How do you explain to a young child when someone close to him or her gets really sick? Perhaps it is a grandparent or a parent or maybe it is even a sibling or a friend. No matter who it is a young child may have trouble really understanding and may not know how to deal with it. Today I am going to share a book with you to help you explain and to help the child cope with what is going on. The book is How Do You Care for a Very Sick Bear? by Vanessa Bayer and illustrated by Rosie Butcher.
In this sweet book it starts by talking about a friend. A friend you know well and play with all the time. The illustrations of you and this friend are two bears. Then that friend gets sick. It gives ideas on things the child can do to help the bear like visit and bring cards and books, etc. It also tells the child the friend could be different in looks like less hair or too tired and it may be scary both for you and the friend. It suggests how spending time with the sick friend can help both of you.
Vanessa Bayer pulls from her own experience. At age fifteen she was diagnosed with leukemia. Something she found that helped her was her friends. When they visited and brought her things or even called her with the latest news from school. She shares this experience with young children because it is a scary world out there and let's face it young children can get seriously ill or know someone close to them that does. I love the story in this book and how it is presented to help young children have things to do for people they love. This book is a special book that is for the person who needs it. I hope you will check it out and know it is there when someone needs it.
