This past semester, I had the great fortunate of working
with a group of Child Life Specialists.
These people are the liaisons between hospitals/doctors and families
when children are preparing to undergo procedures or treatments. They have a strong understanding of both the
medical system and child development. I
taught a Children’s Literature course for this group with a focus on using
books to help children understanding their conditions/treatment; educate other
children about conditions/treatment; provide comfort and connections for
children dealing with medical issues; and provide entertainment and escape for
children undergoing treatments. The books in my #nf10for10 are the books we discovered
together.
Michael Rosen's Sad
Book
The book is an honest and direct look at how grief can
impact the daily life of a person. The
author lost his son and his mother and there are days he is sad. His simple sentences and watercooler images
show how the sadness feels to him.
However, there is hope as he realized his memories are comforting and
grief, over time, is less painful. It sounds like a heavy topic for a
children’s book, but with so much tragedy in the world, it provides children
with identifiable situations and words and the hope of eventual healing.
Tuesday Tucks Me In:
The Loyal Bond between a Soldier and His Service Dog
Luis Carlos
Montalvan, Bret Witter
Through the voice of the dog and using actually photos, this
book shows how a service dog provides assistance and comfort for a real veteran
soldier through his activities of daily living including getting ready for the
day, using public transportation, and eating at a restaurant. It provides context for the use of service
dogs and helps children understand the “hidden” disability of PTSD.
Why Are You So
Scared? A Child's Book about Parents with PTSD
Beth Andrews, Katherine Kirkland
Having a parent with PTSD can be scary and confusing. This book helps children identify the
behaviors they notice when their parents are struggling with PTSD – such as
anger, depression, panic attacks etc. It
emphasizes that the parent’s mood and behavior is NOT the child’s fault and
provides some suggestions on how the child can react to the scary behaviors of
the parent.
Scaredy Squirrel
Melanie Watt
This is more fiction than non-fiction, but it helps explain
to children about fear and anxiety. Fear can be paralyzing, and the squirrel in
this story is afraid of anything outside of his nest. He imagines a lot of horrible things that
could happen if he would leave his comfort zone. But, when he accidently loses
his emergency kit, he goes after it and discovers that “the unknown” is not so
bad. There is a whole series of Scaredy
Squirrel books – At Night; At a Party; Making a Friend. Plus, a fun website http://www.scaredysquirrel.com/default.html
My Book for Kids With
Cansur: A Child's Autobiography of Hope
Jason Gaes
This older title, written when the author was young and
diagnosed with cancer, the book uses children’s drawing to talk about cancer
and treatments, along with the fears of having cancer. It is a nice model to
use to help children write/draw through some of their own issues.
