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Overview
About the Series
Living well with any kind of medical condition takes courage and perseverance. Patients and their loved ones need to know they are not alone. They also need to feel in control, so the illness will not control them. One major way of coping with the stress of human disease is through awareness and understanding of the problem at hand. This highly readable and extremely helpful series provides young readers with all they need to know about a variety of medical conditions. Each book begins with a short profile of a person living with a specific condition. It then goes on to define the disease, examine its history, and describe its symptoms and treatments. Its accessibility makes this series a useful tool for school reports. Practical advice on living with illness makes it indispensable for young people affected directly or indirectly affected.
Highlights and Features:
- Focuses on human diseases, illnesses, and medical conditions
- Offers practical advice and support
- Is thoroughly accessible
- Includes a glossary of terms and helpful Web sites
Editorials
Children's Literature
This title opens with two interesting stories, one of a baby born with a septal defect and one about a 40-year-old requiring angioplasty. The succinct description of how the heart works is clear and understandable, not an easy task for this complex organ. While the colorful illustrations and electron micrograph pictures are interesting, they would better aid the text if parts were labeled. The discussion of congenital heart defects and other types of heart disease, i.e. heart attacks, high blood pressure, arrhythmia, and congestive heart failure are informative. A chapter on the history of heart disease and heart surgery is interesting, as is the chapter on living with heart disease. Interesting pictures, illustrations, and useful sidebars are included on each page spread. Understanding the information in the text is somewhat complicated by the density of the text and the readability of font type throughout the book. The book contains a glossary of words that are in bold in the text, an index, and "Find Out More" resource lists of organizations, books and websites. This is a useful resource book for school reports and general information on heart disease. Other titles in the "Health Alert" series include Alzheimer's Disease, Depression, Asthma, Lung Cancer and Juvenile Diabetes. 2005, Benchmark Books/Marshall Cavendish, Ages 9 to 12.—Elaine Wick