Review: Cancer Hates Kisses Is Perfect For Discussing The Disease With Children

My grandmother had cancer and died before I was born, so the book Cancer Hates Kisses kind of made me think of her, my Lolo, my dad and his sister.

Cancer Hates Kisses, by Jessica Reid Sliwerski, is about a mother who is diagnosed with cancer. The son and daughter say that their mama is a cancer-fighting superhero, and every day she kicks cancer’s butt hard. To fight cancer, she sometimes has to have surgeries and take chemo.

I liked this book because of the metaphor that explained the book: people who are diagnosed with cancer are superheroes because they fight a big disease. My dad said my Lola Rose fought cancer hard for 15 years. I also liked that the family in the book looked diverse. I think the dad is Asian, like mine. And it was cool that the book was also told from the children’s point of view.

The author wrote the book after she was diagnosed with cancer. It was illustrated by Mika Song. She also illustrated A New School Year: A Story in Six Voices that I reviewed. I will be posting my interview with Mika Song later this week.

I recommend this book to kids who might know someone who has cancer. It might make them feel reassured. And to kids who want to learn about what happens when you get cancer, because this book talked a lot about it and made it easy to understand.

I give this book 3 out of 4 roses!