Books for Children & Families Living with

Cancer

It’s a well-known fact that if you have

a book and a lap, most children will

expect you to read them a story.

While reading is usually said to be a

calm and joyful experience, topics

like cancer may not seem to follow

that same thread.

Here are some suggestions of books for children and families living with cancer that

prove to not only be helpful, but can also be entertaining and uplifting.

The Boy of Steel: A Baseball Dream

Come True by Ray Negron - “Young

Michael Steel loves to watch the New

York Yankees on TV—from his hospital

bed. Michael has brain cancer. But when

Yankee second baseman Robinson Cano

visits Michael in the hospital, Michael

embarks on an unexpected and

wonderful journey when he becomes a

Yankee batboy for a day. It's his baseball

dream come true!”

When Someone You Love

Has Cancer: A Guide to

Help Kids Cope by Alaric

Lewis

Taking Cancer to School (Special

Kids in School Series) by Kim

Gosselin - A great book for cancer

patients who are school-aged to take

back to school with them or have

their teacher read to their

classmates. Provides learning for

classmates and encourages empathy

and understanding.

H is for Hair Fairy: An Alphabet of

Encouragement and Insight for Kids (and

Kids at Heart!) with Cancer by Kim Martin -

“An alphabet book with a mission, this 32-

page picture book will inspire, comfort,

educate and encourage children being treated

for cancer. Using colorful, warm, humorous

illustrations and verse, the author employs the

alphabet to feature different aspects of coping

with cancer treatment.”

Imagine a Rainbow: A Child's Guide

for Soothing Pain by Brenda Miles -

“Through a series of beautiful

illustrations that engage all of the

senses, each accompanied by a verse

couplet, this book asks the child to

imagine several things to cope with

pain. Some are calming, some are

delighting, some are empowering,

some are inspirational.”

Mom Has Cancer! (Let's Talk

about It) by Jennifer Moore-

Mallinos - “This sensitively

written book encourages

preschool-age and early-grades

children to explore the

possibilities of a parent with

cancer.”

The Famous Hat by Kate Gaynor - “This book has

been designed to help children with leukemia (or

other forms of cancer) to prepare for treatment,

namely chemotherapy, and a stay in hospital.

Treatment for childhood cancer can be very difficult

to cope with, especially for very young children. The

lengthy stay in hospital, having to contend with

drips, tubes and injections is difficult enough without

the possibility of hair loss for children to face.

However, this book helps children to see the

experience of a child that they can easily relate to.”

When a Parent Has Cancer: A Guide to Caring

for Your Children by Wendy S. Harpham - “When

A Parent Has Cancer is a book for families written

from the heart of experience. A mother, physician,

and cancer survivor, Dr. Wendy Harpham offers

clear, direct, and sympathetic advice for parents

challenged with the task of raising normal, healthy

children while they struggle with a potentially life–

threatening disease.”

What Is Cancer Anyway?: Explaining

Cancer to Children of All Ages by Karen

Carney - “What IS Cancer, Anyway?

Explaining Cancer to Children of All Ages is

one of the books in the Barklay and Eve

Children's Book Series. This book provides

basic information that is essential when

someone in the family has cancer and does

so in a calm, clear, reassuring manner that

children and adults will appreciate.”

Cancer in the Family: Helping Children Cope

with a Parent's Illness by Sue Heiney, Joan

Hermann, Katherine Bruss and Joy Fincannon -

“Outlining valuable steps necessary to help

children understand what happens when a

parent has been diagnosed with cancer, this

guide provides “hands-on-tools” to help those

affected by cancer—as well as their loved ones

—face many of the dilemmas that come with the

disease.”

What about Me?: When

Brothers and Sisters Get

Sick by Allan Peterkin - “A

young girl attempts to cope

with her brother's being ill.”

Chemo Girl: Saving the World

One Treatment at a Time by

Christina Richmond - “Chemo Girl is

the fictional tale of a superhero

created by Christina Richmond, who

was diagnosed with

Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of

muscle cancer, when she was in the

seventh grade.”

I'm A Superhero by Daxton Wilde -

“I'm A Superhero reaches beyond

borders and cultures, helping children

and their families to be brave, helping

parents explain cancer to their young

children, and helping families cope

with one of life's most difficult

situations through love and humor.”

For resources, financial assistance, knowledge and inspiration,

please visit

cancerhawk.com