Like most of the volumes in the “True Books Health” series, the format is nearly the same. The opening page presents two statements that could be true or false. By carefully reading the book, the true answer will be revealed. It is again repeated on the closing page before the back matter (resources, glossary, index and blurb about the author). This particular group of books covers a variety of diseases—Ebola, Autism, Allergies, Asthma, and Cancer and none of them are simple diseases. In Cancer, readers learn why it is a serious disease; but today it is not necessarily a “death sentence.” When certain types of cancer are discovered soon enough, people can be completely cured. The actual story tells of a young girl and her aunt, who recently discovered a lump in her breast. All of the anxiety, doctor’s visits, tests, and final news that the tumor was benign are related. These steps would be associated with most forms of cancer. A really interesting spread is entitled “Smoking is a Killer.” The text also explains how cancer starts and why there are so many varieties. That is because there are more than 200 different cells in the body and each could become cancerous. It certainly shows how difficult the disease is to identify and, in some cases, cure. While treatments have improved, cancer still kills more people each year than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Regular medical checkups will help detect cancer in its early stages, thus dramatically improving a person’s chances of survival. The illustrations are excellent and absolutely appropriate to the text. The large print, readable text and layout on crisp, white pages make for an attractive and very interesting book. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot; Ages 7 to 11.
