2019-09-24
This brief, illustrated book from a Christian perspective explains the basics of diabetes and how to live with the disease.
Debut author Katrina DuPree begins by explaining how diabetes affects the body's ability to use insulin properly. She goes on to outline the three main types of the disease (Type 1, Type 2, and gestational diabetes), introduces medical professionals who help manage it, and explains blood sugar, what affects it, and the symptoms when it gets too high or low. She also discusses diabetes medications and tips for managing the disease, and well as possible complications, among other things. Each topic includes personal reflections from the author, who has Type 1 diabetes. Simple illustrations by her daughter, debut artist Ella DuPree, indicate thumbs-up and thumbs-down for healthy or unhealthy actions, and inspirational quotations from the Bible are included. For example, one page lists elements that can affect blood-sugar level. DuPree comments, "It amazes me that I can have low blood sugar just from vacuuming the house." On the facing page, a cartoon hand indicates a thumbs-up, next to a stack of sugar cubes with a double-headed arrow, indicating the importance of monitoring. A quotation from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reads, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?....So glorify God in your body." DuPree's explanations are simple and factual, although the information doesn't differ much from standard pamphlets that are given to newly diagnosed diabetes patients. However, the overall presentation is friendly, and the author ruefully admits her own mistakes, such as not turning off an insulin pump before going on an amusement park ride, which led to hospitalization. For some readers, the biblical quotes and reminders to trust God will be reassuring, although nonbelievers may not respond as well. The colored-pencil illustrations, have a childlike quality and a similarly friendly appeal, although the hands lack diversity.
Down-to-earth facts about diabetes, although the spiritual advice will resonate best with like-minded readers.
