Marcia Rauch continues to offer suggestions for books useful in bibliotherapy.  This particular list will be helpful to you if you work with children who have chronic conditions or ilnesses ranging from asthma to attention deficit disorder.

Chronic Illness

Bishop, Beverly. My Friend with Autism: A Coloring Book for Peers and Siblings ISBN# 978-1885477897 A coloring book to help peers and siblings understand autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.

Burk, Christine. Prudence Parker and A Sign of Friendship ISBN# 978-0977079902 Prudence meets Haley who is deaf while her family is on vacation. Haley uses a game to teach her friend a new vocabulary.

Carlstrom, Nancy White. Before You Were Born ISBN# 978-0802851857 A book which reminds children about the beauty of their own creation and the fact that God has been there from the very beginning of their lives.

Chowdhury, Uttom. Why Do You Do That?: A Book About Tourette Syndrome for Children and Young People ISBN# 978-1843103950 A book for siblings of children with Tourette Syndrome.

Corman, Clifford L. and Esther Trevino. Eukee the jumpy elephant ISBN# 0-9621629-8-1 The story of Eukeee who is a young elephant struggling with attention deficit disorder.  He gets in trouble at home and at school but is able to get help and learn ways to succeed.

Fleming Virginia. Be Good to Eddie Lee ISBN# 0-698-11582-1 Christy and Jim Bud think Eddie Lee, a boy with Down’s Syndrome is a nuisance. However they learn a valuable lesson from him when he follows them into the woods one day.

Jones, Mark Francisco Bozziti. God Thought of You ISBN# 978-0819219879 A precious story to remind any child that s/he is a beloved child of God and has always been known by God.

Kroll, Virginia L. Brianna Breathes Easy: A Story About Asthma ISBN# 978-0807508800 Brianna is diagnosed with asthma when she collapses during play practice.  A doctor at the hospital explains the illness to her.

Lang, Rocky. Lara Takes Charge ISBN# 978-0975418406 Lara tells about all the things she does just like the regular kids and about her insulin pump and doing blood tests.

Larson, Elaine Marie. I Am Utterly Unique: Celebrating the Strengths of Children with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism ISBN# 978-1931282895 An alphabet book which presents the talents and abilities of ASD children.

Mills, Joyce C. Little Tree: A Story for Children With Serious Medical Illness ISBN# 978-1591470410 A story of hope and inspiration for children facing serious illness

Moore-Mallinos, Jennifer. My Brother is Autistic ISBN# 978-0-7641-4404-0 The story of a boy whose brother Billy has autism. Billy’s behavior embarrasses his brother who asks his teacher to explain autism to the kids at school.

Moss, Deborah M. Lee the Rabbit with Epilepsy ISBN# 0-933149-32-8 The story of Lee and her family as they face the challenges of epilepsy.  From the first seizure, to the doctor visit, through diagnosis and treatment, the book explains this chronic illness in words that children can understand.

Niner, Holly L. I Can’t Stop!  A story about Tourette Syndrome ISBN# 0-8075-3620-2 Nathan is diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome and learns how to constructively manage his condition.

Olson, Michael. How I Feel: A Book About Diabetes ISBN# 978-1590560372 This is the story of Michael and his seven year old brother Steven who has diabetes.  Michael depicts Steven’s experiences with this chronic illness.

Peterkin, Allan. What About Me?: When Brothers and Sisters Get Sick ISBN#978-0945354499 Laura experiences conflicting emotions when her brother becomes seriously ill. Includes suggestions for parents to help their well children cope with a chronically ill sibling.

Peters, Dylan. Tic Talk: Living with Tourette Syndrome: A 9-Year-Old Boy’s Story in His Own Words ISBN# 978-1589850514 Dylan Peters tells his own story of what it is like to be a child with Tourette Syndrome.

Shally, Celeste. Since We’re Friends: An Autism Picture Book ISBN# 978-0979471308 A story of two boys one of whom has autism. The story helps children see that their peers with autism can make a fun and genuine contribution to a friendship.

Smith, Nicole. Chad the Allergic Chipmunk: A Children’s Story of Nut Allergies ISBN# 978-1586280543 A story for school aged children with food allergies

Special Kids in School Series These books by various authors are designed to give insight into the daily life of a child with a specific chronic illness. Each book is color illustrated and includes a kid’s quiz at the end. Books also include tips for teachers and would be appropriate to use in a Sunday school setting.

• Taking Diabetes to School ISBN# 978-0977079902

• Taking Food Allergies to School ISBN# 978-0977079902

• Taking Asthma to School ISBN# 978-1891383014

• Taking Tourette Syndrome to School ISBN# 978-1891383120

• Taking Speech Disorders to School ISBN# 978-1891383243

• Taking Hearing Impairment to School ISBN# 978-1891383236

• Taking Seizure Disorders to School ISBN# 978-0963944931

• Taking Autism to School ISBN# 978-1891383137

• Taking Dyslexia to School ISBN# 978-1891383175

Zinner, Tracie Vaughn. Reaching for the Sun ISBN# 978-1-59990-037-7 Free verse poems that tell the heartfelt story of a girl with cerebral palsy.

Books about Chronic Illness by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.