The Complete List of Children's Books about Cancer (kids)

When Sara Olsher was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 34, her first thought was how to tell her six-year-old daughter without scaring her. Cancer Party! is the result of that conversation and experience. It is the book Sara wished she could have snuggled up on the couch and read with her child.
Cancer Party! is a little bit science, a little bit silly, and a lot straightforward. Keeping it simple, Cancer Party! uses bright illustrations to show how cells divide, work, and what happens when a cell gets confused and turns into cancer. Aimed at families with kids ages 4 to 10, Cancer Party! helps families address the physical impact cancer treatment has on a patient and their child, helps kids understand what to expect, and assures them that cancer isn't their fault.
“But every once in awhile, one of the cells forgets what its job is. It can’t remember what to do! It’s so confused. And since it doesn’t know what else to do, it decides to have a PARTY.”
Cancer Party! is the perfect book for families that want to explain what cancer actually is, and applies to mothers, fathers, grandparents, and many types of cancer, including breast cancer, colon cancer, blood cancers such as leukemia, and bone cancers. It aims to empower kids with knowledge, which is proven to help kids through traumatic situations.
Sara Olsher is the founder of Mighty + Bright, which helps families through hard things like divorce, cancer, and other major changes using visual magnetic calendars and daily charts. Based on decades of research about emotional intelligence and how to talk to kids so they actually learn, Mighty + Bright’s calendars have helped hundreds of families through some of the hardest times in their lives.

"Bald is Beautiful: A letter for a fabulous girl" is an inspiring and lovely illustrated letter for girls of any age who will go or already are bald. It's a perfect gift to send love to a powerful girl who needs to be reminded of how beautiful and loved she is. It's not a book that explains scientific conditions, disease, and treatment. It's about love, beauty, happiness, and friendship when going through various changes in our lives.
Bald is Beautiful comes like a hug, and it's the perfect gift for girls aged 4-100 years and up.
This book is ideal for:
Girls and women who are fighting cancer
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month gifts
Pink October gifts
Cancer Awareness gifts
Children receiving chemo for leukemia, lymphoma or another hematological disease
Chemotherapy gifts
Hat/ scarf party gifts
Kids with any type of alopecia (totalis, universalis, etc)
Kids' cancer books for hospitals
Temporary or permanent hair loss
Hair loss related or not to cancer treatment
Hey, girl,
You're beautiful...
And LOVED!
Life is bitter, but it's also sweet.
No matter your age or where you are, you can achieve your dreams.
You just need to accept yourself and be proud of who you are.
Life brings us challenges all the time.
I heard you'll go or maybe you are already bald.
You know what?
Bald is powerful,
Bald is feminine,
Bald is delicate,
Bald is beautiful,
Bald is lovely,
Bald is strong.
(...)

Ben has cancer, but he also has a loving family and friends, a community fighting for him―and hope.
When Ben finds out he has cancer, he learns a lot right away. He learns that cancer is something you fight, and that cancer isn't anyone's fault―especially not his. He discovers that many things change with cancer, but some of the most important things stay the same, and everyone around him wants to help him fight.

They Call Me Brave follows the true story of seven-year-old Ava and her journey fighting cancer. Ava's story goes beyond cancer, however, and proves that although she might be sick, she's still unstoppable. Through honesty and humor, this book empowers children and their families to keep moving forward no matter what medical issues they may be experiencing. This book shows children that they, too, are like strong, beautiful, funny, and Brave. For a discount on bulk orders, contact me at shanenebbia.com.

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, life flips upside-down. Suddenly, our days (and our thoughts) are dominated by doctors, nurses, child life specialists, and a million technical terms that will make anyone's head spin. Add extreme fear and anxiety to that, and you've got a recipe for the most stressful time in a family's life.
What Happens When a Kid Has Cancer is a book written with purpose of relieving the anxiety and confusion that comes from a child's cancer diagnosis and treatment.
What Happens When a Kid Has Cancer covers the main points of pediatric cancer — what it is and what the experience of treatment is like — and shows how it can change a kid's day. The book is great for ages 4 -10 and discusses:
- The science of cancer
- Changes to routines
- Surgery and anesthesia
- Chemotherapy
- Hair loss and hair changes
- Port, central line, and tubies
- Hospital stays
- Radiation
- Scans and blood draws
- Emotions relating to cancer
Over the course of a year and with the help of both experts and families who have been through pediatric cancer, author and illustrator Sara Olsher explains the science of cancer (in an age-appropriate, totally non-scary way) and uses an illustrated calendar to show how various treatments affect a child's day-to-day.
This method of teaching is based on decades of solid science about how kids learn and cope with the major day-to-day changes that result from issues like cancer. By creating a routine that kids can see and understand, parents can restore a sense of safety and predictability in their kids' lives, helping them to be more resilient in the face of life's inevitable challenges. What Happens When a Kid Has Cancer? helps families that want to reduce their kids' anxiety surrounding a very scary diagnosis. It aims to empower kids with knowledge, which is proven to help kids through traumatic situations.
Join Mia and her stuffed giraffe Stuart as they explain the science of cancer and how a child’s diagnosis and treatment affects their day-to-day life. What Happens When a Kid Has Cancer uses bright and fun illustrations to show how cells can turn into cancer, and helps reduce confusion about how cancer treatment affects a kid’s life.
"Most of the time we do the same things in the mornings. We wake up. We eat breakfast. (I like apples. Stuart only eats bugs.) ... When something big changes, what we do each day can change too. Stuart wants to know what happens to our days when we have cancer. "
Meet Mia and Stuart
With her messy pigtails and sunny personality, Mia brings a bit of fun to books about hard topics. Explaining life's toughest stuff to her toy giraffe Stuart, Mia is the star of the What About Me? book series, where she's able to help kids feel safe by explaining exactly what they can expect when faced with big changes.
About the Author
Sara Olsher is the founder of Mighty + Bright, which helps families through hard things like divorce, cancer, and other major changes using visual magnetic calendars. Based on decades of research about emotional intelligence and how to talk to kids so they actually learn, Mighty + Bright's calendars have helped hundreds of families through some of the hardest times in their lives.

What is the Big C and why is everyone is afraid of it? This educational resource will explain what cancer is and what it is not. The information may not be as comprehensive as doctors would explain it, but it includes all the essential and interesting facts about the disease. The addition of images will only make this book a much more interesting read. Grab a copy now.

When six-year-old Annabelle is diagnosed with cancer, she uses her imagination to get through the toughest parts of her diagnosis and treatment.
Amazing Annabelle will help kids prepare for scary procedures like anesthesia, scans, and surgery, and will help them cope with every step of their cancer fight.
Written by a mom whose 3-year-old daughter went through cancer diagnosis, the story features fun illustrations, rhyming stanzas and coloring pages that will delight kids of all ages.
Each copy sold supports pediatric cancer research.
For more information visit smallbutmightybooks.com

Fight the Big C with those suffering from it! This educational book will take your child through a possibly ugly journey of pain and diseases. But why should your child still go through with it? It’s because of the knowledge that comes with the experience. You want your child to understand the what's, whys and how's questions are answered satisfactorily. Secure a copy of this educational book today!

Chemotherapy 101 For Kids : An Easy to Understand Guide for Children about Chemotherapy
When I was diagnosed with cancer the first time my daughter was turning 3. I was diagnosed again right before her 4th birthday. I know firsthand how scary and uncomfortable it can be talking about cancer with kids. This is why I have wrote a series of books to help make things easier.
This book focuses on chemotherapy in a way that children can understand. I believe this book would be most appropriate for ages 3-9. There are colorful and fun illustrations to make this topic less scary for kids. I think this book would be an excellent resource for children with a family member undergoing chemo or a childhood cancer patient.
This book does not promise any specific treatment outcomes or durations - as everyone's cancer experience is vastly different when it comes to that. It emphasizes that cancer is not the child's fault and encourages them to ask questions.
I hope this book is helpful to you!

These beautifully illustrated and fun-to-read storybooks simplify and normalize complicated childhood conditions, like cancer. When read aloud, other children can identify why a peer may be treated differently and begin to empathize with them. In addition, children whose conditions set them apart as being different begin to feel accepted and safe. Each book includes a Kids' Quiz to reinforce new information and Ten Tips for Teachers to provide additional facts and ideas for teacher use. In Taking Cancer to School, Max is diagnosed with leukemia. This straightforward story may help to alleviate some of the concern that accompanies the diagnosis of childhood cancer.

The perfect book for your young future doctor!
Written by physicians, Hematology and Oncology for Kidsis a charming, easy-to-understand introduction to the life-sustaining fluid that circulates throughout your body: the blood! With its beautiful illustrations and simple explanations, this book teaches children (and adults alike!) about the anatomy and physiology of the blood, as well as different types of blood disorders and cancers. This can be a learning resource for kids, white elephant gift for adults, or gag gift for medical students. This installment of the Medical School for Kids book series is the best way to introduce basic concepts in hematology and oncology to our next generation of doctors.
In this book, you will learn about...
The three main types of cells in the blood
Conditions that affect the blood, such as anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia
Types of leukemia and lymphoma
Medical treatments for cancer
The importance of eating a healthy diet
... and more!
About the Authors
Betty Nguyen, MD was born in California but spent much of her childhood in Georgia, where she grew up on a chicken farm. She studied Biology at UCLA, where she was a Gates Millennium Scholar, and received her MD from UC Riverside on a full-tuition scholarship. Currently, Betty is a dermatology resident physician at the University of Miami. Outside of work, Betty is a certified yoga instructor and licensed scuba diver. She also enjoys journalistic writing, cycling, and walking her dogs in her free time.
Brandon Pham, MD was born and raised in California. He studied Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UCLA, where he was a Goldwater Scholar, and earned his MD from Stanford. Currently, Brandon is an ophthalmology resident physician at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida. Brandon is passionate about medical education for students of all ages. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, playing tennis, and distance running.
Medical School for Kids: It's never too early to learn.

“This is a book about cancer. You might not know the word cancer or the word may scare you. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. We’re going to tell you all about what cancer is and what it’s not. Because things are less scary when we understand them better.”
Cancer doesn’t just affect those who have it. It affects their parents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and friends. This book offers a basic understanding of what cancer really is and aims to make it easier to talk about for kids and grownups who may have someone in their life with cancer.

Did your son recently receive a cancer diagnosis?
We know this is a very scary time, but follow along as our magnificent conquerors, warriors and troopers fight back in an uplifting story featuring silly hats, power potions and more. When it comes to children, cancer faces an uphill battle against kids who are:
C - Courageous
A - Awesome
N - Nifty
C - Champions
E - Extraordinary
R - Rebels

New from Mayo Clinic Press Kids’ Helping Paws Academy series, Dash and the Cancer Center follows a facility dog who helps a child with cancer.
This inviting chapter book series explores health topics through the friendly lens of facility dogs. Follow an adorable facility dog helping a child through a cancer diagnosis, with strong messages of empathy, kindness, and courage. Facility dogs are specially trained to help kids through medical experiences—from lifting spirits, motivating movement, modeling the power of play, and more. Nonfiction back matter provides more information about medical topics introduced in the books, from acute to chronic issues, while also proving more information about facility dog programs and the Mayo Clinic Children's Center.
Mayo Clinic Press Kids creates empowering health and wellness content in partnership with pediatric experts. Proceeds from the sale of every book go to benefit important medical research and education at Mayo Clinic.

If You Give A Cancer Patient A Coloring Book : Kids Edition
I have been asked many times to expand my coloring book range with a kid's version and here it is!
This coloring book is kid friendly and is a great gift idea for any child whose life has been touched by cancer. (Whether they are the patient or their family member has cancer).
It has cute fun illustrations with positive and silly sayings.
Illustrations by "Ohyouresotough" (Chelsey Gomez).

This coloring book compliments the popular children's book "Followe Me, Cancer Free."
Follow along and color with little Melody in her journey to become cancer free. Walk with her and her teddy bear through her cancer diagnosis, treatment and remission. Celebrate life every step of the way, through the highs and the lows. Then create your own version of the book, telling and drawing your own story!