Be a Friend: Children Who Live With HIV Speak (Hardcover)

by Lori S. Wiener (Author), Philip A. Pizzo (Author) "I often wonder where you came from..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"When I told the kids at school I had AIDS, they made fun of me. I told them by accident. Now I want to run away from school." This poignant collection aims to free children infected with AIDS or HIV from their onerous silence--and their peers from insensitivity. Most of the contributors of the brief statements and drawings here are pediatric AIDS or HIV patients at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md.; a few, piercing entries come from siblings ("I really want my brother to know that I love him even if I don't always show it. There are just some times that I have to hit him back"). Although an adult hand is clearly present, particularly in a section where each bit of text begins "I often wonder," the children express their emotions with wrenching candor, whether discussing living with illness, their hopes and fears, or their thoughts about God and heaven. There is room, too, for acceptance and humor: "What will happen to my stuff and my room? (Casey will probably get most of it, but making a museum would not be such a bad idea)." This is an eye-opening, emotionally challenging book, profits from which will be donated to the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4 Up-A collection of drawings and writings by young HIV patients of the National Cancer Institute. These young people-ages 5 to 19-reveal the human face of HIV and AIDS, and plead for acceptance and kindness. In "I often wonder," the contributors question and dream, expressing fears and speculations about death. "Living with HIV" is about coping on a day-to-day basis with uncertainties and limitations, pain, and never-ending medical interventions. "Family, Friends, and AIDS" records the isolation that society's fears impose. Some children try to reassure readers about the safety of casual contact, appealing for an end to panic. Ignorance and prejudice are the targets of a 10-year-old's essay, "How to treat people with AIDS." The drawings lack technical expertise and sophistication, but are moving. Elaine Landau's We Have AIDS (Watts, 1990), for older readers, features teens' life stories as well as medical facts.
Libby K. White, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company; 1 edition (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807505900
• ISBN-13: 978-0807505908
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,433,115 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faces and Hearts, Not Merely Numbers, April 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Be a Friend: Children Who Live With HIV Speak (An Albert Whitman Prairie Book) (Hardcover)

This collection of pictures, stories, and thoughts from children who have AIDS humanizes an inhuman experience. These children are the children in our lives,the same as all children. Their artworks and statements bring home the human aspects of this disease and help to remove the distance that fear and misunderstanding cause. I was first introduced to "Be a Friend "in a training session for teachers working with special populations. Since then I have given it as a gift to friends and coworkers and have used it extensively with my class of Youth in Custody students. It is a non-threatening approach to a subject about which they have many fears and misconceptions. Hearing the voices of children helps lower the barriers and open the dialogue which promotes learning and understanding. Similar in approach to " I Never Saw Another Butterfly " the stunning work by children of the Holcaust, this books makes the experience of AIDS very real and human. I recommend it highly to anyone who knows and loves a child.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Outdated, August 13, 2006

A Kid's Review

Unfortunately, while this book was great a few years ago, with the changes in HIV treatment, it is not something that I would use for that age group, as it implies hopelessness.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for Kids, April 28, 2003

By	Jill B "casegirl78" (Northeast Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This is a good book for any classroom. It shares how children are affected by HIV - how they are still children, but with great weights. I have used it many times, not just for children, but as an awareness tool for adults.