Cherished Days

Made for readers who have been let down by “large print” that was not.

Most books sold as large print are set at 16 or 18 point. That is not large print to someone with macular degeneration, and it is not large print at arm’s length in a dayroom with the blinds half drawn.

These are set at 22 point and above, with puzzle content at 28 point and above. Every book is built to the same rules, and no title ships until it passes every one of them.

What every book promises

1Type designed for low vision. Set in Atkinson Hyperlegible, drawn by the Braille Institute of America so letters that normally collide — I, l, 1, O, 0 — stay apart.
2Pure black on white. No grey fills, no screened tints, nothing faint. Maximum contrast on every page.
3One activity to a page. Nothing crammed two to a sheet, and nothing continued overleaf.
4Word searches that read across and down only. Hunting backwards and diagonally is a dexterity test, not a memory activity.
5Wide inside margins. Nearly an inch at the spine, so nothing disappears into the binding when the book is opened flat.
6Answers printed just as large as the puzzles. A reader who needs 22 point to work a page needs 22 point to check it.

Actual pages, at actual proportions

A word search page: an eight by eight grid of large bold capital letters, with a list of eight words below it. — Word search — 8×8, across and down

A number fill page: a six by six grid with very large digits and heavy block dividers. — Number fill — 4×4 and 6×6

A maze page: a six by six maze with thick walls, an arrow marked START at the top and an arrow marked FINISH at the bottom. — Gentle maze — wide corridors

A coloring page: a large teapot drawn in thick black outline, with steam rising. — Coloring — bold line art

Which level suits which reader

Mild

Still reads a newspaper and finishes a crossword, but finds ordinary puzzle books physically hard to see. Longer word lists, 6×6 number fills, more trivia.

Mild to moderate

Enjoys an activity but tires with clutter or long instructions. Short word lists, one activity to a page, a gentle curve from the front of the book to the back. Cherished Days is this level.

Moderate

Finds puzzles frustrating, but responds to coloring, sorting, and being asked about the past. Mostly line art, picture sorting and memory prompts to do alongside someone.

If you are unsure, start one level below where you think they are. A page that is too easy costs nothing. A page that is too hard ends the afternoon.

The books

Cherished Days

A Large-Print Memory & Activity Book · 1950s–60s · mild to moderate · 8.5″ × 11″ · 102 pages

Sixty-eight activities, one to a page: themed word searches, number fills, sayings to finish, sorting puzzles, gentle mazes, era trivia, bold line art to color — and pages that simply ask you to tell someone about the kitchen you grew up in.

At print proof — listing soon