Going to the hospital

Ages 3-6. Designed to encourage dialogue with young children, these simple discussions of important events in a child's life are filled with warmth and reassurance. Assuming no prior knowledge, Rogers keeps to straightforward, simple explanations, and as with these books' predecessors, high-quality full-color photographs of children and their families anchor the text. In Hospital Rogers explains what hospitals are and why children enter them; he also shows children what to expect in the way of routines and equipment. When a Pet Dies assures youngsters that no matter how badly they feel when they lose a pet, in time their hurt will ease, and they will be able to remember with fondness the happiness they shared. Rogers also encourages children to discuss their grief and to look to someone they love for comfort. Brief introductions for adults begin each title; photographs carefully include families from a variety of racial backgrounds. Attractive and well designed, these presentations will be welcomed by parents and children alike. DMW.

ea. vol: photogs. by Jim Judkis. unpaged. (Mister Rogers' First Experiences Bks.). CIP. Putnam. 1988. PLB $12.95; pap. $5.95. PreS-Gr 2 In his usual tone of sympathetic understanding and gentle reassurance, Mr. Rogers discusses the common childhood traumas of hospitalization and grief over the loss of a pet. Large, clear color photographs support the texts. Going to the Hospital follows two appealing preschool age children, a pigtailed black girl and red-headed white boy, as they experience the preliminary procedures of getting an identification bracelet, being examined with various instruments, having blood drawn, and talking with a nurse and doctor, while comforting but straightforward explanations for the procedures are given. Since most of the pictures are posed, no one looks frightened or in pain. No details of surgery or postoperative recovery are shown. The Hospital Book (Crown, 1981) by James Howe is more comprehensive and realistic, but with its black-and-white photographs of actual hospitalized children and longer text, it is better suited to older children more able to absorb the complicated and sometimes disturbing information. Sara Stein's A Hospital Story (Walker, 1984) follows a little girl's tonsillectomy well but is more limited. All of these books have helpful information directed to parents. When a Pet Dies portrays a Hispanic family whose dog dies and a white family whose cat dies. The animals are not shown suffering. The grieving children are posed as feeling sad and angry, being comforted by their parents, asking questions about death, conducting a pet funeral, and finally adjusting to the loss. In the text the theme is delicately expanded to embrace all sorrow and the happy fact that the love, once shared, lives on. Again, although there is other good literature in this field such as The Tenth Good Thing About Barney (Atheneum, 1971) by Judith Viorst, Jim's Dog Muffins (Greenwillow, 1984) by Miriam Cohen, and It Must Hurt a Lot (Multnomah, 1985) by Doris Sanford, this nonfiction book is more explicit and specific. The format and typography are clear and attractive, the language and concepts simple but sound psychologically, and the material geared either for an adult to share or for children to read alone. Patricia Pearl, First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, Vtinsville, Va.Grades 3-6 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.