A children’s book for a niche audience that will make kids less worried about anesthesia—and may comfort their parents as...
In his debut picture book, Rosenblum, a board-certified anesthesiologist, draws on the superheroic story tradition to make surgery less scary for kids.
Welwyn loves to pretend to be a superhero and defend his sister, Ava, and her toy bear, Teddy, from any villains who come their way. One day, in a rush to get to the ice cream truck, he falls down the stairs, accidentally ripping Teddy’s leg and apparently breaking his own in the process. According to the doctor, Welwyn needs surgery, during which the surgeon will “fix the leg, clean out the germs, and stitch his leg closed.” Welwyn is curious about germs: what do they look like? How do the doctors fight them? He goes in for surgery at a later date; although he’s hungry from not eating breakfast, he bravely meets the funny anesthesiologist and the operating team. He’s given “laughing juice” to prepare him for anesthesia, and under its effects, he thinks that the doctors’ scrubs look like ninja clothing. In the operating room, the doctors place four “stickers” on him to monitor his body; the one on his finger, he notes, glows as though he has superpowers. The anesthesia mask, meanwhile, makes him feel like a space pilot. As he drifts off, he remembers that Teddy’s leg is still ripped, and he wonders who will save the bear from the germs. Welwyn realizes that he must go on a mission to defeat the germs, and in his dreams, he and the cosmic–ninja doctors do so. The illustrations do a fantastic job of depicting Welwyn’s fantasy alongside the surgical procedure. In one part of the image, for example, readers see him as a superhero with superstrength, a glowing finger, and an armored foot; in another, he’s asleep, and the doctors are giving him a cast for his broken leg (while also improbably stitching up Teddy). The sleeping Welwyn looks absolutely peaceful, which should help assuage children’s fears about how they’ll feel during a procedure. Although the text is wordy, it handles the action just right, and the illustrations show nonthreatening but villainous germs with comic-book flair.
A children’s book for a niche audience that will make kids less worried about anesthesia—and may comfort their parents as well.Pub Date: April 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4961-8200-5
Page Count: 36
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills.
What do you do when the world turns upside down?
Freckled redhead Tilda is a happy only child with a rollicking personality. With lots of books and toys and a multiracial group of friends, life is perfect as far as she’s concerned…until her world undergoes a troubling change (a subtle hint in the illustrations suggests that Tilda’s parents have divorced). Suddenly, nothing feels right, everything seems hard, and she doesn’t want to play with her friends. To reflect this emotional disorientation, the artwork shows Tilda in spatially distorted settings, complete with upside-down objects. It’s not until she sees an upturned ladybug struggle persistently before getting back on its feet (despite Tilda’s desire to help, the ladybug needs to help itself) that Tilda gains the courage to start taking baby steps in order to cope with her new reality. There are still challenges, and she needs to persevere, but eventually, she regains her zest for life and reconnects with her friends. Despite this, the ending avoids an easy happily-ever-after, which feels just right for the subject matter. Though a trifle didactic, the story sends an important message about the roles of self-efficacy and persistence when it comes to overcoming challenges and building resilience. Percival’s digital illustrations use transitions from grayscale to color to create symbolic meaning and have psychological depth, deftly capturing a child’s experience of trauma.
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0822-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder.
After being home-schooled for years, Auggie Pullman is about to start fifth grade, but he’s worried: How will he fit into middle school life when he looks so different from everyone else?
Auggie has had 27 surgeries to correct facial anomalies he was born with, but he still has a face that has earned him such cruel nicknames as Freak, Freddy Krueger, Gross-out and Lizard face. Though “his features look like they’ve been melted, like the drippings on a candle” and he’s used to people averting their eyes when they see him, he’s an engaging boy who feels pretty ordinary inside. He’s smart, funny, kind and brave, but his father says that having Auggie attend Beecher Prep would be like sending “a lamb to the slaughter.” Palacio divides the novel into eight parts, interspersing Auggie’s first-person narrative with the voices of family members and classmates, wisely expanding the story beyond Auggie’s viewpoint and demonstrating that Auggie’s arrival at school doesn’t test only him, it affects everyone in the community. Auggie may be finding his place in the world, but that world must find a way to make room for him, too.
A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder. (Fiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-86902-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011
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