Kemo Shark

KidsCope is a US not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation that helps children and families understand the effects of cancer or chemotherapy on a loved one, to provide suggestions for coping, and to develop innovative programs and materials that communicate a message of hope to diverse families coping with this crisis. In particular, KidsCope helps children understand a parent’s cancer.

Kemo Shark is a 16-page Word document that you can download from KidsCope.org. It was written by H. Elizabeth King, PhD, illustrated by Diane Williford Steele and conceived by Mitchell McGough.

It is a beautifully illustrated story about a shark named Kemo, who goes inside a child’s mother to fight the bad cells. Kemo Shark has poor vision and cannot easily tell the bad cancerous cells from the good cells, so there are side effects such as hair loss and sensitivity to smell. Such examples help the child to better understand their parent’s treatment and pain. The book also provides coping strategies such as drawing pictures of cancer cells and tearing them up to get rid of them.

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