While it might seem odd to adults, hospitals fascinate many children. Bodies break for a variety of interesting reasons, and reading about how and where bodies get fixed can engross kids. Plus, many kids wind up in a hospital at some point, whether for testing, admission for a health concern, or to visit a loved one. My own third grader will have her first surgery soon, though her interest in hospitals began when she was a toddler. While many children’s books describe how the human body works, fewer delve into illness and recovery, like these five children’s books about hospitals. From in-depth tours to fictional accounts of surgery, these books will enthrall young readers.
The Hospital: The Inside Story by Dr. Christle Nwora & Ginnie Hsu
This is possibly my (and my child’s) favorite nonfiction children’s book about hospitals. Written by a doctor, it’s a thorough yet accessible tour of a busy hospital that follows several families. A couple is having a baby; a child has a broken arm after a playground accident; a family is visiting a grandparent in the intensive care unit. By following a handful of families and their medical stories, Nwora explores many areas of the hospital and the people who make it hum, from lab techs to laundry room staff. Illustrations show patients and healthcare workers from diverse backgrounds. It’s a longer nonfiction at 64 pages, ideal for readers ages 5+, depending on the kid.
A Trip to the Hospital by Freda Chiu
With bright and engaging illustrations, this joyful nonfiction picture book also takes readers on a tour of the hospital, though in less detail for younger readers. While written in second person to tell readers what to expect when they arrive at the hospital, it centers three children — Momo, Rani, and Henry — and their experiences in the hospital. Momo is having an asthma attack, Rani has a broken arm, and Henry is receiving cancer treatment.
The Hospital Book by Lisa Brown
I think what I like best about this picture book is how it normalizes crying as part of the hospital experience. While many picture books set in hospitals are gentle and reassuring, they sometimes gloss over the pain that is so often present. Brown frames the narrative with a young girl counting all the times she cried when she had to get emergency appendicitis surgery. It’s a simple yet effective framing device that provides narrative tension and invites readers to empathize with the narrator. And don’t worry, it ends on happy tears! I love this picture book, and it’s a great read-aloud.
We Are Lions! by Jens Mattsson & Jenny Lucander
Translated from Swedish, I doubt this picture book could get published in mainstream children’s publishing in the U.S., because it is rather realistic and sad, with no neat, happy ending. Yet it’s steeped in children’s imaginations and very child-centered. It’s about two brothers who love to pretend-play they’re lions chasing prey in the savanna. When the youngest gets cancer and is hospitalized, the oldest takes him on a wheelchair ride around the hospital to chase wildebeests (aka other patients), until the hospital staff and parents catch them. There’s a disjointedness to the illustrations that feels very much like how a preschooler would experience a hospital in these circumstances. It’s a unique picture book, if sad.
Get Well, Eva by Rebecca Elliot
This is the 16th chapter book in the popular Owl Diaries series, but they can be read in any order. When everyone’s favorite owl, Eva Wingdale, gets hurt in a game of wingball, she has to go to the hospital and get her wing in a sling, and she gets a wingchair (wheelchair) until it heals. At the hospital, Eva befriends another owl who was injured on his way to vacation in Treetopolis for the town’s annual carnival. Eva wonders how she can help her new friend enjoy the carnival while he’s in the hospital. This series is a great first chapter book for kids, with heaps of illustrations and lots of text bubbles.
For similar books, check out our list of medical books for kids.