A child being diagnosed with cancer is a frightening and often isolating experience for both the child and family. C is for Cure is a simple yet powerful book shedding light on what can be expected after a cancer diagnosis. Written from the perspective of Jenna Barton’s three year old son Kai, "C is for Cure" uses warmth and humour to help ease the fear of children and their families in this most difficult of circumstances. The book also educates both children and adults on what happens behind the scenes as a child undergoes treatment at the same time dispelling some of the common myths. Mixed in are some of the complementary alternative treatments that Kai experienced, useful to children and caregivers interested in exploring complementary avenues for children dealing with cancer. These include hypnotherapy, chiropractic care, body talk, reiki, and Psych-K, in addition to conventional medicine (chemotherapy). C for Cure is attractively presented, with colourful pages and fonts. Each right-hand page has a photo of Kai, accompanied by text on the left-hand page, charting his journey from the age of three to the age of eight and how he beat cancer. Hospital location photos are interspersed with fun times and these are useful to help demystify (for adults and children) experiences such as radiotherapy, body talk therapy, and chemotherapy. Kai finds imaginative possibilities in what could be intimidating hospital procedures: a CAT scan is not like a cat and very much like a doughnut, while blood samples can be dispatched like space rockets. Colour picturebook (photos) with short text.
Audience: Child 4 - 8 years; adult caregiver