“Where is Kenkichi?”; A Children’s Story of Grandmother’s Forgetfulness and the Search for Memories

According to the reporter of Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) in Sanandaj, in recent years, addressing sensitive and less-discussed topics in children’s literature has gained a special place. Children today face real societal issues more than ever before and need literature to provide a bright and safe window for understanding these experiences.

One such topic is forgetfulness and Alzheimer’s in the elderly; a familial, emotional, and sometimes complex issue that many children encounter but lack the language and framework to understand and talk about. In such a context, the publication of books that can portray this subject with a human, calm, and child-friendly approach is of great importance.

The book “Where is Kenkichi?” follows this path; a work that tries to connect the child’s world with the realities of elderly life through a simple, emotional, and tangible story, and to facilitate dialogue between generations.

In addition to narrating an accompanying and influential story, this book also tries to make families more sensitive to the emotional needs of the elderly. On the other hand, the warm and delightful illustrations of the book create a space where the child can genuinely connect with the characters and better understand the emotional situation of the story.

The book “Where is Kenkichi?” is the latest work by Jabbar Shafeizadeh, illustrated by Rana Hejazi and edited by Zohreh Doodange, suitable for children over seven years old. The first print of this book was done in 1404 (Persian calendar year, roughly 2025/2026), and it has been offered to the child community with themes such as Alzheimer’s, forgetfulness, child-elderly communication, and the experience of being in a nursing home.

The story of the book is about a grandmother who, due to forgetfulness, has lost many of her past memories and consequently has completely forgotten the most important events of her life and the people around her, unable to recall or recognize them from her memory. She even doesn’t remember where her beloved little fox, Kenkichi, is.

The child character of the book, Rosie, tries to help her grandmother remember her past memories and find Kenkichi.

The reader, in the process of reading the book, encounters themes such as empathy, patience, family love, and remembrance. According to the author, the goal of writing this book is to familiarize families, especially children as the most important family members, with the realities of the elderly world and to create opportunities for dialogue about forgetfulness and Alzheimer’s, so that the child, accompanying the story’s character, experiences a human and educational experience in this field.

The book “Where is Kenkichi?” with simple language and attractive and artistic illustrations, provides a safe and kind space for children to follow the story and understand fundamental psychological and sociological concepts such as empathy, care, and attention to the elderly.