JEANNIE ANN'S GRANDMA HAS BREAST CANCER

In this illustrated children’s book, some key information helps a little girl process her beloved grandmother’s journey through breast cancer.

Biracial first grader Jeannie Ann is worried when she learns that Grandma has breast cancer. But Mom and Grandma listen to her concerns and explain what is happening in terms she (and young readers) can understand. Davies, the author of children’s books and From There to Here: A Breast Cancer Journey (2015), is a breast cancer survivor. Her sensitive narrative, in Jeannie Ann’s voice, is both comprehensive and presented with unforced simplicity. Mom reassures Jeannie Ann that cancer isn’t catching “like a cold or the flu.” (The girl is “very glad to hear that!”) She learns that Grandma’s breast with a tumor in it will be removed in an operation called a mastectomy; that hugs must be gentle after the surgery; and that Grandma’s hair loss and stomach upsets will be due to chemotherapy, “a special medicine that travels through her whole body and kills any cancer cells that got left behind.” Later, Jeannie Ann relates that Grandma wants “her hair to come back curly” so she will “look more like me!” Throughout, the caring words and kind actions of the characters model compassion. The full-page and smaller images by prolific children’s book author and illustrator Nobens are rendered in a refined cartoon style with fine lines, soft watercolor hues, and a variety of thoughtful details (the characters’ expressive faces and body language, family photographs on a side table, and patterned fabrics). The work includes useful suggestions for how to listen and communicate when a family member has cancer and a resource list of cancer organizations’ phone numbers and websites.

This empathetic and engaging tale offers a child’s perspective on a loved one’s health crisis.