Ethan & Choco's Book Club

Striving to make access to books and reading a core part of the care that kids receive in the hospital, with the premise that literacy support for children fighting cancer and other life-altering conditions can help promote cognitive health and social connections that are part of thriving through treatment and beyond

Programs

ECBC is currently implementing the programs below to bring books and reading to kids at CHOC Children’s Hospital.

  • Bedside Reading Program: ECBC offers bedside reading in patient rooms by trained volunteers, via ECBC’s “Read-Aloud Wagons” with high-quality literature for all ages. Currently, bedside reading occurs twice per week with oncology and neurology patients, as well as other patients with life-altering illnesses and longer hospital stays. We hope to expand soon to more days and more floors .
  • Mobile Book Cart Program. ECBC delivers and gifts books to CHOC patients in isolation via its “library on wheels”. Our gifting library cart contains approximately 750 new books in these 10 categories to meet patients’ diverse needs and interests: board books, Spanish-language books, picture books, beginning reading books, graphic novels, easy chapter books, middle grade chapter books, teen/YA fiction, informational/nonfiction texts, and poetry. Currently, ECBC gifts approximately 100 new books to patients in isolation at CHOC. 
  • Outpatient Libraries. ECBC has gifting libraries at both CHOC’s Outpatient Infusion Center (OPI) and at CHOC’s Oncology Clinic, so that patients have the opportunity to select a new, high-quality book to keep at every visit. Currently, ECBC re-stocks the shelves with approximately 400-500 new titles each month. 
  • Read Think Thrive Book Bags. These are high-quality book bags delivered to every child/teen at CHOC Children’s Hospital who is diagnosed with cancer.  Each bag contains a mini-library of 10 new books curated for the age and gender of the child, bookcrafting supplies, and a creative book-inspired challenge from Ethan. On average, ECBC gifts 5-10 RTT Bags per month. 
  • Teens Thrive Reading Group (TTRG). TTRG is a virtual book club for teen and YA cancer warriors in the United States, directed by ECBC Co-Founder Ethan. Click HERE to learn more about how to join.
  • BOO-ks for Treats. This is ECBC’s annual Halloween event, where CHOC patients of all ages trick-or-treat for new, high-quality Halloween-themed books. Each year, ECBC gives out 500-700 Halloween-themed books to hospitalized kids. 
  • Special Events. Occasionally, ECBC hosts special events for patients at CHOC that celebrate books and reading. For example, ECBC has participated in CHOC’s Inpatient Cancer Survivorship Day on the oncology floor as well as provided storytime and book gifting annually to CHOC patients living at Miracle Manor. ECBC has also hosted book give-away events in the lobby, group storytimes with bookcrafting, and author visits. Ethan has also hosted storytimes and book give-aways at Seacrest Studios (CHOC’s radio station).