YOU ARE THE BEST MEDICINE

Cancer is a tough topic for a picture book, but Clark strikes the right tone for young children. A mother answers questions that children often have before they are even asked. Can I catch cancer? Will you go to the doctor a lot? Why will you lose your hair? Will you be sick or tired? Putting a positive spin on such difficult questions is a challenge, but the narrator does so by involving her anxious daughter. "There will be some days when I don't feel good, and then I will think of all the times I took care of you when you felt sick... I will be happy when you help me to feel better...." Muted pinks and reds circle mom and daughter as they remember the sweet times of the past that will sustain them. While adults know that it will take a lot more than the love of a child to heal a sick parent, a child will be comforted knowing that her mother plans on getting well and that she plays a role in the healing. (Picture book. 3-7)