Resources to Help Kids Understand Heart Defects

These picture books include explicit discussion of congenital heart defects, and are appropriate for most children. Families can read these books together, or children can read them on their own.

• The Abilities in Me: Congenital Heart Defect, by Gemma Keir

• Blue Lewis and Sasha the Great, by Carol Donsky Newell

• Daniel Visits the Hospital, by Alexandra Casel Schwartz

• Extra Special Heart, by Carli Valentine

• Hank the Heart, by Ryan Moore

• Henry Has a Heart Surgery, by Stephanie Johnson

• Little Panda and her Super Heart, by Marta Esteva

• Matty's Heart, by Jean Clabough

• Nathan's Special Heart, by Jessica Howard Ennis

• Patch, the Brave Heart Lion, by Natalie Halls-Jones

• Riley's Heart Machine, by Lori Jones

• Scars Don't Define You, by Nykia Ward

• Super Heart Hero, by Samantha Kelly

• SuperScar, by Melanie Tucker

• What Makes You Super?: Let's Talk about Congenital Heart Defect, by Fernanda Neve

• Zip-Line, by David Humphries

To request your free copy of Daniel Visits the Hospital, email CNPschedulingandquestions@childrens.harvard.edu

These books address living with an illness. Some are explicitly about a chronic or serious illness, and some are open to interpretation: they could apply to an otherwise healthy person's cold or flu, or they could apply to many days for a person with a chronic illness. As a whole, these books cover multiple topics that are relevant to many children with heart defects.

Please note: some children can be confused by books about a condition they do not have. Think carefully about a child's typical thinking in selecting books, and be careful to clarify which conditions apply to them.

• Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand, by Liz, Jay, and Alex Scott

• Ariana Rose: A Story of Courage, by Ariana Feiner

• Bear Feels Sick, by Karma Wilson

• The Brave Souls Club, by Danielle Viverito

• How Do You Care for a Very Sick Bear?, by Vanessa Bayer

• Little Tree, by Joyce Mills

• A Kid's Book about Chronic Illness, by Gigi Robinson

• The Lemonade Club, by Patricia Polacco

• Sam's Super Seats, by Keah Brown

• A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Pbilip Stead

• Taking Asthma to School, by Kim Gosselin

• Taking Seizure Disorders to School, by Kim Gosselin

• When Will I Feel Better?, by Robin Prince Monroe

These books are longer than most picture books, and explicitly discuss living with heart defects.

• Connected at the Heart, by 2HEARTS

• The Great Upending, by Beth Kephart

• The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James, by Ashley Herring Blake

• You Go First, by Erin Entrada Kelly

These longer books address living with a chronic or long-term physical illness, but are not explicitly about congenital heart defects. Many kids with heart defects can relate to the content and stories.

• Abby Tried and True, by Donna Gephart

• Aniana Del Mar Jumps In, by Jasminne Mendez

• Behind These Hands, by Linda Phillips

• Dust, by Dusti Bowling

• The Football Boy Wonder, by Martin Smith

• Gut Reaction, by Kirby Larson

• The Honest Truth, by Dan Geneinhart

• Jumper, by Melanie Crowder

• Knock Out, by K.A. Holt

• Meena Meets her Match, by Karla Manternach

• Moustaches for Maddie, by Chad Morris

• No Matter the Distance, by Cindy Baldwin

• Once in a Blue Moon, by Sharon Flake

• Out of My Heart, by Sharon Draper

• Patina, by Jason Reynolds

• Scars Like Wings, by Erin Stewart

• Sincerely, Harriet, by Sarah Winifred Searle

• The Truth About Stacy, by Ann M. Martin

• We Could Be Heroes, by Margaret Finnegan

• Will on the Inside, by Andrew Eliopulos

• Wink, by Rob Harrell

• World Made of Glass, by Ami Polonsky

• The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet, by Jake Maia Arlow

The following videos and online resources can help many children understand congenital heart defects, whether their own or a sibling's or friend's. They can help children to feel more in control and less worried, and to embrace their full identity.

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