — but never the end of connection. Through warmth, honesty, and hope, the Inside Illness Pack supports meaningful discussions about empathy, patience, and caring for others, empowering children to face life’s challenges with kindness and heart.
The Inside Illness Pack includes:
1. Some Days: A tale of love, ice cream, and my mum's chronic illness - Julie A Stamm & Chamisa Kellogg
Follow Wyatt and his mom, Rosie, as they embark on heartwarming adventures in this gentle tale about having a parent with a chronic illness. Even though Wyatt's mom, Rosie, has multiple sclerosis and doesn't always feel her best, nothing stops them from having the most exciting adventures. Some days, when Rosie is tired, she and Wyatt build a special fort in the living room just for two.
2. Grandpa and Tuska - John Phillips
Tuska is a young elephant who loves spending time with his grandfather. And Grandpa loves spending time with him. Tuska never grows tired of Grandpa's thrilling stories about being a young elephant and thinks Grandpa is the wisest elephant he knows.
But Grandpa is getting old, and what's more, he's getting forgetful and, well ... he's acting rather strangely these days!? His stories are not making sense and sometimes he doesn't even recognise the other animals. Grandpa's behaviour is making Tuska feel scared.
3. Dancing With Memories - Sally Yule & Cheryl Orsini, with Prof. Ralph Martins & Maggie Beer
Meet Lucy. Lucy lives with dementia. She wishes she didn't, but she does. Her brain has changed, but she is still Lucy. Thank goodness she has a brain AND a heart. A moving and heartfelt picture book for young children and their families, to help them navigate the changes that come with living with Alzheimer's disease.
4. Forgettery - Rachel Ip & Laura Hughes
Amelia’s granny forgets lots of things. Little things, like where she put her glasses, and big things like people and places. But everything anyone has ever forgotten is stored in The Forgettery, and there Amelia and her granny learn the power of making memories.
Filled with warmth and gentle humour, The Forgettery is a beautifully written, sensitive look at dementia and memory loss.
