Diabetes Helpers
Jalanah Deroze and Dr. Phyllisa Smith Deroze
This pioneering children’s book about diabetes is the first book to focus on children who help their loved ones with diabetes and to combine conversations about three types of diabetes into one book.
If you’re looking for a kid-friendly way to discuss diabetes, this book is for you. Readers follow three characters, Jalanah, Grace, and Antonio, as they show the small ways they help their loved ones. There is a surprise coloring book at the end that encourages children to further engage with the book and define themselves as a diabetes helper too.
This mother-daughter duo wrote diabetes helpers to encourage others. Dr. Deroze lives with Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults, and her seven-year-old daughter, Jalanah, is her diabetes helper. Jalanah has learned how to run to the fridge in a flash and bring her mother juice to correct hypoglycemia, as she’s learned how to read and write. For all the kids who have or who are learning about diabetes as they are learning about the world, this book recognizes them.
Diabetes Helpers is a thoughtful, encouraging book for families in which an adult or older sibling has diabetes, and the children are in the role of helping on occasion. It’s something that is not always the focus of diabetes literature for children and fills a gap that will help many families. The book looks at three family dynamics – one in which the mom has LADA diabetes, one where the older brother has type 1 diabetes, and one where the grandfather has type 2 diabetes. The authors give easy to understand explanations about diabetes and how it affects the body with visuals that will help children understand.
Not only does the book offer scenarios where children can be helpful, but it also touches on that different types of diabetes have different needs. It focuses on the many positive ways that families can support their loved ones with diabetes, including simply enjoying life with them regardless of their diabetes. Near the end, the book suggests diabetes helpers asked their family member with diabetes how they can best support them, fostering communication and giving prompts for children to start these healthy conversations.
Diabetes Helpers is a fun, interactive book with coloring pages at the back that will encourage children and families to have open communication about diabetes and remind people with diabetes that support is necessary and can be a beautiful part of diabetes.
39 pages, paperback, ISBN-10 0972627839. $14.992022
