Review by Horn Book Review
Busy but clean and orderly digital cartoon illustrations nicely complement the rhythm of a hospital (unmasked and presumably not during COVID times). The opening pages present the many people who work at Helping Hospital in the town of Honey Hill and then bring viewers into the admissions department, providing a closer look at some of the people at work (admissions clerk, hospital housekeeper, medevac pilot) as well as introducing three of the waiting patients. Emmy's mother is having a baby, Annabelle needs a checkup, and Leo has hurt his arm. After a quick tour of the departments in this three-story building, shown in a cross-section spread, viewers follow the patients through their appointments. Many types of nurses, doctors, and equipment are identified and defined in the illustrations, and images are well labeled. Questions posed throughout the pages further engage listeners with the text ("Can you guess which departments Emmy, Leo, and Annabelle will visit today?" "Which machine do you think will help Leo?"). In addition to providing a thorough look at the inner workings of a hospital, the well-structured book carries the three distinct plot lines, offering reassurance for common types of visits while pausing to recognize side characters who are in the building for a wide variety of reasons, from undergoing surgery to donating blood. In the end, Leo gets a cast, Annabelle receives a shot, and Emmy meets her new baby brother. This unique exploration of a hospital makes the complex organization accessible and awe-inspiring. Julie Roach November/December 2021 p.87(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Three children visit a local hospital for different reasons to help kids learn about medical care and personnel. Emmy accompanies her mom for a regular maternity checkup that ends up with her mom going into labor and giving birth to her new brother. Leo arrives with his dad. He broke his arm and must go to X-ray and then gets a cast and a sling. Annabelle comes with her mom for a regular pediatric visit and a shot. These racially diverse kids visit a large hospital with lots of specialized (and similarly diverse) personnel, all of whom are pictured and labeled with their official titles. On some pages, the positions are defined. Some of the medical equipment is also labeled and defined, including the ultrasound equipment showing Emmy's baby brother and the X-ray machine used to diagnose Leo's arm. Pictures of these images will be of great interest to many young viewers. While the stylized illustrations thoroughly document the workings of this hospital and the narrative story about these three children could be interesting, these elements are undermined by the sheer volume of information that is being presented. The kids all look pretty young, and community-helper units are usually done in early-elementary grades. The specificity of the job titles (otolaryngologist, endocrinologist, cardiovascular nurse) and the large number of employees both mentioned and pictured create a mismatch between book and audience. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Accurate but overstuffed. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 5-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
