The Hospital Book

by Lisa Brown

Overview

Going to the hospital can be strange and scary, but this book will comfort and reassure even the youngest patient.

When a little girl develops a bad stomach ache, it’s time to go to the hospital. We follow her experience from arrival through diagnosis, anesthesia, and recovery

Lisa Brown is a graphic novelist as well as a picture book creator whose talents inform the design of this book chock full of speech bubbles that will delight kids and parents alike. This is a funny, accessible, and above all comforting tale of a very scary experience in the life of any child.

With illustrations brimming with action reminiscent of Richard Scarry, Lisa Brown once again creates a story full of humor and empathy that will delight and comfort most any kid fearful about a hospital visit. Fans of her hugely successful The Airport Book will instantly recognize the girl and her family.

A Chicago Public Library 'Best of the Best' Book
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823446650
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/21/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	283,926
Product dimensions:	9.41(w) x 11.27(h) x 0.33(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lisa Brown is a New York Times bestselling illustrator, author, and cartoonist. Her work includes a slew of illustrated books including The Airport Book, Goldfish Ghost by Lemony Snicket; Picture the Dead with Adele Griffin; and Mummy Cat by Marcus Ewert. Her first graphic novel, The Phantom Twin, received a starred review from Booklist. For adults, Long Story Short is a collection of comic strips about classic novels. She lives in San Francisco and teaches in the illustration department of the California College of the Art.

Editorial Reviews

"[A]  playful spirit. . . . Ms. Brown’s illustrations are full of Easter eggs to amuse adults and more astute readers ages 4-8."—The Wall Street Journal

★  "Intricately detailed and colorfuL. . . . Brown and her graphic-novel-inspired illustrations offer children significant insight into what might be expected if they ever need to have surgery."—Booklist, Starred Review

★ "A wonderfully effective, reassuring look at an often scary experience."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ "Instructive, engaging, empathetic, inclusive—Brown once again delivers an essential book about a common childhood experience."—The Horn Book, Starred Review

"Whether readers have been to a hospital before, or are preparing for a planned visit, this book will put minds at ease."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

11/03/2023

K-Gr 3—For children—for anyone—a visit to the hospital can be a strange and new experience. Brown (The Airport Book) gives readers an inside look into what to expect. A young girl gets a strong stomach pain and needs medical care. Her parents take her to the hospital, and she learns she will need surgery. The story follows her hospital experience from start to finish, from the waiting room to being discharged to go home. The illustrations are captivating, adding to the positive feel of the book. Whether readers have been to a hospital before, or are preparing for a planned visit, this book will put minds at ease. VERDICT Filled with information presented in a colorful and engaging way, this is a perfectly serviceable book.—Elizabeth Pelayo

School Library Journal

★ 2022-12-14
A child visits the hospital.

“When I went to the hospital, I cried nine times,” notes the brown-skinned narrator, who also appears in The Airport Book (2016). Her tears begin at the pain in her stomach, which causes her parents—one Black, one White—to rush her to the hospital. Other tearful moments include jostling painfully over a speed bump en route to the emergency room, fretting in a hectic waiting room, and feeling doctors press her stomach. And when she’s diagnosed with appendicitis, which requires surgery, she andher parents cry a little. At night, she cries because of funny smells, beeping machines, and loneliness, though a parent snores nearby. But some things aren’t scary—her hospital gown and bracelet and grippy socks, for instance. The narrator’s matter-of-fact tone and step-by-step descriptions of everything from admission to discharge (a cause for happy tears) are calming, and friendly doctors and nurses offer further encouragement in speech-balloon dialogue. Cartoon illustrations gently depict procedures such as an ultrasound and IV insertion and add occasional humor, as when a passing Sherlock Holmes answers “Elementary” to a page for Dr. Watson. Framing the story by counting the number of times the protagonist cries—and doesn’t cry—is an inspired choice that acknowledges fears but also bolsters readers. A bustling medley of racially diverse background characters invites readers to imagine their stories as well. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A wonderfully effective, reassuring look at an often scary experience. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews