Why Am I So Tired?: A First Look At Childhood Diabetes

by Pat Thomas, Leslie Harker (Illustrator)

Only a few generations ago, children who suffered from diabetes seldom survived to adulthood. Thanks to medical research, that situation has dramatically changed for the better. Children learn what diabetes is and the importance of taking their medication on schedule and maintaining a correct diet to ensure that they enjoy long, active, and productive lives. All titles in the very helpful A First Look at. . . series speak directly to preschool and early-grades children, encouraging them to explore their feelings and talk to trusted elders about ways of dealing with things that bother them. Some problems discussed in these books are passing in nature and can be solved with relative ease. Others, like those treated in this new title, encourage children who have long-term health problems to trust in the professional medical care that they require, and not be frightened by it. The book features child-friendly color illustrations on every page. A brief section at the end of the book presents specific advice and information for parents.

29 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

There is more than one Pat Thomas in the Goodreads catalog. This entry focuses on Pat^Thomas, children's author.

Pat is a trained psychotherapist, naturopath and journalist. After working as a journalist and broadcaster in the USA, she now works in the field of child development and writes for various publications including 'Practical Parenting'.

Reviews

[Aryehl]

This book was a great narrative non-fiction text told in the second person explaining what a child's body goes through with diabetes. The text explains in simple, kid-friendly language, type 1 and type 2 diabetes and what the child might expect from doctor visits, possible medication (including insulin pumps, shots, and pills), and checking blood sugar. The text even touches on the subject of prognosis and dietary habits. There are also notes at the end for parents explain how they might use this book, and notes for the child that steer them very carefully in learning how to manage their diabetes (Do you know what type of diabetes you have? Do you know some of the things you need to take care of yourself?)
This book is not quite a true narrative nonfiction in that it does not tell story, and has no sequence of events. The events are isolated, but contribute to the description of the experience of childhood diabetes all together. This book is also void of characters since the text is directly speaking to "you". The illustrations are friendly looking and relevant and add to the assuring tone of the text. The settings depicted in the illustrations are of familiar setting and experiences--even those who are not working though diabetes should be able to relate. The familiarity of the settings offer children moments to consider the experiences and the similarities in their own lives. In the classroom, reading such a text in the 2nd person may allow other children to better picture themselves in a similar situation.The book promotes empathy, and is sensitively written. Any child would be able to remain engaged throughout the duration of this text.