Join us for this tour from Jan 5 to Feb 1, 2021!

Book Details:

Book Title:  MC Plays Hide and Seek: An Empowering Story for Healthy Children Who Care About a Person Living with Cancer by Eva Grayzel
CategoryChildren's Fiction (Ages 3-7),  64 pages
Genre:  Children's Picture Book
PublisherMascot Books
Release date:   Jan 5, 2021
Content Rating:  G for everyone.

Book Description:

M.C. is a cancer cell who shares just enough information about the nature of the disease to promote dialogue and minimize fear. The scary part of cancer is the unknown. Learn about doctors who look for cancer. Understand feelings children experience and learn ways to cope. Empower children with knowledge and how to make a difference. M.C. Plays Hide & Seek strengthens communication and builds emotional health.

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My Review
M.C. Plays Hide & Seek is a book meant to help children understand cancer in a more simple way. It's a book that will hopefully guide parents/guardians into having an open and honest discussion about this awful disease and how best to understand and handle the feelings that come with the knowledge. 
As a kid, I would have loved to have had a book like this. It's written in an easy to read way that kids will be able to handle, and the illustrations give a more visual aspect to the disease and how doctors check for it. 
My grandma went through cancer when I was young. I remember her going from a happy, carefree person to someone who could barely get around, with snowflake hair (that's what I called it, since her hair was thin and falling out) and a frail frame. I didn't quite understand what was happening to her. All I knew was she was sick with something called cancer. A book like this would have been so helpful to young me. Thankfully, my grandma bounced back and all was well with her until I was in my early twenties. 
This book also made me think about someone I went to school with. I considered her a friend -- we hung out as kids, riding bikes together and the like -- but she passed away from cancer a year ago. Reading this book made me a little emotional because it made me think about her death and how, not only was she so young (35), she also left behind her two young sons. I can't even imagine what they went through. 
This book also made me reflect on my own life. I recently had to be screened for cancer due to a medical issue (thankfully, my biopsy came back clean/fine), and as a parent myself, I think having a book like this around to discuss cancer with kids is super beneficial. While it doesn't go into a lot of detail about the disease, or the treatment options/side effects of those treatments, it is a good way to open up a discussion with kids and have them ask questions to learn more about it. 
I would recommend this book to everyone.
5 stars.

Guest Post

Life-Lesson Legacy:  A Diamond-Studded Benefit of Cancer

 Sharing a cancer diagnosis is an opportunity to teach valuable life lessons to all those who know you and love you. Children will openly witness what it looks like to cope with a serious illness. You have a choice. You can complain, moan and groan. That’s easy! Or, you can choose to find beauty and love in the midst of it all.

 It’s human nature to kvetch. It’s a human skill to recognize your gifts. Hone the skill of gratitude by practicing. Look at the many positive and beautiful things that can happen in each and every day:

Learning

Courage

Admiration

Acts of kindness

Friendship

Teamwork

Strength

Hope

 Children have an eagle eye’s view of what a good friend does. True friendship has a look and feel. Children experience how good it feels to be loved and supported. It translates into feeling confident about being empathetic and showing compassion. What a diamond-studded life lesson!

 Friends are great for the good times, but you discover who your real friends are during the hard times. Cancer can clarify which friends are ones to keep for life and which to put on the B list. It was astounding to me that people who I didn’t know well, welcomed the opportunity to help me. It was a gift to see which friends went MIA when I needed them most. My children noticed the shift in who I considered my best of friends.

 A cancer diagnosis can bring to light the value of being part of a community.  Whether you are active in your religious community, book club, study group, PTA, or any other group to which you are a member, the value goes up when you are sick. People are looking for ways to make a difference, and when an opportunity arises, it’s astounding how many people step up to the plate. This is a life lesson about how to show up and provide support to someone you may not know well.

 If you are diagnosed with cancer, you might as well use it to your benefit. The biggest pay off is the life lessons you provide. Children are apprentices. They learn from what you do. If you stay positive, you will leave a legacy of how to:

Cope with hard times

Maintain hope

Manage their own lives while being an active helper at home

Nourish friendships

 Hiding a cancer diagnosis from children is a lost opportunity to teach them about how to live a life worth emulating. When we choose to face our life challenges with strength and positivity, we turn adversity into opportunity - that’s right. Cancer is an opportunity to leave a legacy of choosing courage, gratitude and moments to cherish with those we love.

 There is no medicine more powerful than love.


Meet the Author:

Eva Grayzel is a motivational speaker, storyteller, and cancer survivor. When her children were five and seven years old, she was diagnosed with cancer. Their fear of losing her was deep, real, and suppressed. When she got a second chance at life, she created the Talk4Hope book series to help children understand cancer and make it less scary.

connect with the author:  website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ pinterest ~ instagram
 
Tour Schedule:
Jan 5 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review / giveaway
Jan 5 - Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / giveaway
Jan 5 - Splashes of Joy – book review / guest post / giveaway
Jan 5 - Rockin' Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
Jan 6 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Jan 7 – Reading Authors Network – book review / giveaway
Jan 7 - The Momma Spot – book review
Jan 8 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 11 – Books, Tea, Healthy Me – book review / author interview / giveaway
Jan 12 – Pick a Good Book – book review / author interview / giveaway
Jan 13 – 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Jan 13 - Older & Smarter? – book review / giveaway
Jan 14 – Bound 4 Escape – book review / giveaway
Jan 14 - My Reading Journey - book review / giveaway
Jan 15 – Library of Clean Reads – book review / giveaway
Jan 18 –  Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 18 - Westveil Publishing – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Jan 19 – A Mama's Corner of the World – book review / giveaway
Jan 19 - Laura's Interests - book review / giveaway
Jan 20 – The Bespectacled Mother – book review / guest post
Jan 21 – Cheryl's Book Nook – book review / giveaway
Jan 22 – Ice Fairy's Treasure Chest – book review / giveaway
Jan 25 – Reading is My Passion – book review
Jan 26 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
Jan 27 – She Just Loves Books – book review / giveaway
Jan 28 – Bookswithpaulak – book review
Jan 28 - Because I said so -- and other adventures in Parenting – book review / giveaway
Jan 29 – I'm Into Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 1 - Instagram: All Booked Up Reviews – book review
Feb 1 - Lisa's Reading – book review / giveaway
Feb 1 - I'd Rather Be At The Beach – book review / giveaway

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