 Children facing cancer—whether their own, a family member’s, a friend’s, or even a pet’s—will find help in understanding the disease through this book. A young boy discovers his dog’s lump, which is then diagnosed with those dreaded words: “It’s cancer.” The boy becomes a loving caretaker to his dog, who undergoes the same types of treatments and many of the same reactions as a human under similar circumstances (transference). Medical writer and award-winning children’s author, Sherry North artfully weaves the serious subject into an empathetic story that even young children can understand.
Champ’s Story and an accompanying stuffed animal golden retriever are an educational and awareness initiative of the ASCEND Foundation, a non-profit organization, partnered with Sylvan Dell Publishing. It is ASCEND’s vision to introduce the cancer book with cancer-related teaching activities for children into school systems. By utilizing the fun, fictional book, along with the stuffed version of its main character, Champ; teachers, parents, and caregivers will be able to educate children on social concerns and treatment protocols for cancer in a way to which young children can relate. The ASCEND Foundation is a volunteer 501(c)(3) registered non-profit with a track record of initiatives designed to make a measureable difference in the battle against cancer. Its most recent initiative, “Gabe’s Chemo Duck” provided a similar educational companion, free of charge to child oncology facilities across the country, as well as several oncology facilities in Europe. ASCEND will use all donations to fund “Champ the Cancer Companion” initiative with a vision to “Change the future of Cancer One Child at a Time.” If you or your organization would like to sponsor a “Cancer Companion” package for a child, a school, or for children’s cancer centers in your area, please go to http://www.ascendfoundation.org or contact the office directly at 843-225-4055.
Author/Illustrator Info:
Sherry North (Champ’s Story: Dogs Get Cancer, Too, Fall 2010) is an award-winning children’s author and medical journalist. A former medical producer for CNN Headline News, Sherry has written and produced a number of award-winning medical documentaries for public television, and she currently contributes to WebMD. In the children’s book realm, Sherry has written Because You Are My Baby (Winner of a 2008 NAPPA Gold Award), Because I Am Your Daddy, Sailing Days, and The School that Sank. Her writing has also appeared in Highlights magazine, and she was a runner-up in the 2008 Magazine Merit Awards. Sherry has presented at many preschools, elementary schools, and libraries. She was also a featured speaker at the 2008 Miami Book Fair International. She lives in South Florida with her husband, son, daughter, dog, and cat. For more information, visit her website at http://www.sherrynorth.com/. Sherry is also a featured blogger for the Miami Herald’s parenting site. 
A lifelong artist and lover of art, Kathleen Rietz (Champ’s Story: Dogs Get Cancer, Too, Fall 2010) was drawing and painting before she learned to write her name. Originally from Peoria, IL, Kathleen received her formal training from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, IL. For nearly two decades, she has worked as an illustrator, designer, and product developer. Kathleen’s illustrated books include the trade publications Little Black Ant on Park Street, The ABC’s of Yoga for Kids and Prayers for Children, as well as numerous scholastic readers. She has taught art to children and adults at the Community School of the Arts at historic Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, and through a local home school program in her community. For more information about Kathleen, visit her website: http://www.kathleenrietz.com/. | 
Science and Math through Literature
