A Doctor at Heart: The Story of Groundbreaking Scientist and Teacher Vivien Thomas

A Doctor at Heart: The Story of Groundbreaking Scientist and Teacher Vivien Thomas - Hardcover

$19.99
Sale price  $19.99 Regular price 
Skip to product information
A Doctor at Heart: The Story of Groundbreaking Scientist and Teacher Vivien Thomas

A Doctor at Heart: The Story of Groundbreaking Scientist and Teacher Vivien Thomas - Hardcover

$19.99
Sale price  $19.99 Regular price 
Shipping calculated at checkout.

by Joan Schoettler (Author), Steffi Walthall (Illustrator)

A fascinating and inspiring picture book biography about Vivien Thomas, a pioneer of children's heart surgery and trailblazer for Black people in STEM.

Vivien Thomas always loved solving problems and figuring out how things worked. In high school, inspired by his family physician, he decided he would become a doctor. Despite losing his college savings during the 1930 bank panic, Vivien stayed dedicated to making his dream a reality, a trait that would serve him all his life.

Vivien secured a lab assistant position at Vanderbilt University and later moved to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he and his mentor developed a groundbreaking procedure to cure blue baby syndrome, which led to them performing the first open-heart surgery on a child.

With the power of his passion, perseverance, and dedication to learning (and without any formal college education), Vivien saved thousands of lives.

Author Biography

Joan Schoettler is a children's author and professor of children's literature and storytelling at California State University, Fresno. Her book The Honey Jar won the Gold Medal for Juvenile Books at the 2024 California Book Awards and was a 2024 Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year. Joan lives in central California with her husband. Visit her at JoanSchoettler.com.

Steffi Walthall is an illustrator and character designer born and raised in Virginia. She received her BFA in Game Development from the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD). Steffi focuses on crafting a diverse range of characters and unique stories and is the illustrator of Joan Schoettler's A Doctor at Heart, Chris Barton's Moving Forward, and J.E. Bright's Wonder Woman: The Way of the Amazons. For more information about Steffi, please visit SteffiWalthallArt.com.
Number of Pages: 48
Dimensions: 0.5 x 9.7 x 11.3 IN
Publication Date: May 12, 2026

Made with care

Great value

Elegant design

Quality materials

Details

Each book is chosen to inspire, entertain, and expand your perspective. Whether you're relaxing or learning something new, it’s made to fit seamlessly into your everyday life.

Shipping & Returns

We strive to process and ship all orders in a timely manner, working diligently to ensure that your items are on their way to you as soon as possible.

We are committed to ensuring a positive shopping experience for all our customers. If for any reason you wish to return an item, we invite you to reach out to our team for assistance, and we will evaluate every return request with care and consideration.

Shop The Full Collection

$100M Leads: How to Get Strangers To Want To Buy Your Stuff - Hardcover

$100M Leads: How to Get Strangers To Want To Buy Your Stuff - Hardcover

$100M Leads: How to Get Strangers To Want To Buy Your Stuff - Paperback

$100M Leads: How to Get Strangers To Want To Buy Your Stuff - Paperback

$100M Money Models: How To Make Money - Hardcover

$100M Money Models: How To Make Money - Hardcover

$100M Money Models: How To Make Money - Hardcover

$43.72
Sale price  $43.72 Regular price 
$100M Money Models: How To Make Money - Paperback

$100M Money Models: How To Make Money - Paperback

$100M Money Models: How To Make Money - Paperback

$36.43
Sale price  $36.43 Regular price