Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas

What a beautifully written and illustrated book! It should be in every school and public library and in the hands of upper elementary and middle school students.The spare language mirrors Vivien Thomas’s elegantly simple solution to a complex problem, and it tells an important story that must be shared. As a reading teacher, I see so many rich discussion topics—how banks have changed because of the Great Depression, the prickly question of research on animals, injustice and changing attitudes, and seeing the potential in every human.Imagine if Vivien Thomas hadn’t had the chance to do the research he did.

My baby wants to be a doctor so I am always looking for books to inspire her. She was so intrigued by this book and seeing a surgeon who looks like her. The pictures are amazing and it's so relevant and age appropriate. I am so glad I made this purchase.

Tiny Stitches tells the story of medial pioneer Vivien Thomas, an African American who overcame discrimination in the 1940's to develop a life-saving surgical procedure. Hooks takes readers from his early days working in his father's carpentry shop, through the Great Depression and on to Vanderbilt University, where he applies his carpentry skills to surgery while working with Dr. Alfred Blalock. Vivien loves his job, until he learns that he is classified as a janitor, not a research technician like all of his white counterparts. Vivien overcomes this setback, and many others, to pioneer a surgical procedure to save babies born with tetralogy of fallot, a deadly heart defect.Hooks has crafted an engaging story of scientific discovery and perseverance, and Bootman's evocative watercolors add poignancy to this heartfelt tale. Young readers will be drawn in by moments of rising tension, as Vivien confronts and overcomes discrimination. Readers will also get insight into how scientific discovery works, from the idea, to experimentation and finally to practice. Tiny Stitches is an important book about a forgotten hero that deserves space in all public and school libraries, and would make a great addition to any STEM curriculum.

This book is simply and beautifully written and illustrated I bought it as a gift for a third grade girl who understood and enjoyed it It tells the story of a black researcher who invented a type of surgery for "blue babies". He even made tiny needles for suturing. He oversaw over a hundred such surgeries and taught others the procedure. Yet he was never given credit until many years later because he was black told in a wonderful way I enjoyed the watercolor illustrations and writing and glad I got to know about this amazing man.

Tiny Stitches is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book about an incredible story, once that is relatively unknown -- until now. Gwen Hooks tells the story of Vivien Thomas, a man with a gift for precision and detail who made possible a surgical procedure that saved the lives of young children known as "blue babies." Vivien worked as a medical researcher at Johns Hopkins under the direction of Dr. Alfred Blalock. He stood behind Dr. Blalock advising the doctor during the surgery. But Vivien Thomas was not given credit for his work. He was an African American living in the Jim Crow South. This is an exceptional book for children and adults about an unforgettable man.

My granddaughter liked this book very much. She's 7, and seems to enjoy nonfiction as much as fiction. This book interested her very much. It was a winner!

The gentle brilliance of Dr. Thomas was written about so beautifully. The injustice to his brilliance was shameful. The way our country treated the black community was disgraceful.The surgery he developed is still being used today. It saved our granddaughter's life in 2003.From all the children with SPECIAL HEARTS...wear your battle scars proudly. Each scar is proof that "you are stronger than what tried to hurt you" (author unknown), THANK YOU, DR. THOMAS!Grannie Frannie

This book tells an amazing story. Vivian Thomas changed the world. Thank you, Gwendolyn Hooks for writing it.