A Child Shall Lead Them: Lessons in Hope from Children with Cancer

Komp, a pediatric oncologist at the Yale School of Medicine, follows her book about children facing death, A Window to Heaven , with this floridly inspirational collection of essay/stories about young cancer patients. Taking one day at a time makes child patients wiser than adults, according to Komp. Among her most dramatic cases are those patients requiring lengthy waits for donor cellular material followed by a delicate transplant procedure--like Crumb-bunny, the mortally ill baby to whom Komp addresses the letters that begin each chapter. Children, the author notes, depict and fight illness through personalized, storybook terms (pain is colored red, for example), with God an equally real presence. Komp stresses that she writes from the ``point of view of a seasoned pediatrician and a faithful Christian,'' and as such is a strong believer in both treatment and prayer--the ``interactions of body and soul.'' $25,000 ad/promo. (Sept.)