When Eric's Mom Fought Cancer

by Judith Vigna

Eric is scared by his mother's ravaging illness and afraid he will not get to try his new skis before winter's over, until his father takes him on a surprise trip during which he buys his mother a token of hope.

Genres: Picture Books

1 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric had a tough time when he found out that his mom had cancer. This book was really good at explaining how hard cancer could be for both the parents and their kid(s) and especially describing what cancer is to them and how things around the house can change. Eric had a hard time not having his mom around and she was always too tired to pay attention to him. It got to a point where he couldn't take it anymore and he destroyed the snowman he made to show her. He couldn't take not being noticed in his house because everyone was always too busy for him. It can be very hard and devastating for young children to see their parents so sick and always in bed. This book reminds me of one of my teachers I had in high school that had cancer and didn't know how to explain it to her daughter. She would always tell us stories about her daughter being so sad and worried about her. She thought that all the kids at school would make fun of her if they saw her without her wig and saw that she didn't have hair. I feel that the kids also have a big impact with their parents that have cancer because even Eric was scared and asked his mom if that meant she was going to die.

[Cristal Trujillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The name of the book caught my eye because you do not typically see children’s books talking about things like cancer. Eric’s mom explains to him that she has to go to the hospital to get her cancerous tumor removed. Eric is scared about his mom going to the hospital and asks her if she is going to die. She comforts Eric and lets him know that she is going to be okay, that she will get treatment to make her better. After his mom’s surgery Eric wants to go skiing so he can use his new ski poles, he is disappointed that his mother can’t go and has to wait for her to feel better to go skiing. Soon she has to go back to the hospital to prevent any new cancerous tumors from forming which, worries Eric. Eric’s dad comes up with a plan to keep Eric’s mind off of his mom. This story would be great to have in the classroom because students may have someone or know someone with cancer and maybe able to relate to Eric’s story.

[Melissa Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so heartfelt and meaningful. It is about a boy and what he goes through as his mom has cancer. It shows the good times of her surgery going well and it shows the bad times as the boy has to navigate through wanting to be with his mom and play with her, but can't. The illustrations were okay in the sense that they showed you what was happening, but it didn't WOW me. I think that the plot of the book was the best part and that this book would be very useful for children and adults who are dealing with similar situations. I am happy to know that books like this exist and that I can easily find one and learn from their experiences.

[Brian Askins · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this picture book has a very serious tone to it, I believe it is a wonderful way to explain cancer to young children who do not understand it. The book shows Eric's frustrations and questions, all reasonable things a child might have if their mother or father is fighting cancer. It is a tough topic to bring up, and this book makes it a little less hard. The pictures are the perfect mix of colorful but also not overpowering the message of the story. The children can relate with Eric in the pictures, and it will help guide them through what might be going on in their life. I would recommend this book to be read to children going through a similar situation to Eric.

[Scarlett Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explains real life situations to children like moms having cancer, it explains what the doctors found, how they were going to treat it, and what happens after its treated. The little boy eric is concerned and is worried about his mom getting better. Everyday we sugar coat stories for children and real parents everyday are getting sick and children need to know what is going on. This book wasn't exciting or beautifully created but it had a nice story behind it and its good to inform children on the issue of cancer in families.

[Alejandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it sad that Eric, being a young boy, had to face reality and the tough possibility of losing his mom. The grandma displayed the feeling of hope as she nurtured Eric, showing love throughout the story. It was also great to see the illustrations as they showed the reactions and behavior a normal child would have if they found out bad news like this.

[Becca Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is really important for kids to read. It answers a lot of important kid questions about cancer and isn’t too sad. The story’s really cute and heartwarming.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This realistic story is about a little boy named Eric who is dealing with his mother that is fighting breast cancer. Eric really wants to learn how to ski, but there is no time with his mother being sick and going through treatments all of the time. He gets frustrated that his mom does not have any time to hangout or play with him and has a hard time understanding how sick she really is. Eric’s mom has the idea that Eric and his father should go to the slopes to use his new skis. Eric and his father head to the slopes and enjoy themselves. Eric is worried about his mom and asks his father if he gave her cancer or can catch it. Eric’s father explains that cancer is not contagious, and Eric buys his mom a warm hat with green “hair” from the gift shop. Eric comes home and cannot wait to tell his mother about their ski trip. The mother informs Eric that her treatments are going well and that she would probably be able to go to the slopes with them soon.

This book deals with a heavy and heartbreaking issue, but it is still suitable for children to read. It can help children who have family members with cancer relate to Eric and cope with it. It can also give an outside perspective of what it is like to have a parent who has cancer. Although this story is sad, it is unfortunately relatable to many people. The watercolor illustrations and text compliment each other, making it a very moving story. I noticed that most of the watercolor illustrations were dull, which go along well with the sorrow of the storyline. The dull colors help set the serious and sad tone of the book about cancer. I thought that the “note for grownups” at the beginning of the book was interesting. It discussed the effects that cancer can have on a child and family, as well as resources to help people dealing with cancer.

[Alli Serrano]

This book is a about a young boy, Eric, and his mother who is battling breast cancer. She is very sick and had to have surgery. This is hard for Eric to understand. She is in and out of the hospital multiple times. When she is home she has to rest because she isn't feeling well. Eric just wants her to play with him. He knows she can't help it but he still gets angry. He has been waiting to go on a skiing trip with his mom and dad but with her sick, it got put off. Finally, his dad takes him to ski, the mom is unable to come this time. Eric at first is worried leaving his mom but dad says it will be okay. When they are there they have a great time. Eric is reminded of a time when he squeezed his mom to hard and is worried that he caused his mom's sickness. The dad reminds him that that is not the way someone can get cancer. Still thinking of his mother, he buys her a snow hat with fake hair that she can wear until her hair grows back.
The author does a great job recognizing how children view illnesses. They aren't able to understand all the details but it is important to share with them what is happening. It allows children to realize that it is not their fault that someone is sick and helps them deal with issues like these. The boy in the book learns that you shouldn't get angry in a situation like this which is great for children to understand. The author captures all of this in a very mature manner but still is understandable for young children. The tone and the realistic illustrations add to this. This book allows for a great discussion with children if a time like this happens in their lives or may happen.

[Rachael Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judith Vigna delivers readers with a story about a little boy and his journey dealing with his mother's cancer. In the beginning of the story, readers learn that Eric's mom is struggling with cancer and how she keeps making trips to the hospital. The mom gets operations and feels sick all of the time. Her sickness begins to frustrate young Eric who explains to his caregiver, his grandmother, that his mom never plays with him any more. Eric is especially upset that he still has not used his skis that he got for his birthday, so his dad decides to take him skiing. While skiing, Eric thinks of his mother and buys a hat to bring her home.
This story brings up many sensitive issues that are tough, especially for children. Not only is cancer and sickness brought up, but multiple things that come along with the illness. These things include how people do die from cancer, hair falling out, and tiredness. I enjoyed that Vigna mentioned how tired cancer patients feel and how Eric felt ignored; this would be good for children to read because they will know that if they know someone with cancer they should not be hurt by the tiredness.
My favorite part about this book was how it can be relatable and does not make cancer seem too scary. The topics mentioned by the book will help children understand cancer and what comes along with it. The illustrations also lighten the subject because they only use light colors so they are not dark and depressing. I think that this book would be a good read for children who know someone, especially a parent, who has cancer.

[Taylor Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This story is about a little boy who is dealing with his mother having cancer. When she is diagnosed, he is scared that she is going to die, but as we can tell from the title, she fought cancer. Throughout the book, Eric worries about his mother at treatment and is curious when it's going to end. He sat in the house and wondered when he was going to get the chance to try out his new skis when, finally, his father offers to take him up to the slopes (it was his mother's idea). He couldn't wait to get home and tell his mom. She informed him that the doctors said that she wouldn't be in treatment that much longer and that it wouldn't be long before she could go to the mountain with them.
Analysis: The critical and social issues that are shown in this book is that children deal with their parents having cancer a lot. It's common and often they don't know how to deal with it for the fear of if they gave it to them or if they're going to lose them. It's hard on both the family and the mother, but the only thing they can really do is comfort the both of them. This book could help a child who has a mother with breast cancer to see that they have to be strong for their mommy, and that getting angry is never the answer and it doesn't make it any better. They can get hope from knowing about the treatment, even at such a young age. It helps them to understand more and makes them feel better knowing about what's in store for them.

[Jordan Santoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story can easily bring on a few tears, but it is also completely realistic. The story is about a young boy named Eric who is a bit confused and very sad about his mother's fight with breast cancer. Eric doesn't quite understand the disease, misses his mom's normal personality, and even worries he might lose her. This book was tough to read, but had a great message. As heavy as the underlying issue is, the book still remains suitable for children and is unfortunately, completely relate-able. Upon opening the book, I first noticed the "note for grownups". This message is obviously not meant to be shared with children and talks a bit about cancer and what it can do to a child and a family. It also includes some resources to help people struggling with this terrible disease. As far as the text and fairly simple watercolor illustrations, they compliment each other and together they make a very moving story.

[Jessie Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this story was very sad. It is a good way to explain cancer to a younger child and explains the part of the sick person not being well a lot of the time.

My Summary,
The little boy's mom gets breast cancer and he wants to learn how to ski but with his mom being sick there has been no time for him to learn. He gets very frustrated that his mom wont hang out with him or play with him and doesn't fully understand how sick she is. One day his mom told his dad to take him to the ski mountain. The boy is worried that he might have given his mom cancer and the dad tells him thats not true. He buys his mom a hat and the mom seems to be doing better by the end of the book.

[Delaney Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This children's book was much more powerful than I was expecting. It had so much emotion behind it and helped justify any feelings someone going through this might have. When Eric got mad at his mom for being so tired all the time and then him apologizing I am sure a lot of people can relate to this. I would not read this to a large group but rather individual student's just because I do not know there backgrounds all the way.

[Citlalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book because it shows how hard cancer can impact a child and there families. This book is about a boy named Eric's learns that his mother has cancer. He is scared and he see how his mother is too sick to play with him.