Talking about cancer with your kids is hard.  We get it. Bright Reads books are one way to start this difficult conversation.   

We developed the below discussion and activity guides to accompany our Bright Reads books so that parents, guardians, grandparents, and other loved ones have additional questions and activities at their fingertips to help keep these conversations going or to be able to easily return to them at another time. 

Each guide has suggested ages for discussion questions and activity ideas, but you know your child the best.  Change the questions as you see fit.  We hope that you use these in the ways that best work for you and your child.

Check them out!

• Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings: When Someone you Love has Cancer by Ellen McVicker

• Cancer Hates Kisses by Jessica Silwerski

• Chemotherapy 101 for Kids by Chelsey Gomez

• Goodbye Book by Todd Parr

• 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 & Meredith Englander

• In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek

• Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children by Bryan Mellonie

• Lost in the Clouds: A Gentle Story to Help Kids Understand Death and Grief by Tom Tinn-Disbury

• Mommy Has Cancer: What I Learned about Cancer and How I Helped my Mommy by Corey L. Stevenson Jr.

• My Dad and the Dragon by Montserrat Coughlin Kim

• My Dad is a Cancer Fighting Hero by Chelsey Gomez

• Nowhere Hair by Sue Glader

• Stickers on Her Bald Head by Chelsey Gomez

• The Cancer That Wouldn’t Go Away: A story for Kids About Metastatic Cancer by Hadassa Field

• The Feelings Book by Todd Parr

• The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

• Too Many Cells by Lauren Candies

• What Happens When Someone I Love has Cancer by Sara Olsher

• Wherever You Are, My LoveWill Find You by Nancy Tillman

A big thank-you to the following professionals who contributed to and reviewed these guides:

Carissa Hodgson, LCSW, OSW-C
Sarah F. Pedonti, Ph.D.
Lauren Rabinovitz, MPH, MSW, LCSW-C
Sarah Keyes, MA, CCLS