Brushing Mom's Hair
ILLUSTRATED BY
In Poetry
Ages: 10-12
Pages: 64
List Price: $17.95
Cover: Hardcover
Published: 9/1/2009
ISBN: 1-59078-599-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-599-7
Ann is just short of fifteen when Mom is diagnosed with breast cancer. How can she tell the girls in ballet class that her mother had her breasts cut off? Her matter-of-fact sister, Jane, takes charge at home; her brother, Nick, calls from California; Dad helps when he can, as do friends, teachers, and relatives. Still, Ann is consumed with worry. Who's going to make sure that Mom drinks enough water, like the doctor said? Unless she is dancing or making pottery, Ann feels completely alone. She has a book that says, "Don't sweat the small stuff. And it's all small stuff." Even cancer?
Reviews
"The author’s biographical note reveals that Cheng is a breast cancer survivor and drew from her own daughter’s experiences in these poems that show an insider’s knowledge of the disease. But Ann, the young narrator, describes the experience mostly through the “small stuff“ of daily life. With one or two words on each line, the poems are a fast read, but the chatty voice packs in emotion, all the more powerful because it is so tightly controlled. Wong’s small black-and-white pencil drawings on every page extend the poetry through the characters’ body language. A great choice for poetry classes, as well as for bereavement counseling."
—Booklist
