Books to Explain Cancer to Children
- In Mommy’s Garden – A little girl’s Mom has cancer and compares weeds to cancer cells
- Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings: When someone you love has cancer by Ellen McVicker – a hopeful, helpful book for kids.
- The Hope Tree: Kids Talk About Breast Cancer by Laura Numeroff, Wendy Schlessel Harpham, & David M. McPhail.
- Talking with My Treehouse Friends about: An Activity Book for Children of Parents with Cancer by Peter R. van Dernoot
- When a Parent Has Cancer: A Guide to Caring for Your Children by Wendy S. Harpham.
- Someone I Love is Sick: Helping Very Young Children Cope with Cancer in the Family Parent Version by Kathleen McCue
- When Mommy Loses Her Hair: It Means the Medicine is Working by Cristen Cervellini-Calfo
- My Book About Cancer Rebecca C. Schmidt and Cristen Cervellini-Calfo
- Metu and Lee Learn about Breast Cancer by Shenin Sachedina
- Becky and the Worry Cup: A Children’s Book about a Parent’s Cancer by Wendy S. Harpham
- Michael’s Mommy has Breast Cancer by Lisa Torrey
- Less than Perfect by Louise Albert
- Moms Don’t Get Sick by Pat and Ben Brack
- Biddlebox by Linda Smith
- When Mommy Had A Mastectomy by Nancy Reuben Greenfield
- Someone I love is Sick – Offers advice on talking with children ages 2-6 years old about cancer including helping children cope at holiday time, addressing specific cancers, helping children’s friends, questions children ask, when parents are single, separated or divorced, and more
- Telling Kids About Cancer – A web tool to create your own conversation script to talk to your children about your cancer in an age appropriate way.
- Kidscope: Helping Kids & Families Understand Cancer – 1-404-892-1437 Helps children and families understand the effects of cancer or chemotherapy on a loved one and provides suggestions for coping
- Chemo4Kids – Offers simplified information about chemotherapy
- Bear Essentials – Provides age-appropriate activities to help children cope with a parent’s diagnosis and treatment of cancer
For Children of Parents with Cancer
- Children’s Treehouse Foundation – 1-303-322-1202
- Kidscope: Helping Kids & Families Understand Cancer – 1-404-892-1437 or kidscope.org
- Kids Konnected -1-800-899-2866 Friendship, understanding, education and support for kids who have a parent with cancer
- Life with Cancer – offers classes entitled “Curious about Cancer” for children as well as family counseling and counseling for children free of charge – 703-698-2536
- When Your Parent Has Cancer – free booklet from National Cancer Institute. You can also order from their website.