Books for the Endocrinology Clinic
* This images shows the old name for the ‘Is There a Book for That?’ blog/book list.
I’m excited to share some books that I think would be great for every endocrine clinic.
A few of the books are about diabetes. As many of us know, a childhood diagnosis of diabetes can be incredibly stressful. Fortunately, there are many resources out there, but as I looked through them, many of them are dated and not all of them are very engaging. So I picked a few of my favorites. All of which talk about pumps, help kids understand, and hopefully, help kids feel less alone.
I also included some books about body differences. Honestly, these books would be great for many areas of the hospital - diagnostic clinic, orthopaedics, post-op, oncology, etc! But, I thought these science based, inclusive titles could be especially helpful in the endocrinology clinic where kids experience early and late puberty, size differences, etc. I did not find any books about growth hormone testing or treatment, but I feel like these books could support some conversations about the topic.
I hope you find them helpful and never hesitate to reach out if you know of another great title that I should add to the list!
Diabetes
My Life with Diabetes by Mari Schuh
This book tells the story of a school aged girl with Type 1 Diabetes. It talks about how she takes care of herself and how diabetes does not define her life. Although the book mostly talks about her journey, it also gives examples of what other diabetics journeys could be like. This book also gives a kid-appropriate description of diabetes. This book is more approachable than most of the diabetes books I found. I also appreciated that it is more medically up-to-date, normalizing her insulin pump. I would recommend it for classrooms or for any school age child.
https://amzn.to/4sBUZPv
Understanding Juvenile Diabetes by Holly Duhig
This book covers many topics for kids with diabetes to understand including what insulin does, hyper/hypoglycemia, advances in research, diet, how pumps work, etc. It’s language is not simple enough for all children, but I think it could be helpful when educating older elementary and middle school kids. It could be a good book to break down in parts when educating a newly diagnosed 9-14 year old. I appreciated the case stories about specific kids with diabetes, that portion of the book could be helpful for kids to feel less alone and share their own story/tips.
https://amzn.to/3Pk8JiU
Teddy Talks by Vanessa Messenger
This book talks about diabetes through the perspective of a Typle 1 Diabetic girl’s dog. There is a lot of information and education about diabetes in the book. The explanations are simply-worded, but some might still go over kids’ heads. An adult reading the book with a child could help clarify or explain using simple body knowledge. The dog adds some silly moments that keep the book more interesting and relatable for kids. My favorite part of this book is that it gives a modern depiction of what a child diabetic might go through. It talks a lot about her pump and her “scores” and how she handles the beeps and buzzes. (This book would be good for preschool - middle elementary.)
https://amzn.to/40GyOex
Growth Hormone
Bodies Are Cool! By Tyler Feder
I am putting this book in this category knowing that there are a lot of kids that mature faster or slower than their friends and can feel self conscious. Many of these kids are followed by an endocrinologist. This book shares the message that all bodies are cool. Mostly the book just lists all the ways that bodies can be different including, but not limited to: size, skin, eyes, scars, and shape. The illustrations are engaging, and it could be good for a large group of kids that have a variety of body types. (This book would be good for all elementary kids.)
https://amzn.to/4smr0uG
All Bodies Are Wonderful: Use Science to Celebrate Everyone’s Body by Beth Cox
This book talks about bodies, how they are formed chemically and physically, and how they can be different based on science. The book also talks about discrimination and the different ways the world and what we are exposed to can affect who we become. The child life specialist in me loves the way the book takes on hard topics and explains them factually and without bias. It is fairly wordy though, so it would be a better book for older kids or very curious and factually minded little kids.
https://amzn.to/4rPjoQo
The Secret Code Inside of You: All About Your DNA by Rajani LaRocca MD
This book is simple and relatable with rhyming words and colorful illustrations but the general idea it teaches is that we each have a DNA code inside our cells that give our bodies instructions on how to grow. It circles around and addresses that not everything is chosen for us. We have the ability to decide how to use our brains and our bodies and who we become. I like that it takes a pretty overwhelming topic and makes it approachable, and although a book about DNA could also fit under other specialties, I will leave it here for now because when kids are dealing with bodies that look different because of how their bodies release hormone, I think it is important to talk about genetics and body differences. Great for young through middle elementary and with the final more complex pages, could even be good for upper elementary.
https://amzn.to/4byKuFi
