It can be incredibly difficult to find the words to help young children understand serious illnesses like cancer. Even more challenging is finding a way to help them process the many feelings and side effects associated with the cancer treatments their family members may be experiencing. With her book, Finding Mummy’s Glow, Mandy Woolf has gifted families a way to handle little ones’ questions in a loving way they will find easy to understand. I can’t think of a better gift for parents who are undergoing chemotherapy than to have a children’s book that answers the difficult questions for them.

In Finding Mummy’s Glow, Noah learns that his mother has cancer, and he tries every way possible to give her back the glow the disease has stolen from her. Mr. Snuggles, Noah’s teddy bear companion, joins him on his mission to make his mother feel better and help their home feel normal once again. Readers experience all the emotions alongside Noah as he becomes increasingly determined to make everything right in his mother’s world. Woolf’s book is touching and covers this topic with care in a way that comforts without creating worry.

I found the way that Woolf deals with Noah’s stress to be the most effective aspect of the narrative. When Noah worries that he might have caused his mother to be sick and that he might be able to catch the same disease his mother has, he is reassured by his mother with confidence and explanations that children will easily comprehend.

As a mother who has undergone treatment for skin cancer, I appreciate the approach Woolf has taken with this delicate topic. She does not shy away from having her main character express very real emotions. This realistic approach combined with the overarching sense of hope throughout the story and the fantasy elements surrounding Mr. Snuggles makes this a must-have book for families searching for ways to talk openly and honestly about cancer with their children. 

Pages: 32 | ISBN : 978-1923020238