What in the world are tonsils? Do you need them? Can you trade them in for ice cream? Answers to these burning questions and more in this episode!
The book of the day is called Tattletale Tommy and the Touching Tonsils, by Dr Katina Currin. It is a short chapter book, and I would call it an early-ish reader. This book is appropriate for an elementary school child, but they may need a little help with some of the vocabulary. As you can tell from the title, our main character Tommy has a little problem running his mouth, so it’s a bit of a relief for everyone when he gets a sore throat and can’t do quite as much talking as usual.
The scoop on tonsils
Tonsils are two small masses that look like little round balls at the back of our throat. They are part of the immune system, and they contain lots of white blood cells that help to fight infections.
Tonsils are cool and all, but sometimes they can be a bother – when they repeatedly get infected (known as tonsillitis), or when they are very large. Very large tonsils can partially block the airway and contribute to breathing difficulties during sleep.
Obstructive sleep disordered breathing and frequent tonsillitis are two reasons that children may need a tonsillectomy. Tonsillectomy is a surgery that removes the tonsils. It is one of the most common surgeries in children – about 300,000 of them are done every year!
Preparing for a procedure
As we mentioned in our previous episode on Child Life, a bit of preparation can go a long way in calming a child’s anxiety about a medical procedure. Tattletale Tommy and the Touching Tonsils is an excellent book to help a child know what to expect when getting a tonsillectomy. It walks through the whole process in a kid friendly way, embedded into a story with likeable characters.
The author of this book, Dr Katina Currin, is a nurse anesthetist. (Similar to an anesthesiologist, this is a person who puts a patient to sleep and manages their pain during a procedure). I think she may have slid herself into this book! There is a lovely nurse anesthetist (Nurse Nee Nee) who meets Tommy before his procedure. She explains everything that will happen to Tommy. She also allows him to see and touch some of her equipment, like the anesthesia mask that will be placed on his face when he is going to sleep. The book also touches on what a child can expect when recovering from a tonsillectomy- which includes a liberal prescription for ice cream!
Want to check out some other children’s books that feature characters with health conditions? Take a look at our bookshelf!
