Children's Books About Cardiac Care (Cont.)
*This image uses the old name for the ‘Is There a Book for That?” blog/booklist.
For February, American Heart Month, I thought I would share some additional books that I have found about various aspects of heart care. I first shared books about heart conditions and procedures in June 25,2025. So check out that post as well.
Today, I am excited to share some more specific cardiac books. So please look through them, as there are some really unique books that some families will be looking for. Read about each of them below. Please keep in mind I do receive a small commission for some of the links, but at no additional cost to you.
Riley’s Heart Machine by Lori M. Jones
This book shares the story of a school-aged girl. She doesn’t talk about her pacemaker because she is worried kids will laugh or treat her differently. One week, a couple different conversations with friends and the arrival of show-and-tell motivate her to bravely share her story. Her friends are all very interested, and she is thankful that she did it. This book is great for normalizing having a pacemaker and encouraging kids to be proud and confident. She does explain why she has a pacemaker and that she got it when she was a baby. She also talks about it not hurting, and that it helps her feel good. So it would be good for kids who need a very basic understanding, but not for those who have more questions. Great for preschool-middle elementary.
https://amzn.to/4sRFm64
The Blank Page Adding Colorful Purpose to Ventricular Septal Defects by Allie Jones
This is one of many books in Allie’s(fellow child life specialist) Blank Page series. Each of these books use a metaphor. The patient is a blank page and their feelings and experiences affect the page. In this book, the “page” has a VSD. The “teacher page” uses an approachable analogy of the heart being like a castle and the blood being like knights to explain VSD. The book ends with several hands-on activities that help kids process. Allies’s books cover feelings, processing, and teaching. They could be a good for a family to work through in parts. Good for school age kiddos. Also, available in Spanish!
All of Allie’s books are available at: www.childlifetogo.com
Myco and Friends by Luka-Angel Cairns
This book was written by a heart transplant recipient for heart transplant kids. The book introduces each medicine kids will need to take after their transplant. Each medicine has a face and talks in the book. They explain why they are taken and some of the things kids might feel when they take them. This book could be helpful for kids after a transplant who feel alone in taking their meds or who could benefit from understanding why they are all important.
https://amzn.to/4bAiDVa
Getting Ready for My Heart Cath: A Cardiac Catheterization Book for Kids - Preparation and Recovery by Fei Zheng-Ward
This book is a straightforward preparation for a child’s heart cath with anesthesia. The book covers a lot of common experiences such as not eating, the equipment the child might see in the room, and what they will need to do during recovery. The author covers a lot of the details which can be a bit risky as different hospitals do things a bit differently. I would suggest having your doctor/nurse/child life specialists look through to see if there are parts that could be different at your hospital. It could be a great way to prepare parents for what questions they should ask when they have their pre-op appointment. For kids that benefit from being fully prepared this book can serve as repetitive preparation or if your kiddo gets nervous with a lot of info, it could be helpful to read afterward to process. Good for school age kids with their parents’ support.
https://amzn.to/40DtecN
Wired Up: A Pacemaker Guide for Teenagers by Hannah Phillips and Katie Miller
This book was created by two teenagers who have pacemakers. The book talks about what a pacemaker is, why a person would need one, and questions you should ask your doctor before getting a pacemaker. It does not give a lot of details about the actual process, but it does encourage lots of questions about that to the reader’s doctor (which is a great idea since each hospitals ways can have differences). It covers what to bring and what recovery is like. It also covers concerns and cautions to take. This resource is free and is provided by Evelina London Children’s Health care. www.evelinalondon.nhs.uk
You'll find all of these books added to the ‘Is There Book for That?” Book List PDF (under Cardiology).
