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RE: How Much Do We Tell the Children?
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From: Nancy Bo Flood <wflood_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:20:53 -0700
Hello Patty, As a writer and child psychologist (and mother) I absolute ly agree with your comment: "the best thing we can do is be honest with our c hildren by telling them as much as we can, in as non-sensational a way as we can."
Fear is based in "not knowing." Information and honesty builds trust and t he ability to solve problems and conquer fears rather than run from them.
You asked about books about children and cancer. I recommend BRUSHING MAMA 'S HAIR by Andrea Cheng, an honest and lyrical book regarding breast c an cer. The following is a review From School Library Journal
Grade 5–9—In this slim volume, 53 free-verse poems follow a y oung dancer's inner life as her mother enters and survives treatment for breast cancer. But Ann's mother's cancer brings other worries. Who can she tell that her mother "had her breasts cut off"? How can she help her mother drink 80 ounces of water a day? Will their family life ever be normal again? Does Ann or her sister Jane have the "cancer gene"? Throughout the months of her mother's chemotherapy,
Ann creates batiks, learns to knit legwarmers, listens to her older
sister read poetry to their mother, and ponders the difficulties that
other families face. It is only on the final pages, after the crocuses
bloom, that her mother recovers enough to enjoy the homey tasks of housekeeping with her daughters. With spring, too, Mom's hair begin s to
grow back, soft and new. Delicate pen-and-ink illustrations convey thoughtful moments as well as the exuberance and vitality of the young dancer. This quiet story based on the author's own family's experience avoids confronting some of the deepest fears that cancer can bring, but
it is reassuring in the gentle way it normalizes a teen's experiences and emotions as her family copes with major illness.—Carolyn Lehman=2 C Hu mboldt State University, Arcata, CA END
Nancy Bo Flood
Chinle, Navajo Nation, AZ 86503 (USA)
wflood_at_hotmail.com www.nancyboflood.com
Warriors in the Crossfire ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young AdultsBooklist Editor's Choice: Top Ten Historical NovelsNotable Books for a Global Socie ty
/archives.asp To access the archives, go to: http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/ccbc-net and enter the following: username: ccbc-net
password: Look4Posts
Received on Fri 18 Nov 2011 05:20:53 PM CST
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:20:53 -0700
Hello Patty, As a writer and child psychologist (and mother) I absolute ly agree with your comment: "the best thing we can do is be honest with our c hildren by telling them as much as we can, in as non-sensational a way as we can."
Fear is based in "not knowing." Information and honesty builds trust and t he ability to solve problems and conquer fears rather than run from them.
You asked about books about children and cancer. I recommend BRUSHING MAMA 'S HAIR by Andrea Cheng, an honest and lyrical book regarding breast c an cer. The following is a review From School Library Journal
Grade 5–9—In this slim volume, 53 free-verse poems follow a y oung dancer's inner life as her mother enters and survives treatment for breast cancer. But Ann's mother's cancer brings other worries. Who can she tell that her mother "had her breasts cut off"? How can she help her mother drink 80 ounces of water a day? Will their family life ever be normal again? Does Ann or her sister Jane have the "cancer gene"? Throughout the months of her mother's chemotherapy,
Ann creates batiks, learns to knit legwarmers, listens to her older
sister read poetry to their mother, and ponders the difficulties that
other families face. It is only on the final pages, after the crocuses
bloom, that her mother recovers enough to enjoy the homey tasks of housekeeping with her daughters. With spring, too, Mom's hair begin s to
grow back, soft and new. Delicate pen-and-ink illustrations convey thoughtful moments as well as the exuberance and vitality of the young dancer. This quiet story based on the author's own family's experience avoids confronting some of the deepest fears that cancer can bring, but
it is reassuring in the gentle way it normalizes a teen's experiences and emotions as her family copes with major illness.—Carolyn Lehman=2 C Hu mboldt State University, Arcata, CA END
Nancy Bo Flood
Chinle, Navajo Nation, AZ 86503 (USA)
wflood_at_hotmail.com www.nancyboflood.com
Warriors in the Crossfire ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young AdultsBooklist Editor's Choice: Top Ten Historical NovelsNotable Books for a Global Socie ty
/archives.asp To access the archives, go to: http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/ccbc-net and enter the following: username: ccbc-net
password: Look4Posts
Received on Fri 18 Nov 2011 05:20:53 PM CST
