Bright Reads: Books for Families Facing Cancer

Most of these books can be found at local libraries. We highly suggest reading them to your children and grandchildren to help them understand your cancer and process their feelings. Any parent with cancer (or the partner) can request 2 free books.      

My Grandma is a Cancer Fighting Queen by Chelsey Gomez

Nana, What’s Cancer? by Beverlye Hyman Fead and Tessa Mae Hammermesh

Someone I Love is Sick: Helping Very Young Children Cope with Cancer in the Family, Grandparent Version by Kathleen McCue

Books for Adults about Helping Children Through a Loved One’s Cancer Diagnosis
Can I Still Kiss You? Answering Your Children’s Questions About Cancer by Neil Russell

Cancer in the Family: Helping Children Cope with a Parent’s Illness by Sue P. Heiney, Joan F. Hermann, Katherine V. Bruss and Joy L. Fincannon

Helping Your Children Cope with Your Cancer by Peter VanDerNoot

How to Help Children Through a Parent’s Serious Illness: Supportive, Practical Advice from a Leading Child Life Specialist by Kathleen McCue

Raising An Emotionally Healthy Child When a Parent is Sick by Paula K. Rauch

When a Parent Has Cancer: A Guide to Caring for Your Children by Wendy S. Harpham

When a Parent is Seriously Ill: Practical Tips for Helping Parents and Children by Leigh Collins and Courtney Nathan

Cancer in Young Adults: Through a Parent’s Eyes by Anne Grinyer

Books for Teens about Having a Parent with Cancer
Both Sides Now by Ruth Pennebaker

Breast Cancer: Questions and Answers for Young Women by Carole G. Vogel

The Mindful Teen: Powerful Skills to Help You Handle Stress One Moment at a Time by Dzung X. Vo

My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks by Marc Silver

When Your Parent Has Cancer by National Cancer Institute

Making it Mine: Stories of Teens Who Found Themselves in Their Parents’ Cancer by Brie Bernhardt

Love Sick by Harald Hermann

Books for Children who Have a Parent with Cancer … Understanding Cancer
Cancer Party!: Explain Cancer, Chemo, and Radiation to Kids in a Totally Non-Scary Way by Sara Olsher

Chemotherapy 101 for Kids: An Easy to Understand Guide for Children about Chemotherapy by Chelsey Gomez

I Have a Question about Cancer: Clear Answers for All Kids, Including Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Other Special Needs by Arlen Grad Gaines

Medikidz Comic books written by doctors about different cancers and treatments

Our Family Has Cancer, Too by Christine Clifford

Someone You Love Has Cancer: A Child’s Guide to Understanding by Robin Martin Duttmann

Stickers on Her Bald Head: Explaining Cancer and Chemo Hair Loss to Children in a Fun Way by Chelsey Gomez

What Happens When Someone I Love Has Cancer? by Sara Olsher

When Someone You Love Has Cancer: A Guide to Help Kids Cope by Alaric Lewis O.S.B

Feelings and Cancer
Let My Colors Out by Courtney Filigenzi

The Rainbow Feelings of Cancer: A Book for Children Who Have a Loved One with Cancer by Hohm Press

Dads with Cancer
My Dad and the Dragon by Montserrat Coughlin Kim

My Dad Has Cancer by Lauren Faye Uribe

My Dad Is a Cancer Fighting Hero by Chelsey Gomez

Our Dad Is Getting Better by Alex, Emily, and Anna Rose Silver
Also Our Mom is Getting Better

The Year My Dad Went Bald: A Tale of Cancer, Chemo, and Dealing with a Cold Head by Brian Kraft

Moms with Cancer
BK’s Mommy Has Breast Cancer by Marquita Goodluck

Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings by Ellen McVicker
(Also in Spanish)

Cancer Hates Kisses by Jessica Reid Sliwerski
(Also in Spanish)

Cows on the Couch: A Cancer Story by Christine White

Fritzy Finds a Hat: A Gentle Tale to Help Talk with Children About Cancer by Scott Hamilton

The Goodbye Cancer Garden by Janna Matthies

Hair for Momma by Kelly A. Tinkham

The Hope Tree: Kids Talk About Breast Cancer by Laura Numeroff & Wendy S. Harpham

Mama’s Afro is a Soldier Too: Mom’s Cancer Diagnosis Explained by N.M. Charles

Mom and the Polka-Dot Boo Boo: A Gentle Story Explaining Breast Cancer to a Young Child by Eileen Sutherland

Mom Has Cancer! (Let’s Talk About It) by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos (Also in Spanish)

Mommy Has Cancer: What I Learned About Cancer and How I Helped My Mommy by Corey L. Stevenson Jr.

Mommy is a Cancer Warrior by Alex Bount

The Monster in Mummy: De-Monstify Cancer for Children by Donia Youssef

My Mommy is a Cancer Warrior by Jina Giusto

Nowhere Hair by Sue Glader
(Also in Spanish)

Our Mom Has Cancer American Cancer Society

The Paper Chain by Claire Blake, Eliza Blanchard, and Kathy Parkinson

Punk Wig by Lori Ries

The Year My Mother Was Bald by Ann Speltz

You Are the Best Medicine by Julie Aigner Clark

Metastatic Cancer
The Cancer That Wouldn’t Go Away: A Story for Kids about Metastatic Cancer by Hadassa Field

When Mom’s Cancer Doesn’t Go Away: Helping Children Cope with Loss and Beyond by Maryann Makekau

Books for Children about Having a Parent with Cancer IN SPANISH
El cáncer odia los besos (Cancer Hates Kisses) by Jessica Reid Sliwerski

Hablando con mis amigos de la Casa del Árbol sobre el Cáncer (Talking with My Treehouse Friends about Cancer: An Activity Book for Children of Parents with Cancer) by Peter R. van Dernoot

Besos de Mariposa y Deseos con Alas-Cuando (Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings) by Ellen Vicker

¿Y el pelo? (NoWhere Hair) by Sue Glader (Thousand Words Press, 2011)

Mi Mama Tiene Cancer! (My Mom has Cancer) by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos

Activity Books for Children about Having a Parent with Cancer Life Isn’t Always A Day at the Beach: A Book for All Children Whose Lives Are Affected by Cancer by Pam Ganz
Talking with My Treehouse Friends about Cancer: An Activity Book for Children of Parents with Cancer by Peter R. van Dernoot

When Someone Has a Very Serious Illness: Children Can Learn to Cope with Loss and Change by Marge Heegaard

Books for Children to Help with Separation
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs by Susan Schaeffer Bernardo

That’s Me Loving You by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman

Bounce Back! by Cheri J. Meiners

The Hugging Tree: A Story About Resilience by Jill Neimark

I Can Do Hard Things by Gabi Garcia

I Can Handle It by Laurie Wright

Nothing Stays the Same, But That’s Okay by Sara Olsher

Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival

What Do You Do with a Problem? by Kobi Yamada

Books for Children to Foster Mindfulness
A Handful of Quiet: Happiness in Four Pebbles by Thich Nhat Hanh

Angry Octopus: An Anger Management Story Introducing Active Progressive Muscular Relaxation and Deep Breathing by Lori Lite

Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments for Kids to Feel Calm and Focused Anytime, Anywhere by Kira Willey

Listening to My Body by Gabi Garcia

The Mindful Teen by Dzung X. Vo, M.D.

Puppy Mind by Andrew Jordan Nance

What Does it Mean to Be Present? by Rana DiOrio

Zen Shorts by Jon Muth

Books for Children to Help Understand and Express Emotion
B is for Breathe: The ABC’s of Coping with Fussy and Frustrating Feelings by Dr. Melissa Munro Boyd

Be Mindful of Monsters: A Book for Helping Children Accept Their Emotions by Lauren Stockley

The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Be Sad by Rob Goldblatt

The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Brittany Winn Lee

The Feelings Book by Todd Parr

Feelings to Share from A to Z by Todd Snow

In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek

Let My Colors Go by Courney Filigenzi

Lots of Feelings by Shelly Rotner

My Body Sends a Signal: Helping Kids Recognize Emotions and Express Feelings by Natalia Maguire

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

The Way I Feel by Janan Cain

Today I Feel Silly by Jamie Lee Curtis

Understanding Myself: A Kid’s Guide to Intense Emotions and Strong Feelings by Mary C. Lamia

Visiting Feelings by Lauren Rubenstein

Activity Books for Children to Help Understand and Express Emotion
Drawing Together to Learn about Feelings by Marge Eaton Heegaard

Mindful Monsters Therapeutic Workbook by Lauren Stockly

Books for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma
A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret M. Holmes

Once I Was Very, Very Scared by Chondra Gosh Ippen

Books for Adults to Help Children/Teens Cope with Grief
Guiding Your Child Through Grief by James P. Emswiler

The Grieving Child: A Parent’s Guide by Helen Fitzgerald

Healing Children’s Grief by Grace Christ

Helping Children Cope with the Loss of a Loved One: A Guide for Grown Ups by William C. Kroen

How Do We Tell the Children? A Step-by-Step Guide for Helping Children Two to Teen Cope When Someone Dies by Dan Schaefer and Christine Lyons

Preparing Your Children for Goodbye: A Guidebook for Dying Parents by Lori Hedderman

Take My Hand: Guiding Your Child Through Grief by Sharon Marshall

Talking About Death: A Dialogue Between Parent and Child by Earl A. Grollman

Books for Teens about Grief
The Grieving Teen: A Guide for Teenagers and their Friends by Helen Fitzgerald

Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss by Hope Edelman

You Are Not Alone: Teens Talk about Life after the Loss of a Parent by Lynne Hughes

Weird is Normal When Teenagers Grieve by Jenny Lee Wheeler

Books for Children about Death, Dying and Grief
Always by My Side by Susan Kerner

Always Remember by Cece Meng

Badger’s Parting Gifts by Susan Varley

Can You Hear Me, Daddy? by Y. Y. Chan

The Cardinal’s Gift: A True Story of Finding Hope in Grief by Carole Heaney

Cry, Heart, But Never Break by Glenn Ringtved

Death is Stupid by Anastasia Higginbotham

Duck, Death and the Tulip by Wolf Erlbruch

Everett Anderson’s Goodbye by Lucille Clifton

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia

Gentle Willow: A Story for Children About Dying by Joyce C. Mills

The Gift of Gerbert’s Feathers by Meaghann Weaver

The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr

Where Do They Go? by Julia Alvarez

The Good Mourning: A Kid’s Support Guide for Grief and Mourning a Death by Seldon Peden

Grief Squad: Mom’s Sky by Susan Repa

The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers

Ida, Always by Caron Levis

Lifetimes: A Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children by Bryan Mellonie

Lost in the Clouds: A Gentle Story to Help Children Understand Death and Grief by Dorling Kindersley

The Memory Box: A Book About Grief by Joanna Rowland

The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup

I Miss You: A First Look at Death by Pat Thomas and Leslie Harker

The Next Place by Warren Hanson

Bad: A Good-Grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing with Loss by Michaelene Mundy

Samantha Jane’s Missing Smile: A Story About Coping with the Loss of a Parent by Julie Kaplow & Donna Pincus

Saying Goodbye to Daddy by Judith Vigna

Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing after Loss by Pat Schwiebert

What Happened to Daddy’s Body? Explaining What Happens After Death in Words Very Young Children Can Understand by Elke Barber

What on Earth Do You Do When Someone Dies? by Trevor Romain

When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death by Laurie Kransy Brown and Marc Brown

When Someone Dies: A Children’s Mindful How-To-Guide on Grief and Loss by Andrea Dorn

Where Are You? A Child’s Book About Loss by Laura Olivieri

Why Do I Feel So Sad? A Grief Book for Children by Tracy Lambert-Prater

Zayaquann’s Story: From Trauma to Triumph by Monica Boddie

Activity Books for Children about Death, Dying, and Grief
Help Me Say Goodbye: Activities for Helping Kids Cope When a Special Person Dies by Janis Silverman

How I Feel: Grief Journal for Kids: Guided Prompts to Explore Your Feelings and Find Peace by Mia Roldan

Our Story: A Memory Book for ___________ by Mel Erickson

The Memory Book: A Grief Journal for Children and Families by Joanna Rowland

Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine: Your Activity Book to Help When Someone Has Died  by Diana Crossley

When Someone Very Special Dies: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief by Marge Heegaard