GENTLE HUGS

A young boy explains what it’s like to have a parent with a chronic illness in Guzmán’s picture book.

Alex and his mother (both portrayed with pale skin), along with their dog, Nico, sometimes go on adventures together—but often, “Mommy…wants to play with us but her body can’t.” Over a week, Mom experiences a new symptom each day—her specific illness isn’t disclosed—which Alex then explains to Nico, using easy-to-understand similes: “Mama can’t hike with us: her body is stiff like a ROBOT.” Each explanation concludes with his knowledge that his mother cares about him: She can’t go to the movies, but “I know she loves us by the way she plays puzzles with us when we return.” Although the story acknowledges that Alex often feels sad—as many kids would—it ends with a firmly hopeful assertion that Mom is seeing doctors to get well, and “better days” are ahead. It’s a tough subject for a kids’ book, but the straightforward text is perfectly augmented by Rewerenda’s soft, pastellike illustrations, often featuring literal depictions of Mom’s described discomfort—inviting readers to imagine, for instance, how it would feel to carry an elephant. It’s an impressively compassionate story about how persistent illness can affect a family.

An empathetic book about how chronic conditions may limit a parent’s activity, but never their love.