“Chronically Loved” was written by Natasha Graves and beautifully illustrated by Winda Mulyasari. This is one of (if not the first) picture book I’ve come across that talks about having a relative with a chronic illness that includes invisible symptoms. In this story, Aaliyah’s Aunt Nia has a chronic illness that includes pain, fatigue, and brain fog. It’s told from Aaliyah’s perspective – talking about how Aunt Nia can sometimes go out and about but sometimes needs to rest at home. Aaliyah talks about the fun activities they do together. But, she also talks about how sometimes Aunt Nia gets frustrated and might seem like she’s mad at Aaliyah but she really isn’t. Aaliyah also gets frustrated because sometimes she wants to play and do things with Aunt Nia or thinks Aunt Nia is taking too long to get ready to do something.

I think this a really good addition to the world of children’s literature. So many people live with chronic illnesses and this can be hard for kids to understand. This book is written in a way that I think will help kids talk about their feelings and likely encourage families to have important conversations.