Dora Przybylek’s Children’s Book “Luisita Is Sick/Luisita está enferma” Shares a Child’s Cancer Journey with Hope and Courage

In Dora Przybylek’s picture book, Luisita Is Sick/Luisita está enferma, a little girl and her mother face a serious diagnosis with hope and courage. The book follows Luisita, who notices one day at school that she is too tired to climb to the top of the slide during recess. After school, she tells her mother, who takes her to see Dr. Julie.

The story presents Luisita’s experience through a careful and child-centered lens. After a blood test, during which Luisita is described as “very brave,” Dr. Julie tells Luisita’s mother that her daughter has cancer. Luisita’s mother gently explains what cancer is and helps her understand that medical testing will require waiting. She explains, “This is why people who go see doctors are called patients.”

As the story continues, Luisita faces the visible and emotional parts of treatment. When she loses her hair, her mother reassures her that it happened “so that new and stronger hair [can] grow.” She also sews a bright yellow dress for Luisita that her classmates admire. These moments show how comfort, reassurance, and family support help a child move through a difficult medical journey.

The Kirkus Indie Reviews notes that Luisita likes and trusts her doctors, nurses, and medical team. She also begins to imagine herself “as a super hero” who wears a red cape to treatment. Through this image, Luisita Is Sick/Luisita está enferma connects illness with bravery in a way young readers can understand.
The review describes Przybylek’s prose as even-keeled and focused on a child’s firsthand experience of cancer treatment, including feeling tired, losing hair, and eventually entering remission. The Kirkus Indie Reviews also notes that Gastón Hauviller’s digital illustrations are colorful and lively, and that a direct Spanish translation accompanies each page.

Luisita Is Sick/Luisita está enferma is a bilingual picture book that presents illness, patience, and medical care through warmth, courage, and family support. To order a copy of Luisita is Sick/Luisita está enferma, visit Dora Przybylek’s website or look it up on Amazon.

Book Details:
Author: Dora Przybylek
Book Title: Luisita is sick/Luisita está enferma
Book Genre: Children’s book
Publisher: Laredo Publishing
Published Date: February 26, 2018
Illustrator: Gaston Hauviller

Author Biography:
Dora Przybylek is a Peruvian poet, storyteller, and screenwriter based in New York. Her award-winning novels include “Luna Llena, Cabalgando sin riendas” and “Luque 687, Visitas al ayer.” She has also received multiple accolades for her children’s books in the Luisita Series, addressing themes like cancer in children, COVID-19, people with disabilities, recycling, and children and war.

Contact Information

ReadersMagnet

Publishing and Marketing

ReadersMagnet LLC

info@readersmagnet.com