Illustrated book celebrating Children’s Hospital expansion now available for preorder

An illustrated book celebrating the three-floor expansion of Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, opening in November, is now available for preorder. The book, Becky and Kaia’s New Addition: A Tale of Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, will be published in March 2021. A portion of the sales for the book will be donated back to the Children’s Hospital to support high-quality patient care and groundbreaking research.

Becky and Kaia’s New Addition, written by Lindsay Barry, illustrated by Susan Szecsi and published by Santa Fe Writers Project, features stories of real Children’s Hospital patients and takes a look at the expansion through the eyes of the facility dogs, Becky and Kaia.

“I was thrilled to write this book in honor of Penn State Health Children’s Hospital’s expansion,” Barry said. “As a Pennsylvania native and Penn State graduate, this book is so close to my heart. I am extremely proud to be a part of this project, especially knowing that a portion of the proceeds will go back to support the Children’s Hospital. I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.”

“I was interested in the humane aspect of this project, and working with a program that is helping a lot of children,” said Andrew Gifford, the director of Santa Fe Writers Project. “There’s a lot of cancer in my family, so I know very well the value of high-quality doctors, hospitals and care. It’s an honor to take part in this and see Penn State Health Children’s Hospital grow.”

The expanded Children’s Hospital will have more pediatric beds for enhanced access to nationally-ranked care in the central Pennsylvania region. It will feature state-of-the-art technology, a new Women and Babies Center, a 56-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and the state’s only Small Baby Unit, created specifically for growth and improved brain development.

“We are so excited to share the story of the Children’s Hospital in this unique and exciting way,” said Deborah Berini, president of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. “We look forward to Becky and Kaia sharing many more meaningful encounters with our youngest patients when the expansion opens this fall.”

Becky and Kaia’s New Addition: A Tale of Penn State Health Children’s Hospital is available for preorder here.

If you're having trouble accessing this content, or would like it in another format, please email Penn State Health Marketing & Communications.