By Shelly Burns

What a great little book for children who have loved ones with cancer!  More and more children today have loved ones battling cancer, have survived cancer, or who have passed away from cancer, but they don't always understand what their loved one is going through.  This book is a great conversation starter for young ones, or an independent read and then discussion point, for older children.  I'm so glad there is a book that puts cancer into terms that children can understand.

Nana, What's Cancer? (American Cancer Society/ 2009) is a beautifully illustrated book that poses a new question about cancer in each chapter.  They are actually questions that children would have and they are answered in a story-like way that is easily understood.  Some of the questions include:  "What causes cancer?", "Why are some cancers worse than others?", "Do animals ever get cancer?", and "Do children get cancer too?"  Altogether, there are 12 questions, each answered in 2 or 3 pages of text and pictures.  In the text, there are bold words, which are further explained in the glossary at the back of the book.

The author, Beverlye Fead  is a cancer survivor, and the co-author  (Tessa)--her granddaughter, was 8 years old when they started writing the book.  Tessa actually had the idea for the book, because all of her grandparents had cancer and she wanted a book that would explain it to children.  Kudos to her for her idea!!  The illustrator, Shennen Bersani, is a cancer survivor also.  The pictures she created for this book are very realistic.  She took actual photos of Beveryle and Tessa and recreated them in her illustrations.  They are just beautiful!  You can see expressions and emotion in each one.

I was very impressed with this book and will be passing it on to my 6-year-old granddaughter because we just recently learned that her mawmaw has colon cancer.  I think my step-daughter will be glad to answer some of her questions with this book.   I hope that you will consider purchasing it for someone you know.

Beverlye Hyman Fead's winning battle with cancer was the subject of her memoir, I Can Do This: Living with Cancer, Tracing a Year of Hope (published by Wellness Program of S.B.C.C., 2004). She lives well and actively with stage IV cancer-writing, painting, traveling, and spending time with her husband and five grandchildren. She is a Legislative Ambassador and Hero of Hope for the American Cancer Society. She has been honored by the Israel Cancer Research Fund of California and received the Courage Award from the Sarcoma Foundation of America. Beverlye's passion is to raise money for research, to share her story, and to offer hope and encouragement to all those on their cancer journey. You'll find the author online at beverlyehymanfead.com

Tessa Mae Hamermesh, now 11, is dedicated to helping other kids understand the realities and effects of cancer and to inspiring people to help defeat cancer once and for all.

Shennen Bersani is a children's book illustrator who brings a unique blend of realism and heartfelt emotion to her art. She is able to depict an exceptional likeness of her subjects, while letting their natural warmth and personality shine through in every image. You'll find the illustrator online at www.shennen.typepad.com

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