THE DOGGY DOCTOR AND THE UPSET TUMMY

A veterinarian operates on a pooch with peculiar tastes in this debut picture book.

The Doggy Doctor and her team of animal assistants (Poppy, a parrot; Jim, a terrier; and Dinah, a shorthair cat) are ready to aid all of the creatures brought into the vet clinic. When a Bernese mountain dog’s human “mom” calls because her pet won’t eat, the Doggy Doctor brings him in. An X-ray reveals just what the canine ate: “A rock was not the only thing— / a ball, a toy, a diamond ring! / To top it off, a fire truck, / and all these things / have gotten stuck!” For that assortment of objects, surgery is required, and the Doggy Doctor comforts both mom and patient before removing the cause of the stomachache. The matter-of-fact presentation of how a vet treats animal patients, coupled with the humor of the ridiculous things the poor dog swallowed and the helpful creatures in scrubs, makes this a comforting tale for children with pets. The poetry by Johnson, a small-animal vet, scans well, and the vocabulary is accessible to young readers throughout. Roberts, the daughter of a vet technician as well as an artist, presents diversity among both human owners and pets. Her cartoon illustrations are full of child appeal and include the added fun that the Doggy Doctor closely resembles Johnson and the assistants, the author’s real-life pets.

A comforting rhyming tale of a hungry dog’s successful surgery.