Sugar in the tank

Meret and Gian are playing together when a sudden argument breaks out over a stick of glucose. To explain why he urgently needs the glucose, the brave knight Gian takes Meret on an exciting journey into the inside of his knight’s armor. There they meet princes, hardworking servants, an important blacksmith, and a super-fast astronaut. Meret is amazed at how much is going on inside Gian and comes to understand why his body sometimes needs energy right away.

The story is based on a personal turning point: When the author, Rhea Willimann, learned that her five-year-old son had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, she looked for a way to explain the disease to his friends in a way that was both child-friendly and exciting. The idea of portraying the body’s processes as a knight’s adventure stuck with her and led to this picture book.

The challenge was to present complex bodily processes in a simple and understandable way. To ensure medical accuracy, the book was created in collaboration with Dr. Paolo Tonella, FMH, a specialist in pediatric endocrinology and diabetology at Lucerne Children’s Hospital. In this way, the picture book combines imagination and expert knowledge—and helps children ages 6 and up understand type 1 diabetes.