A diagnosis of cancer is a shock for anyone, but for a child it can be particularly difficult. Suddenly the child is required to process some very big, very adult emotions: shock, anger, sadness, and a feeling of isolation from their peers. These were emotions that Sarah Josefsburg, as an adult, found herself struggling with during her own fight with cancer. And it was because of them that she was inspired to write her debut publication, Rosie the Rabbit, which seeks to impart to children undergoing chemotherapy some of the insights that helped her during her illness.

A beautifully illustrated, poetic children’s picture book, Rosie the Rabbit, reassures its young reader that while, of course, their cancer is a very big thing, it is not all they are. It reminds them that, though they might not be able to go out and play, they still have their imagination, can still make jokes, are still loved, still have friends, and still have much to look forward to. It is a book that’s promises that while the experience might not “make you stronger/Or braver/Or true/…every experience/ Will make you more you.”