KKH doctors release 12 storybooks about childhood illnesses and conditions
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Dr Chong Kok Wee (third from left) and some of the authors – (from far left) Dr Leon Tan Yuan Rui, Dr Ting Chun Yi, Dr Catrin Kong Kar Yee, Dr Juliet Tan Sher Kit and Dr Christopher Seow Wen-Xing – from The Baby Bear Paediatric Care Series.
PHOTO: KKH
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SINGAPORE – Know of any children’s books that could raise awareness about food allergies?
Concerned about her pre-school daughter’s severe allergy to cashew nuts, a mum asked Dr Chong Kok Wee, the head and senior consultant of KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s (KKH) Department of Paediatrics’ Allergy Service, for storybook recommendations.
She wished to educate her daughter’s class about the seriousness and dangers of food allergies.
Around the same time, a classmate of Dr Chong’s son had returned to school after cancer treatment.
“There were sharings from volunteers and teachers for the children to understand what this classmate had gone through. I thought how nice it would be if there was a storybook that the volunteers could use,” says Dr Chong.
Finding a lack of local picture books on these topics, he collaborated with other medical specialists to develop The Baby Bear Paediatric Care Series. The 12 titles are written with kids aged three to eight in mind, and illustrated by artist Uma Bhojraj.
Dr Chong hopes the books will be used in various settings, including hospitals, to explain medical conditions to young patients and their families.
Teachers can also tap the books to help children build empathy towards friends and family who have the conditions.
Dr Chong co-wrote the book Milly And The Milk Disaster, about a little monkey who has a food allergy. The other titles, released in October 2024, look at obesity, asthma and leukaemia, the most common type of cancer in children.
Upcoming titles scheduled to be published in 2025 and 2026 will be on topics such as eczema, epilepsy and dysmorphism, or children who look different.
Buy the first four titles for $12.90 each, or a bundle set for $34 from its publisher World Scientific Education’s official store on Shopee at bit.ly/3Qe01A3
