*Note: not all books only fall under the ages they are listed under. Some with a * can work for older ages as well.
The Healing Code: 6 Minutes to Heal the Source of Your Health, Success, or Relationship Issue
by Ben Johnson
Your healing kit for life—to recover from issues you know about, and repair the ones’ you don’t.
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Ages 3-5
The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life of All Ages
by Leo Buscaglia
This beloved classic has helped thousands of people come to grips with life and death.
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Nowhere Hair: Explains Your Cancer and Chemo to Your Kids*
by Sue Glader, illustrated by Edith Buenen
The little girl in Nowhere Hair knows two things: her mom’s hair is not on her head anymore, so therefore it must be somewhere around the house. After searching the obvious places, the story reveals that her mother, although going through cancer treatment, is still silly, attentive, happy, and yes, sometimes very tired and cranky. She learns that she didn’t cause the cancer, can’t catch it, and that Mommy is still very much up for the job of mothering. For any parent or grandparent, Nowhere Hair offers a comfortable platform to explain something that is inherently very difficult.
Why Does Mommy Hurt? Helping Children Cope with the Challenges of Having a Caregiver with Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia, or Autoimmune Disease
by Elizabeth M. Christy, illustrated by James G. Miller
The children of people with chronic illness and pain suffer quietly. This is a delightful story of a young boy learning to understand and cope with his mother’s illness. The story creates natural opportunities for families to talk about both the symptoms of chronic illness and how they affect family life. Even more importantly, the story puts power into the hands of the children.
The Invisible String*
by Patrice Karst
The Invisible String delivers a particularly compelling message in today’s uncertain times that though we may be separated from the ones we care for, whether through anger, or distance or even death, love is the unending connection that binds us all, and, by extension, ultimately binds every person on the planet to everyone else.
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Ages 6-8
What Is Cancer Anyway? Explaining Cancer to Children of All Ages
by Karen L. Carney
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. Barklay and Eve, the two lovable main characters, define cancer and explain radiation and chemotherapy (including the reasons why some people lose their hair).
Sammy’s Mommy Has Cancer
by Sherry Kohlenberg, illustrated by Lauri Crow
Sammy’s mommy receives treatment for cancer, goes into the hospital for surgery, recovers at home, and shares her continuing love for him.
Someone Special is Very Sick
by Jim Boulden
Elfo guides the reader through the difficult circumstances that can arise when a family member has a prolonged illness. Issues addressed realistically in this book include the hospital visit, medicines, fatigue, and deteriorating physical appearance. Since children often have concerns they don’t know how to express, Elfo demonstrates and validates feelings of sadness, fear, worry, loneliness, and love. Readers are encouraged to talk about their own situation, and suggestions are given for ways young children can help.
Sad Days, Glad Days: A Story About Depression
by Dewitt Hamilton, illustrated by Gail Owens
Amanda Martha explains about the sad days, glad days, and in-between days at her house, which are determined by how her mother feels. Hamilton offers no false promises to those kids whose parents suffer from the illness. Instead, she offers a strong depiction of an honest, loving mother-and-child relationship that’s constantly being tested, and the picture of a child who learns that she’s neither the cause nor the solution to her mother’s problem.
Ages 8-10
The Choice is Mine
by Yael Shimoni-Shilo
The Choice is Mine describes the feelings felt and situations encountered by a boy who grew up in a house with a mother contending with a chronic, muscle-weakening disease.
Caitlin’s Wish
by Victoria Taylor
This book follows one girl’s journey as she comes to terms with her father’s life-changing illness. Caitlin hides her true feelings from everyone around her, only confiding in Rufus, a little robin who sits on her windowsill. She pours her heart out to him, completely unaware of his magic abilities. Rufus arranges a trip to an enchanted world where anything is possible. Join Caitlin on her magical adventure to Fairyland where she re-discovers her happiness and learn to see life from a new perspective.
Ages 10-12
Because…Someone I Love Has Cancer: Kids’ Activity Book
by the American Cancer Society
This inspired publication is designed to address the basic goals of therapeutic support for children who have a loved one with cancer/ featuring five self-sharpening crayons to inspire creativity, this activity book also includes a 16-page removable guide for caregivers with family and group activities, as well as activities that offer ways to discover inner strengths and enhance self-esteem.
Ages 12-14
My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks*
by Marc Silver and Mara Silver
Currently one million American teenagers live with a parent who is fighting cancer. My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks is the first book written especially for teens to help during this tough time. In a highly designed, engaging style, this book gives practical guidance and allows teens to see that they are not alone, that no matter how rough things get they will get through this difficult time, and that everything they’re feeling is okay.
Ages 14-16
I’m Not Her
by Janet Gurder
Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and that’s okay—they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer, and her picture-perfect family starts cracking. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn’t hold it together, who will?
Ages 16-18
A Teen’s Guide to Coping: When a Loved One is Sick and Preparing to Die
by Fairview Health Services
This saddle-stitched booklet contains readings and journaling exercises to help teens cope with a loved one’s terminal illness.
Parents and Professionals
The Mother’s Promise
by Sally Hepworth
Alice and her daughter, Zoe, have been a family of two all their lives. With no family to speak of, and the identity of Zoe’s father shrouded in mystery, their team of two works—until Alice gets sick and is given a grim prognosis. Desperate to find stability for Zoe, Alice reaches out to two women who are practically strangers, but who are her only hope: Kate, her oncology nurse, and Sonja, a social worker. As the four of them come together, a chain of events is set into motion and all four of them must confront their sharpest fears and secrets. Imbued with heart and humor in even the darkest moments, The Mother’s Promise is an unforgettable novel about the power of love and forgiveness.
How To Help Children Through a Parent’s Serious Illness
by Kathleen McCue and Ron Bonn
Offering supportive, practical advice from a leading child-life specialist, this book includes information such as what to tell a child about the illness, how to recognize early-warning signs in a child’s drawings, sleep patterns, schoolwork and eating habits, and when and where to get professional help.
The Goldfish Went on Vacation: a Memoir of Loss (and Learning to Tell the Truth About It)
by Patty Dunn
The moment when Patty Dunn’s husband was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, she felt as though the ground had dropped beneath her. Her grief, however, was immediately interrupted by the realization that she would have to tell their three-year-old son Jake that his father was dying. As much about exploring memory as it is about appreciating the moment, this captivating narrative will serve as genuine comfort for anyone surprised by grief.
