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Bibliotherapy: Healing with Literature
Children love books. Reading has a calming effect, strengthens the bond between caregiver and child, builds a foundation for literacy and a lifelong love of reading. That alone would be reason enough to read together, but as a librarian, I have seen that children’s literature often does far more than that.
What is Bibliotherapy?
Children’s books can be healing tools to help young people face their fears, cope with life’s challenges and manage strong emotions in a safe, relatable way. When stories use characters that reflect real struggles, kids feel less alone and more prepared to handle tough situations. Reading stories together can help children and adults find the right words to talk about their feelings and tackle tough conversation topics. When used this way books become a tool to promote mental health and wellbeing. Librarians and clinicians refer to this use of literature as bibliotherapy.
Bibliotherapy is used in clinical settings along with other therapeutic methods, but you don’t have to be a therapist to use books in a healing way. In this New Horizon Academy podcast, child mental health specialist, Amanda Mason, offers some excellent strategies for parents using books in a bibliotherapy way with their children.
Using Bibliotherapy with Your Child
While bibliotherapy can help all children, it takes on special significance for families facing complex medical problems or chronic illness. Along with the usual ups and downs of childhood, your child may need:
Help understanding what’s happening with their body and treatment
Preparation for medical visits and hospital admissions
Confidence for coping with pokes, and procedures
A sense of control when so much is out of their hands
Tools for handling fear, discomfort, and big emotions
Using books with a bibliotherapy approach, you can help your child navigate the special challenges of a medical journey.
How to Use bibliotherapy with your child
Talk with a librarian or child life specialist about the best literature for your child. Children’s librarians can guide you to high-quality accessible titles on any topic you need. If your child is in the hospital, or an admission is planned, a child life specialist will have age-appropriate books on hand to help your child cope with their hospital stay.
Here are some special booklists curated by librarians or child life specialists to get you started:
Indianapolis Public Library’s Health Librarian – Bibliotherapy Books for Kids
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Here to Help Booklists
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) – Recommended Children’s Books
Rady’s Children’s Health – Book Resource List
Pre-read the book: Read the book yourself first so you know what’s in it and can make sure it’s right for your child. During a hospitalization, be on the lookout for more intense images or themes, what feels fine at home can become overwhelming during a stressful time in the hospital.
Set the right environment: Choose a time when you can both be free of distractions and find a comfortable spot. This is easy at home, but much harder in the hospital where interruptions happen often. If your child can leave their room, ask about a family lounge, family resource center, or children’s library for a change of scenery. If they need to stay in the room, let the nurse know you’d like some quiet time if possible. You can also work with a child life specialist or art therapist to make a Reading Time: Please Knock sign for the door. It won’t stop staff from coming in, but it gives you a moment to pause the story and gives your child a small sense of control over their space.
Introduce the book: Look at the cover together and flip through a few pages. Ask your child what they think the story might be about. If the topic is new or unfamiliar, offer some context. For example: “The girl on the cover is a princess, but she doesn’t look very happy. The book is called I Don’t Want to Go to the Hospital! What do you think might be happening?”
Read together: Read the story aloud, take turns, or follow along with an audiobook or read-aloud video. What matters most is sharing the story together.
Let your child lead: It can be tempting to suggest to your child how they might feel or think about the story or tell them how it makes you feel. Try to resist that urge and let your child lead the way.
Let your child guide the reading.
Some children want to talk; others prefer to listen.
If your child wants to skip a page, or read the same page twice, or change the ending, go with that.
Encourage participation: Talk about how the characters feel and encourage the child to name the feelings they see. You can follow up with simple questions that can lead to powerful conversations.
How do you know she is scared?
Why do you think he is worried?
What helped them feel brave?
If your child seems ready, you can help them relate the story to their own experience.
That reminds me of the first time you went to the hospital.
That fancy ball gown is a lot better than a hospital gown!
Be present and responsive: Let your child stop to ask questions, comment, or just listen quietly. Respond to any questions with honest, simple, and clear language. If they seem uninterested, don't push; you can always try again later.
After Reading
Get creative: If your child is interested, try activities related to the story – drawing pictures, writing their own story, making a collage, engaging in medical play, or acting out the story. When in the hospital, art and music therapists can help with ideas and supplies.
Reread the story: While it may get a little tedious for you, reading the same story again and again can be comforting for your child, and help them gain confidence and master the feelings related to the story.
Continue the conversation: Stories and characters may come up in conversations at other times during outings, medical visits, mealtimes, or at play. Take advantage of these moments to expand on the conversations and see where it leads. Over time, not overnight, you may notice your child becoming a little more confident, a little more resilient, and a little better at speaking up for themselves and handling big feelings. All that plus the joy of reading books together!
When Bibliotherapy Isn’t Enough
Reading healing books together can help kids cope with the challenges and big emotions that come with a serious medical diagnosis or disability, but it isn’t a substitute for professional help. Children facing trauma, depression, or anxiety do best with a clinical assessment and guidance from a counselor, psychologist, or child life specialist. If you have mental health concerns related to your child, speak with your child’s medical team.
To learn more, take a look at the list of signs that your child needs professional help from the article Mental Health in Kids with Chronic Illness on the Child Mind Institute website.
For more information about books and your child, visit these resources:
Choosing Books:
Nemour’s Children’s Reading BrightStart: How to Select Books for Different Ages
Reading Rockets: How to Choose Read Aloud Books: Babies to Third Graders
Finding Books:
Reading Rockets - Bookfinder
Novelist K-8 – Subscription database often available free of charge through your local public library. Full of curated booklists, and offers read-alike suggestions/recommendations
Reading Aloud with Your Child:
Child Mind Institute: Why is it Important to Read with you Child
Reading Rockets:
Video: The ABCs of Active Reading
Book Feature: I Don’t Want to Go to the Hospital!
Whether planned or unexpected, hospital visits can be scary for children. Reading this book with your child can help validate their fear, without adding new concerns. This book brings a bit of absurdity, casual silliness, and fun to a challenging experience, and the diagnosis of “a lump in her nose” is non-specific enough that It could fit many situations.
Watch a read-aloud here: I Don’t Want to Go to the Hospital! — a full narrated version of the story you can share with your child to help them hear the book in a comforting, fun voice.
The Little Princess series by Tony Ross, also includes books about bedtime, baths, independence, and common early-childhood struggles. The ink and watercolor illustrations add much to the story with simple lines and vivid colors, and the unconventional characters and chaotic scenes add unexpected details that can spark discussion.
Little Princess is a relatable character—stubborn, expressive, dramatic, and always contrary, but lovable. Children can revel in her mischievous behavior without getting themselves in trouble! This can lead to insightful conversations about what your child is thinking and feeling around their own hospital stay.
Take Note:
The book uses humor to ease fear; if your child is very anxious, it may be helpful to insert simple explanations of their own upcoming visit while reading about Little Princess.
There are no graphic medical details—just child-friendly (and funny) scenes of checkups and hospital care.
Little Princess does get worried, and strongly resists going to the hospital, which can validate your child’s feelings but might also spark fears or concerns – take some time to talk through those feelings.
The ending is funny, sassy, and reassuring, making it safe to read before most hospital stays or procedures.
What Resonates with Kids:
Little Princess’s dramatic reactions and the book’s expressive artwork.
Many fun details to find in the illustrations (Is that a cat dining on the roof?).
Humor that makes scary things feel a little safer.
Absurd behavior of adults from a child’s point or view.
Seeing the special treatment Little Princess gets from the grown-ups taking care of her in the hospital.
A funny and comforting ending that shows Little Princess back to herself again.
Follow-up Activities & Conversations
Use the book as a guide while planning what to pack for a hospital admission. (What would Little Princess bring?)
Make a Little Princess crown and add a jewel, sticker, or ribbon each time a poke, procedure or treatment is completed.
While waiting for discharge, ask your child what they would tell Little Princess about what to expect at the hospital.
Read another title from the Little Princess series to see how Little Princess reacts in a different situation.
Other Recommended Titles
Bennett, Howard J. Harry goes to the hospital: a story for children about what it's like to be in the hospital. Illustrated by Michael S. Weber. Describes the experiences of a young boy after he is admitted to the hospital and walks children through the hospital experience in a straightforward, informative, and reassuring way.
Brown, Lisa. The Hospital Book. Neal Porter Books, 2023. A young girl with appendicitis recounts her strange and scary trip to the hospital, and the nine times she cried--and a few times when she did not. The comforting tone and step-by-step descriptions of everything that happens are calming. Cartoon illustrations gently depict procedures such as an ultrasound and IV insertion and add some humor.
Fergus, Maureen. You’re in Good Paws. Illustrated by Katheryn Durst. Toronto, ON: Tundra Books 2019. Slightly distracted parents accidentally take their son, Leo, to the animal hospital to get his tonsils out. Luckily, taking care of a human doesn't ruffle any feathers among the hospital staff. The chicken at the admissions desk is welcoming, the bear orderly is friendly, and wise Dr. Stan inspires tremendous confidence despite being a mouse. Is the plastic cone really necessary, though?
Bibliotherapy, using books in a supportive, intentional way, helps children explore feelings safely, connect with characters who understand their struggles, and open up conversations that might otherwise feel overwhelming. With the right book and a few simple steps, reading together becomes more than a quiet moment, it becomes a pathway to coping, confidence, and emotional wellbeing. Learn more about Bibliotherapy here:
Bibliotherapy: Healing with Literature
The Butterfly Pig: Supporting Children through Medical Play
As a pediatric oncology nurse and now founder of The Butterfly Pig, I’ve watched thousands of children in medical situations transform fear into curiosity through hands-on-play. Play is how children learn, express fear, make sense of their world and process what they’re going through long before they develop the words to explain what they’re feeling. During healthcare experiences and medical procedures, play can be a powerful tool to reduce stress and increase confidence among even the youngest patients.
When a child sees a doll with a G-tube, a port, a central line, or infusion gear just like theirs, something powerful happens. Research in pediatric psychology shows that children cope better when their experience feels normal and understood. At the Butterfly Pig we create interactive, child-friendly medical toys that make healthcare experiences approachable, empowering, and a lot less scary for kids.
What Should families and professionals know about Medical Play?
My nephew, Elijah, who has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, was anxious and withdrawn during his frequent echocardiogram (ECHO) procedures. A toy echo machine changed everything for him. After playing with the toy he walked into his next appointment proudly showing the tech how to do her job. The experience became something he was a part of rather than something that was happening to him. That’s the power of realistic play: it gives kids a sense of control.
Medical anxiety is common, and play can reduce it. Anxiety can increase pain, lengthen procedures, and raise the need for sedation. Even quick or “painless” procedures can create traumatic memories. Play gives children the chance to learn, practice, and feel prepared.
Realistic tools matter. Children learn best when play resembles real life. Realistic, functional toys can help transfer what is learned through play to their real medical experiences.
Familiarity reduces fear. Getting to know the tools that will be used makes a child less fearful of their surroundings.
Medical play reduces restraint and helps protect emotional safety. When time is taken to prepare, children are more likely to cooperate and experience less distress.
Who Should Lead Medical Play?
Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) use evidence-based play methods every day in clinical settings. These activities help children become active participants in their care and encourage them to self-advocate. While a CCLS can be an integral part of a child’s care team, parents play a powerful role as well.
Parents often assume they need formal medical training to support their children. They don’t, they just need tools to make participation possible. Their involvement during procedures can significantly lower a child’s distress. When parents feel empowered, their children feel safer, because kids mirror their caregivers’ emotional states.
How can siblings benefit from medical play?
Medical play supports everyone. There is no “wrong” way to use it. Parents can build and model their own coping strategies. Kids can repeat steps until it feels familiar, and their siblings can learn to process the experiences that are happening around them.
When my youngest child was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), I had already built The Butterfly Pig. I was in survival mode, overwhelmed by the needs of my fragile infant and struggling to support the mental and emotional needs of my four-year-old. Medical play was a small way to make a big impact, helping my older child feel calm and confident. She knew what to expect when she walked into the NICU and was excited to share what she knew with those around her.
Accessible medical play benefits children, families, and staff
Toys are a deeply practical, evidence-aligned way to build trust, educate, improve cooperation, strengthen coping skills, and help medical providers connect in a meaningful way. In my dream world, every hospital room would have a toy version of whatever device a child is using in real life:
A toy port on their stuffie when a child gets theirs placed
A toy infusion pump beside the real one
A toy echo for the cardiology visit
A toy oxygen mask at the bedside
What is the Wishful Wings Program?
Through The Butterfly Pig’s Wishful Wings Program families, hospitals, and educators can create customized registries with our inclusive medical toys. If your child or organization could benefit from the toys we have created, consider making and sharing a Wishful Wings registry.
You can also "Play" It Forward. Your kindness can bring a little magic to someone else's journey. Explore our Wishful Wings registries and discover how you can gift toys and tools directly to families, hospitals, or classrooms who need them most.
Beyond the NICU: Building Community, Confidence, and Connection
I am the parent of two NICU grads. Both of my daughters were born prematurely and needed the kind of care only a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can provide. There were moments of hope, like when I finally got to hold my first daughter at two weeks old, pressed against my chest in kangaroo care, and moments of deep concern when an infection made things look bleak for my second daughter. When I think back on those experiences, I am reminded of how much those early days shaped me as a mom.
During my first NICU stay, I was completely unprepared. I thought that once my baby was stable enough to go home, life would return to “normal.” Realizing that the journey didn’t end when we left the hospital was overwhelming, and in many ways, going home from the NICU was just the beginning.
By the time my second NICU stay came around, I had some idea of what to expect, but that didn’t make it easier. I once again had to balance my baby’s needs with my own recovery, but this time I had a second child at home. Keeping track of follow-ups and therapies, while trying to simply be present with my children was exhausting. And though I had already walked this road once, the feelings of isolation and uncertainty returned just as strong.
What I wish I had then was support that extended beyond the hospital walls. NICU parents don’t stop needing guidance and community once they’re discharged. We carry our experiences with us, and the transition home can be just as challenging as the time in the NICU.
Those experiences planted the seeds for what would later become NICU Alumni, an organization I founded to walk alongside families after their baby graduates from the NICU. At NICU Alumni, we provide support, resources, and connection so that families can feel supported once they go home.
Here’s a glimpse at what we do:
Host monthly virtual parent groups
Publish articles and guides in our growing NICU Alumni Resource Library
Share stories and expert insights through the NICU Alumni Podcast
Send timely emails and reminders through our Grad Guide email series
Offer workshops and practical resources for post-NICU life
Even in the hardest moments, we want families to know that they are not alone. The NICU journey can feel heavy, but it also shows us just how strong, resilient, and resourceful parents can be. There will be days that feel overwhelming and days that bring surprising joy—and both are part of the same beautiful and complicated story. Each small milestone, each ounce gained, each new phase, is proof that you and your baby are moving forward, step by step.
The NICU may be behind you, but the care, the learning, and the connection continue. NICU Alumni exists to help families like yours feel supported, prepared, and understood every step of the way.