-review by Elena Sonnino, Fairfax VA Publisher Mom
Parents love their children. Children love their parents. Watching anyone go through a disease or a period of illness is tough for just about anyone, but for a child, watching a parent go through cancer treatment is unimaginable. As a cancer survivor myself, I know how hard it is to be the patient. But I also know that my family and friends went through just as hard of a time. Watching me go through chemo and enduring the side effects was unbearable because everyone wanted to snap their fingers and make things OK. But they couldn't. There was no band-aid or Tylenol that could makes things better. And this for children, is hard to understand.
Julie Aginer Clark has written a story that attempts, successfully, to make this big bad disease, and it’s side effects, concrete for children. You Are the Best Medicine is a story that exudes love and caring, and helps children understand that even though “there will be some days when I don’t feel good” remembering the love and bond shared between parent and child provides more relief than any band-aid could. From the loss of hair, to doctors appointments, to feeling tired, the author (a cancer survivor herself) reminds us of how important each family member, especially the young ones are in fostering optimism and hope.
Clark was inspired to write You are the Best Medicine during her own struggle to talk with her children about her illness in a joyful and happy way. This courageous picture book, illustrated with tender warmth by Jana Christy, reassures readers by letting them know that their love and support are part of the healing process. 100% of the author’s proceeds from the book will go to UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center because of its pioneering role in developing life-sustaining cancer treatments.
Although my cancer came at a time before my daughter, I often wonder about how I would approach the topic with her, were it to happen again. I remember when I was first sick, teaching a preschool class, we explained to them that I would be losing my hair because of some medicines that I would be taking. The following day, one of my students looked at me, very perplexed- I still had my hair. “Wasn’t I going to lose it?” he asked.
The simplicity of a child’s mind, the innocence that they bring to life, and the joy that they bring to even the cloudiest of days is captured by Julie Aigner Clark in You Are the Best Medicine. I wish that parents would never need to have these conversations with their children but since they do....this book will surely make the unbearable bearable.
