Synopses & Reviews
An upbeat, empathetic, and essential guide for young people with diabetes
Erin is a twelve-year-old figure skater who loves the Jonas Brothers. Dave is a quiet fourteen-year-old living in the shadow of an athletic brother. Eight-year-old Marco dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. Veronica, sixteen, is going through a rebellious phase. Typical in most respects, they have all just received the same life-changing news: They have diabetes. Now they must learn how to live with this incurable disease.
Enter Kim, the graphic avatar of the author Kim Chaloner, who was diagnosed with diabetes when she was a teenager. In Diabetes and Me: An Essential Guide for Kids and Parents, Kim walks the kids—and the reader—through the basics of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, covering the latest technologies for monitoring blood sugar, strategies for nutrition and exercise, how to explain diabetes to friends and family members, and much more. Drawing on her own experiences, Kim reminds us how a life-changing disease can unite us—in fact, the person who brings Kim and the kids to life is none other than Chaloners husband, the award-winning graphic artist Nick Bertozzi.
Informative and empowering, Diabetes and Me is the perfect resource for parents, teachers, and young adults who need to know more about one of the most common diseases today.
Review
“What a surprisingly fun and friendly way for young people to learn about diabetes! This graphic guide brings a hopeful, practical, easy-to-read, real-life perspective to living well with diabetes. Kudos to Kim Chaloner and Nick Bertozzi!”
—William H. Polonsky, PhD, CDE, CEO of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute
“What a neat concept: diabetes education meets comic books! Diabetes and Me is informative and inspiring without being boring or condescending. I hope the authors will create one for adults, too!”
—Gary Scheiner, MS, CDE, author of Think Like a Pancreas and AADE Diabetes Educator of the Year, 2014
“Diabetes and Me is absolutely ‘Diva-licious! Its a great way for kids of all ages to learn about diabetes. Kim Chaloners friendly and upbeat narrative and Nick Bertozzis beautiful illustrations bring to life what its really like to be living with this disease.”
—Max “Mr. Divabetic” Szadek, founder of Divabetic
Synopsis
An upbeat, empathetic, and essential guide for young people with diabetes
In Diabetes and Me: An Essential Guide for Kids and Parents, Kim Chaloner, who has been teaching award-winning science classes for fifteen years, gives kids the tools they need to take charge of their health and understand what it means to be diagnosed with diabetes. In this graphic guide, she walks four young people through the basics of diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2, revealing . . .
- The early signs of diabetes and how doctors can help
- What it means to have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes
- What the pancreas is and how it works
- How to manage the ups and downs of blood sugar levels
- Strategies for diet and exercise
- How to explain diabetes to friends and family members
- And much more
Illustrated by the award-winning artist Nick Bertozzi, Diabetes and Me is an informative, empowering handbook for parents, teachers, and kids looking to learn more about how to handle one of today's most common conditions.
About the Author
Kim Chaloner is a middle school science teacher and the dean of community life at an independent private school in Manhattan, where she organizes programs in sustainability, biology, multicultural education, and community service. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age sixteen.
Nick Bertozzi is an award-winning illustrator and the author of The Salon and Lewis & Clark. He is the recipient of multiple Harvey Awards and Ignatz Awards, as well as a Xeric Grant. He teaches cartooning at New York Citys School of Visual Arts. He has also taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont.
Chaloner and Bertozzi live in Jackson Heights, New York.