Recommended Books About Prematurity for Children
Reading is excellent way to bond with your NICU baby and help siblings and family members understand the new events surrounding their lives. Age appropriate books are an easy way to start conversations and navigate the intense emotions everyone may feel.
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Books about Preemie Love
Our Preemie Adventure by Adam Wood
The Moment You Were Born: A Story for You and Your Premature Baby by Sandra M. Lane, MA, SLP, and Brenda S. Miles, PhD
Go Preemies! Inspirational Stories of the World’s Most Famous Preemies by A.P. Male
Watching Bradley Grow: A Story About Premature Birth by Elizabeth Murphy-Melas (ages 4-8)
Evan Early by Rebecca Hogue Wojahn (ages 4-8)
Prince Preemie: A Tale of a Tiny Puppy Who Arrives Early by Jewel Kats (ages 4-8)
The Very Tiny Baby by Sylvie Kantorovitz (ages 2-8)
That’s When I’m Happy by Beth Shoshan (ages 2-6)
A Pocket Full of Kisses by Audrey Penn (ages 3-8)
My Baby Sister is a Preemie by Diana Amadeo (ages 4-8)
Katie’s Premature Brother by Elizabeth Hawkins-Walsh (ages 9-12)
No Bigger Than My Teddy Bear by Valerie Pankow (ages 3-7)
My Brother is a Preemie / My Sister is a Preemie: A Children’s Guide to the NICU Experience by Abraham R. Chuzzlewit (ages 3-9)
Books About Maternal Bedrest
Stuck in Bed: The Pregnancy Bed Rest Picture Book for Kids…and Moms by Jennifer Degl and Angela Davids
Mommy Has to Stay in Bed by Annette Rivlin-Gutman (ages 4-8)
And Mommy’s on Her Side by Heidi Travis (ages 4-8)
Bedrest Mommy by Jennifer Christensen (ages 3-8)
Books About Hospitalization of the Baby
Supreemie: Kylo’s Journey Through the NICU by Nico Shanel (digital version here)
When Molly Was in the Hospital: A Book for Brothers and Sisters of Hospitalized Children by Debbie Duncan (ages 3-8)
Our New Baby Needs Special Help by Gail Klayman (ages 4-8)
My Brother Needs an Operation by Anna Marie Jaworski (ages 4-8)
What About Me: When Brothers and Sisters Get Sick by Allan Peterkin (ages 4-8)
Come Home Soon Baby Brother (coloring book) by Debi Iarussi (ages 1-6)
Books About Multiple Births
God Gave Us Two by Lisa Taw Bergen (ages 4-8)
Twinnies by Eve Bunting (ages 6-9)
Crispin and the 3 Little Piglets by Ted Dewan (ages 4-8)
One Up, One Down by Carol Snyder (ages 4-8) (en español)
My Twins are Coming Home by Paris Morris (ages 2-5)
I’m Having Twins by Paris Morris (ages 8-12)
Books About Special Needs and Specific Diagnoses
In Jesse’s Shoes by Beverly Lewis (ages 4-8)
Elena’s Ears, Or How I Became the Best Big Sister in the World by Gloria Lowell (ages 4-8)
Barry’s Sister by Lois Metzger (ages 9-12)
Living with a Brother or Sister with Special Needs by Donald Meyer and Patricia Vadasy (ages 3-8)
Views from Our Shoes: Growing Up with a Brother or Sister with Special Needs by Donald Meyer (ages 8-13)
The Sibling Slam Book: What It’s Really Like to Have a Brother or Sister with Special Needs by Donald Meyer and Dennis Gallagher (ages 13-18)
Rosey, the Imperfect Angel by Sandra Peckinpah (ages 9-12)
Veronica’s First Year by Jean Rheingrover (ages 4-8)
We’ll Paint the Octopus Red by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen (ages 4-8)
Books About Loss and Grief for Children
The Angel with the Golden Glow by Elissa Chokhachy (ages 4-8)
The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages by Leo Buscaglia (ages 4-8)
Molly’s Rosebush by Janice Cohn (miscarriage, ages 5-8)
Heaven’s Brightest Star by Kara Glad (ages 4-8)
Where’s Jess? by Marvin Johnson (ages 4-8)
Morgan’s Baby Sister: A Read-Aloud Book for Families Who Have Experienced the Death of a Newborn by Patricia Johnson (ages 4-8)
Remembering Our Baby: A Workbook for Children Whose Brother or Sister Dies Before Birth by Patti Keough (4-8)
Stacy Had a Little Sister by Wendie Old (ages 4-7)
Jackie Jack: The Brave Little Boy by Julie Orlet-Schoen (ages 4-8)
We Were Gonna Have a Baby, But We Had an Angel Instead by Pat Schwiebert (ages 4-8)
This Is a Book for All Kids, But Especially My Sister Libby. Libby Died. by Jack and Anette Simon (ages 9-12)
Sam and Finn by Kate Polley (ages 2-8)
Something Happened: A Book for Children and Parents Who Have Experienced Pregnancy Loss by Cathy Blanford (ages 4-8)
