(99 cents) is a book iPhone app about kids who have cancer, but there’s nothing depressing about it. More than just being a story about the kids, it’s about the nurse who looks after them. Nurse Neena takes care of the kids, cheers them up, and boosts their confidence. She puts on a clown nose when you least expect it, and by the end, the kids show their homage by surprising Neena with clown noses themselves.
This book has a message, but it isn’t hokey; it’s also extremely well done. The story is written, narrated, illustrated, and (musically) scored. The writer explains cancer, hospitals, scientists, researchers, and doctors; all in way that’s understandable to kids, but does not hide the truth or beat around the bush. The story bandages the hard parts with humor—the hat closet where kids get to choose a hat after they undergo chemotherapy—and instills laughter as one of the most important parts of coping with such a terrible disease.
This iPhone app would be a great gift for any young person dealing with cancer for the first time and fearing he or she is alone. As Nurse Neena would say, this app is for all the “tough cookies” battling cancer and coming out stronger for it.
