"THIS IS A HOSPITAL, NOT A ZOO!"

by Roberta Karim ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 23, 1998

A perfectly silly take on the indignities of a hospital stay. Armed with a box of magical animal crackers, Filbert MacFee has the perfect defense against all the pricks and pokes: He can turn into whatever animals he eats. Threatened by a hypodermic needle, he turn into a rhinoceros who says, ""Try to put a needled through that!"" A penguin is appropriate for a frigid wheelchair and it's hard to get a spoonful of medicine into the mouth of a giraffe. Filbert keeps the staff hopping with his pranks, and things really get wild when--in the guise of an unhappy orangutan--he offers an animal cracker to his doctor, who turns into an orangutan, too. The two enjoy a rousing rumpus until (back to himself), Filbert is pronounced well enough to go home. The snappy text, featuring quirky characters and understated humor, works well with Truesdell's loosely drawn, larger-than-life animals who pop up at the turn of a page.

Pub Date: March 23, 1998

ISBN: 0547562756

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Clarion

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998

Categories: CHILDREN'S