The Goodbye Cancer Garden, written by Janna Matthies and illustrated by Kristi Valiant, is a beautiful and sensitively written book that is perfect for families who are facing a serious illness. Children, especially, will benefit from this sweet story of a mother's bout with breast cancer and how her husband and children deal with the uncertainty and fear of the unknown.

At the beginning of the story, Mom and Dad tell Janie and Jeffrey that Mom has cancer.

The children are allowed to go with their parents to a doctor's visit and ask questions. The doctor tells them that they will work very hard to help Mom get better, hopefully by pumpkin time. With this "seed" of information, Janie comes up with a wonderful idea. The family will plan and plant a garden to help keep track of Mom's progress. Watching it grow and eating the healthy vegetables will help remind them that she is getting better. And before they know it . . . "Hello, pumpkins, goodbye cancer!" Of course, Mom loves the idea of a "Goodbye Cancer Garden."

The book chronicles the progression of both the garden and Mom's treatments. Janie, Jeffrey, Mom, and Dad decide on cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, lettuce, potatoes, peppers, and, of course, pumpkins for the garden. And in the meantime, Mom must go through chemotherapy and radiation. However, through it all she keeps a great attitude, reassures her children, and takes an interest in creating the garden.

When Mom faces the prospect of losing her hair due to chemo, the family has a head-shaving party. And when it's time to plant the pumpkins, Mom personally plants the seeds. When treatments are over, the family hosts a picnic and invites everyone who has helped them. They serve many of the vegetables they have grown in the Goodbye Cancer Garden. Moreover, when it's time to harvest the pumpkins, it's a time to celebrate with pumpkin bread, roasted pumpkin seeds and the fact that Mom is indeed feeling better. Additionally, they save some of the pumpkin seeds to plant the following year; a symbolic reminder, perhaps?

The author, Janna Matthies, wrote this book during her own breast cancer journey, and her family really did chart her progress with a Goodbye Cancer Garden. Her story is one of courage and hope, and I found it to be a wonderful testimony to a family's unity and desire to rally together at a difficult time. The book is a great resource to introduce children to, and possibly help them understand more about, a serious and unsettling topic. Beautifully written! Additionally, the illustrations by Kristi Valiant are vibrant and realistic and add much to the story. Highly recommended!

Product review by Amy M. O'Quinn, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, June 2011