Additional free resources for families facing cancer can be found at nbcf.org/parents.
According to a study published by the National Institutes of Health, up to 25% of cancer patients are also parents to children under 18 years old. When a cancer diagnosis comes, it’s vital for parents and children to have resources available to help guide them through an understandably difficult time in their lives.
The following books are recommended by mental health and child development experts to help children cope with their parent’s or loved one’s cancer diagnosis and provide recommendations to parents as they guide their children through the journey.
These book recommendations are organized by the child’s age as well as by subject matter, covering topics from understanding cancer and witnessing a parent experience cancer to grief and loss. We hope these free resources are a trusted source of knowledge, guidance, and hope as your family navigates a cancer diagnosis together.
Books included have been reviewed and recommended by medical experts, Wendy Harpham, MD, and Kelsey Mora, CCLS, LCPC. This list is adapted from Bright Spot Network. You and your family can request free books through their Bright Reads program.
Books for Adults
Helping Children Through a Loved One’s Cancer Diagnosis
Books for Teens
Having a Parent with Cancer
Grief
Books for Children
Having a Parent with Cancer
– Understanding Cancer
– Feelings and Cancer
– Moms with Cancer
– Dads with Cancer
– In Spanish
– Activity Books
Coping
– Separation
– Resilience
– Understanding and Expressing Emotions
– Activity Books
Death and Grief
– Coping
– Activity Books
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
How to Talk to Your Kids About Cancer by Sara Olsher
Kids Worry Too: A Guide for Adults Helping Children Understand Hospitalization by Nebraska Medicine (online download; available in English and Spanish)
Pickles Family Cancer Support Kit by Pickles Group (online download)
Raising An Emotionally Healthy Child When a Parent is Sick by Paula K. Rauch
Talking to Children and Teenagers When an Adult has Cancer by MacMillan Cancer Support (online download)
What Do I Tell the Kids? by The Cancer Support Community (online download)
When a Parent Has Cancer: A Guide to Caring for Your Children by Wendy S. Harpham, companion to Becky and the Worry Cup
Both Sides Now (a novel) by Ruth Pennebaker
My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks by Marc Silver
When Your Parent Has Cancer: A Guide for Teens by National Institutes of Health (online download)
Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens: 100 Practical Ideas by Alan Wolfelt
Healing Your Grieving Heart Journal for Teens by Alan Wolfelt
It Won’t Ever Be the Same: A Teen’s Guide to Grief and Grieving by Korie Leigh
Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss by Hope Edelman (for young adults)
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 (Ages 6-9)
Our Family Has Cancer, Too by Christine Clifford (Ages 9-12)
Someone You Love Has Cancer: A Child’s Guide to Understanding by Robin Martin Duttmann (Ages 2-10)
The Very Naughty Cell by Lily Sacks-Hubbard (Ages 2-12)
What Happens When Someone I Love Has Cancer? by Sara Olsher (Ages 4-10)
Dealing with Feelings Series by Elizabeth Crary (Ages 3-8)
Self-Calming Cards, a deck of cards with bilingual instructions (Ages 2-12)
The Adventure Jar: A Story of Magic for Families Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer in collaboration with the metastatic breast cancer community (Ages 2-12; online download)
Becky and the Worry Cup by Wendy S. Harpham (Ages 6-10)
The Big Discovery: Assisting Families Through a Breast Cancer Diagnosis by Ashley Dedmon (Ages 5-14)
Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings by Ellen McVicker (Ages 4-8; also available in Spanish)
The Hope Tree: Kids Talk About Breast Cancer by Laura Numeroff & Wendy S. Harpham (Ages 4-8)
Making Happy by Sheetal Sheth (Ages 6-10)
Nowhere Hair by Sue Glader (Ages 4-8; also available in Spanish)
The Paper Chain by Claire Blake, Eliza Blanchard & Kathy Parkinson (Ages 6-9)
My Dad and the Dragon by Montserrat Coughlin Kim
Besos de Mariposa y Deseos con Alas-Cuando (Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings) by Ellen Vicker
Qué pasa cuando una persona que amo tiene cáncer (What Happens When Someone I Love Can’t Get Better) by Sara Olsher (Ages 4-10)
The Dot Method – an interactive workbook to teach kids about cancer by Kelsey Mora
Life Isn’t Always A Day At the Beach: A Book for All Children Whose Lives Are Affected by Cancer by Pam Ganz
My Life, Their Illness Activity Book from Canadian Virtual Hospice (Ages 6-12; online download)
Talking with My Treehouse Friends About Cancer: An Activity Book for Children of Parents with Cancer by Peter R. van Dernoot (Ages 6-12)
When Someone Has a Very Serious Illness: Children Can Learn to Cope with Loss and Change by Marge Heegaard (Ages 9-12)
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst (Ages 4-8)
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn (Ages 3-8)
That’s Me Loving You by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Ages 3-8)
Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman (Ages 4-8)
You’ll Find Me by Amanda R. Hill (Ages 5-9)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst (Ages 4-9)
Nothing Stays the Same, But That’s Okay by Sara Olsher (Ages 2-11)
Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival
The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Brittany Winn Lee (Ages 3-6)
The Feelings Book by Todd Parr (Ages 1-3)
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek (Ages 2-6)
The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld (Ages 2+)
The Way I Feel by Janan Cain (Ages 3-6)
My Book About Cancer by Rebecca C. Schmidt, M.Ed. (Ages 3-8)
When Someone You Know Has Cancer: An “Arthur” Activity Book by Dr. Paula Rausch (Ages 3-10; online download)
ABCs of Grief Series by Jessica Correnti
The Adventures of Peighten & Gingerbread: Navigating Cancer Diagnosis and Developing Coping Strategies for Grief by Feryn Heth (Ages 3-9)
Always By My Side by Susan Kerner (Ages 4-8)
Everywhere, Still: A Book About Loss, Grief, and the Way Love Continues by M.H. Clark (Ages 5+)
The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia (Ages 4+)
Goodbye: A First Conversation About Death by Megan Madison (Ages 2-5)
The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr (Ages 3-6)
I Have a Question About Death: Clear Answers for All Kids, including Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Other Special Needs by Arlen Grad Gaines
I Miss You: A First Look at Death by Pat Thomas and Leslie Harker (Ages 4-8)
Ida, Always by Caron Levis (Ages 4-8)
Lifetimes: A Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children by Bryan Mellonie (Ages 5+)
The Memory Box: A Book About Grief by Joanna Rowland (Ages 4-9)
More Than Sad: Feelings After Someone Special Dies by Laura Camerona (Ages 4-12)
The Next Place by Warren Hanson (Ages 5+)
One Wave at a Time: A Story About Grief and Healing by Holly Thompson (Ages 4-8)
Something Very Sad Happened: A Toddler’s Guide to Understanding Death by Bonnie Zucker (Ages 2-4)
Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing after Loss by Pat Schwiebert (Ages 8+)
What Does Grief Feel Like? by Korie Leigh (Ages 3-8)
What Happens When Someone I Love Can’t Get Better? by Sara Olsher (Ages 4-10; online download)
What Happens When Someone I Love Doesn’t Feel Good? by Sara Olsher (Ages 4-10; online download)
What on Earth Do You Do When Someone Dies? by Trevor Romain (Ages 5-10)
When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death by Laurie Kransy Brown and Marc Brown (Ages 4-7)
When Someone Dies: A Children’s Mindful How-To-Guide on Grief and Loss by Andrea Dorn (Ages 4-10)
Where Are You? A Child’s Book About Loss by Laura Olivieri (Ages 4-8)
Why Do I Feel So Sad? A Grief Book for Children by Tracy Lambert-Prater (Ages 5-7)
Help Me Say Goodbye: Activities for Helping Kids Cope When a Special Person Dies by Janis Silverman (Ages 5-8)
Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine: Your Activity Book to Help When Someone Has Died (Early Years) by Diana Crossley (Ages 3-6)
When Someone Very Special Dies: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief by Marge Heegaard (Ages 9-12)
NBCF is here for parents facing cancer; you are not alone in this journey. For more free resources to help guide children through a parent’s cancer diagnosis, read:
In addition to NBCF, there are other groups dedicated to the emotional well-being of children and families who have a parent facing cancer. Below are a few organizations to consider partnering with on this journey.
National Breast Cancer Foundation is here for you—and your family—as you navigate a breast cancer diagnosis. Visit our website to learn about NBCF breast cancer support groups, obtain free educational resources, or find a patient navigator in your area.
Donations are always appreciated, but there are lots of great ways to get involved.
