– A Mistake That Should Bring About Lots Of Giggles –
- Author: Maureen Fergus
- Illustrator: Kathryn Durst
- Publisher: Penguin/ Tundra Books (September 10, 2019)
- Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-7)
- Pages: 40
Publisher’s Synopsis:
When Leo arrives at the hospital, he is surprised to find it run by animals! A hilarious story featuring animals in human situations, perfect for fans of Zootopia and A Sick Day for Amos McGee.
Slightly distracted parents accidentally take their son, Leo, to the animal hospital to get his tonsils out.
Luckily, taking care of a human doesn’t ruffle any feathers among the hospital staff. The chicken at the admissions desk is welcoming, the bear orderly is friendly and wise Dr. Stan inspires tremendous confidence despite being a mouse. Is the plastic cone really necessary, though?
In this sweet and hilarious story, a child discovers that a trip to the hospital can be a positive experience–even when the hospital isn’t quite up to code . . .
My Thoughts:
This is a fun way to share what happens in a hospital without being overly serious, which might tend to only worry the worrier more! Plus, the addition of animals and the funny antics that go on inside the hospital considerably lighten the topic.
I’ve read enough picture books that I realize I shouldn’t take them too seriously, but I wondered why a young boy saw they were heading into the wrong hospital and not his parents. Even after he questioned the fact, his dad reassured him that they were doing things correctly. Now that would worry me a bit since my folks knew everything when I was a young child.
Anyway, maybe this bothered me more than usual because nearly all advertisements on TV have kids telling the parents what car to buy, what insurance is best, etc. etc. But I do have to say, in spite of the first page where he questions the hospital, it’s a cute book.
Durst’s illustrations have so many details that you can read the book a few times and keep seeing new things.
What Concerned Me:
As I mentioned earlier, I wondered why a young child noticed the families’ mistake. And why did no one in the hospital ever question the mistake? Okay, it’s a picture book, I know. I shouldn’t worry about such trivia, just go with the flow.
What I Liked Most:
This is such a cute way of introducing kids to a situation that might cause some anxiety to come to the surface. It explains what might happen but in such a light-hearted way.
The illustrations, though simple, are bright, detailed and fun to examine. The humor is quite evident when the boy is treated like an animal. For instance, after the surgery, he wakes up like every other patient in the recovery room wearing a large plastic cone around his neck. However, it was removed when he promised not to eat anything off the floor or chew on his own leg.
It’s a fun book that both kids and adults will enjoy.
About The Author:
Maureen Fergus is the author of five novels for young people: A Fool’s Errand and The Gypsy King (the two prior books in the Gypsy King trilogy), Exploits of a Reluctant (But Extremely Goodlooking) Hero and Recipe for Disaster, of which the latter two were both shortlisted for the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award, and Ortega, which won the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award. She is also the author of the recently published picture book, The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten. She lives in Winnipeg with her family.
