Loss, Continuity, and Care

Intergenerational Perspectives on Dementia and Normativity in Three Contemporary Swedish Picturebooks

Abstract

^{Theme: Norms of (Dis)ability in Nordic Children’s and Young Adult Literature.}

This article examines how dementia is represented in contemporary Swedish picturebooks. Drawing on disability studies and crip theory, the analysis explores how these narratives negotiate dominant cultural norms surrounding cognitive ability, aging, autonomy, and personhood. Particular attention is given to how dementia – often characterized by its “invisible” nature – is made intelligible to a young audience through the interplay of text and image. The study focuses on three picturebooks: Lovis Ansjovis och glömskan (Lovis Anchovy and the forgetting, 2017) by Maria Estling Vannestål and Sanna Hellberg; Farfars trädgård (Grandpa’s garden, 2022) by Ebba Forslind; and Farmors minnen trillar ut men ändå finns hon kvar (Grandma’s memories fall out but she’s still here, 2023) by Sara Galli and Annie Sjöwall. Each book presents dementia through the eyes of a grandchild, a narrative strategy that positions the child as a mediating figure. While adult characters in these picturebooks often adopt a biomedical framing aligned with what dementia narrative research terms the “loss of self” narrative, the child protagonists frequently mobilize a “still the same person” perspective, foregrounding relational continuity despite cognitive decline. Through close readings, the article demonstrates how these picturebooks simultaneously reproduce and resist normative assumptions about dementia. They highlight emotional continuity, empathy, and imaginative connection, yet also risk reinforcing ageist and dementist tropes by portraying the grandparent as dependent, infantilized, or disconnected from reality. At the same time, the analysis suggests that norm-challenging gestures often reside in the child’s mediating gaze and practices of care, which shift attention from cognitive correctness to relational presence.