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Dr. Bookworm features children's book reviews from a pediatrician's point of view. We also host read-alongs of favorite books.

Categories

  • An Introduction
  • Book Groupings
  • Book Review
  • Book Versus Film
  • Book Versus Movie
  • Bookish Topics
  • Creative Endeavors
  • Doctor Bookworm Reads
  • Doctorly Musings
  • Dr.Bookworm Book Rec
  • ENDINGS first
  • Epic Read-Along
  • Featured Fridays
  • First Pages
  • Flashback Friday
  • Gift Lists
  • Giveaway!
  • Little Lion Likes
  • Milestones
  • Music to Boogie To
  • NonMedical Medical Advice
  • The Skinny on this Writer
  • Young Writers & Dreamers


Authors

  • Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Dr. Bookworm
Get Your Read On
Dear Ten-Year-Old Shannon Hale, I want to be your friend
Jun 13

Jun 13 Dear Ten-Year-Old Shannon Hale, I want to be your friend

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review, Dr.Bookworm Book Rec

Dr. Bookworm writes a letter to the past ten-year-old Shannon Hale in her review of Real Friends, a graphic novel written by present-day Shannon Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

MerMay and Fish Girl
Jun 9

Jun 9 MerMay and Fish Girl

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review

In honor of MerMay, Dr. Bookworm discusses Fish Girl by David Wiesner and Donna Jo Napoli.

MerMay among the June Gloom
Jun 7

Jun 7 MerMay among the June Gloom

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Bookish Topics, Creative Endeavors

Dr. Bookworm discusses the wonderful, whimsical #MerMay phenomenon, in which illustrators post mermaid/merman works during the month of May.

If the Hospital Walls Could Talk
May 31

May 31 If the Hospital Walls Could Talk

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Doctorly Musings

What happens when hospitals are demolished? Where do the stories of the ones who have lived and died there go?

Are you a Sea Unicorn or a Land Narwhal?
May 29

May 29 Are you a Sea Unicorn or a Land Narwhal?

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review

Dr. Bookworm reviews Jessie Sima's Not Quite Narwhal.

What brings you JOY?
May 25

May 25 What brings you JOY?

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Doctorly Musings

Dr. Bookworm muses on 'Doctor Burnout' and what the gift of ME time can do to lessen a physician's load.

Cemetery Confessions
May 11

May 11 Cemetery Confessions

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Doctorly Musings

Dr. Bookworm talks about visiting her daughter at the cemetery and certain trends that she's noticed.

"My mommy guilt comes in the form of cemetery visits. "

The Land of Imaginary and Not-so-Imaginary Friends
May 9

May 9 The Land of Imaginary and Not-so-Imaginary Friends

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review

Dr. Bookworm reviews Dan Santat's The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend.

May the Fourth
May 4

May 4 May the Fourth

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review

May the Fourth be with you! In honor of this funny little Star Wars holiday, Dr. Bookworm reviews Star Wars: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight by Tony Diterlizzi and illustrated by Ralph McQuarrie.

Little Lion Loves Dragons & Dragons Love Tacos = Little Lion Loves Tacos?
May 2

May 2 Little Lion Loves Dragons & Dragons Love Tacos = Little Lion Loves Tacos?

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review

Dr. Bookworm reviews Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri.

A Day in the Life of a Bookworm
Apr 30

Apr 30 A Day in the Life of a Bookworm

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Bookish Topics, Music to Boogie To

Dr. Bookworm takes you on a Day-in-the-Life of her Bookworm family as they attended the L.A. Times Festival of Books.

Nina the Neighborhood Ninja
Apr 25

Apr 25 Nina the Neighborhood Ninja

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review

Dr. Bookworm reviews Nina the Neighborhood Ninja by Sonia Panigrahy and illustrated by Hazel Quintanilla.

National Poetry Month
Apr 20

Apr 20 National Poetry Month

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Creative Endeavors, Doctorly Musings

Dr. Bookworm discusses National Poetry Month and some of her favorite poems.  She also shares a few (unedited) poems.

I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Apr 18

Apr 18 I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review

Borrowing from my sister's bookshelf: Dr. Bookworm reviews I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld.

Hug Machine
Apr 14

Apr 14 Hug Machine

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review

Dr. Bookworm reviews Hug Machine by Scott Campbell. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Apr 11

Apr 11 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review

Mini Me Bookworm reviews the screenplay of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by JK Rowling.

A Re-Telling of Beauty and the Beast
Apr 6

Apr 6 A Re-Telling of Beauty and the Beast

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review

Dr. Bookworm reviews Cynthia Rylant's re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, illustrated by Meg Park

Reading Without Walls
Apr 4

Apr 4 Reading Without Walls

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Bookish Topics, Book Groupings

Dr. Bookworm discusses the Reading Without Walls campaign for the month of April.  She also shares three books that were outside her reading comfort zone but completely turned her world around.

Doctors' Day
Mar 30

Mar 30 Doctors' Day

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Doctorly Musings

On Doctors' Day, Dr. Bookworm shares what draws her to both medicine and writing together.

Young Writers and Dreamers: Mama and the Hanalei Sea Turtle
Mar 29

Mar 29 Young Writers and Dreamers: Mama and the Hanalei Sea Turtle

Melanie Tioleco-Cheng
Book Review, Young Writers & Dreamers

Young Writers and Dreamers: Dr. Bookworm reviews Mama and the Hanalei Sea Turtle written by (then 7 year old) Dylan Hazen and Illustrated by Rebekah Anderson.

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Dr. Bookworm

My bookstack and me dressed in blue for World Autism Day 

#drbookworm #bookstack #autism #autismawareness #raiseareader
We officially have a rainbow teen.  Not a rainbow baby, not a rainbow child, but a rainbow TEEN.  That also means that my Macy Button is 14 years old, and my Little Lion has just turned 13. 

It took me a long time before I found out that the term ra
From my rainy day Mulan disneybound a few weeks ago. Finally got my Mulan ‘castle’ loungefly a bit ago. 😃 Please note my reluctant Mushu. 

#drbookworm #disneybound #disneyboundtowork #mulan
I forgot to post the last of my I-Support-Trans-Rights- Not-Hogwarts-Pride-Days pictures! From a few days ago, here are some books featuring trans or non-binary characters. 

šŸ“– The Deep and Dark Blue by Niki Smith
šŸ“– Magical Boy by The Kao
šŸ“– Cemete
Did you know that the character of Ursula was partially inspired by an actor and drag queen named Divine? 

Continuing my anti-Hogwarts House pride days to support the LGBTQ+ community. 

Also, I somehow have two copies of the wonderful Blackout.  If
Bi crossing the bifrost! In today’s boycott of Hogwarts house pride days, I feel a bit remiss because Loki would fit right in. But I earnestly believe that Slytherins would support trans rights and not transphobia. Btw, I’m told that Loki
This is the week when I usually would dress up for each Hogwarts house pride day. This year, I’m supporting LGBTQ+ rights. 

#everyonewelcome #lgtbqpride #lgtbqally #ally #doctorbookworm
Happy International Women’s Day! It happens to coincide with Women in History day at Little Lion’s school. Today I represented Mabel Ping Hua Lee, a lesser known suffragist who happened to be a Chinese American teen activist. 

She led a
FOURTEEN
Squirt:
Warm belly hugs
Guitar music and toddler singing
Teary nights
Loving warm hands
Warm meals and sad smiles
A circle surrounding me, surrounding you
With nothing but love
Three chromosomes
Many anomalies
‘Incompatible’ with
#Caturday A latergram as Little Lion is still fast asleep.
Waves of Grief:
They say that grief comes in waves and I can understand that metaphor. This month is January, typically the hardest month of the year for me as it is when Macy was born and when she died. 

This year—this year I’m feeling
They say you should never meet your heroes.  It’s a trope for a reason. (And one  which one character mutters about another in the Wednesday series…. no spoilers.) Luckily we haven’t had to live that trope yet. 

Every time we&rsqu

Dr Bookworm is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.com. Any money earned through affiliate advertising will go toward the maintenance of the site, book/prize giveaways, and/or book donations.

***** 11/2025: I’m currently in the process of switching links to Bookshop.org, which supports indie bookstores. Here is my affiliate link, or copy and paste this in your browser https://bookshop.org/shop/drbookworm. Thank you! *****

Site, text, and pictures are copyright 2016-2025 by Melanie Tioleco-Cheng, unless otherwise noted and posted with permission. Guest comments and postings are property of their respective authors.

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