Sickness and children are not a happy combination. This condition can be treated with six new books that fit situations from serious to minor ills.
When children are at home and fretting with a slight illness, a silly book can be a great cure. Remy Charlip and Burton Supree have a wild take on a traditional rhyme in Mother Mother I Feel Sick Send for the Doctor Quick Quick Quick (Tricycle Press, $16.95; ages 4-8) . In a rollicking set of rhymes and circumstances, a turn of the century doctor speeds to the side of boy with a green face, stomach ache, and distended belly. The doctor pulls from the boy's rounded belly a bizarre collection of items including: balls, an entire birthday cake, tea in a pot, galoshes, and even a bicycle. The boy leaves with a flat tummy and improved health...but what's this? The doctor's missing his hat. Charlip is a genius at word-play and humor. Part of this book's fun comes from its illustrations. It's all shown in shadow against backgrounds inspired by vintage wallpapers. The authors have included simple directions so that families can turn this frolic of word and image into a shadow play!
I'm Not Feeling Well Today (Greenwillow, $15.95; ages 3-5) is an interactive read aloud that is a perfect diversion for a restless child trapped in bed. Shirley Neitzel writes the cumulative, chorused, rhyming story and illustrator Nancy Winslow Parker adds pictographs so a child can join in the telling. The story's young patient is demanding. He requests a special bear friend, "toast and tea, TV for you and me", puzzles on a tray and more since he's "not feeling well today" . This refrain repeats until the book's end when there's a sudden shift as the malingering child learns there is no school and shouts "Hurray! Hurray! I'm glad I'm feeling well today!"
Rosemary Wells' Felix Feels Better (Candlewick, $12.99; ages 3-6) features a young animal patient who has eaten "too many chocolate blimpies and stayed up way too late." In the morning Felix's mom notices that he looks "peaky" and she fusses over him with all the gentleness mothers muster at times like this. She coddles him through his fears of facing Doctor Duck, an affable Md. who fixes Felix up with "two spoonfuls of Happy Tummy". After a good night's sleep, Felix is back to his exuberant self. Rosemary Wells' cuddly animal characters bring warmth to an already tender young tale that will comfort young patients.
Michael Bond's Paddington is a familiar figure. He dispels hospital strangeness in Paddington Bear Goes to the Hospital, a book co-written with Karen Jankel (HarperCollins, $12.95; ages 4-7) . Paddington Bear takes a tumble, loses his memory and hurts his shoulder. Taken to the hospital he learns much and as he does so, he schools and entertains children with his antics. Encountering an x-ray machine he asks, "What's happened to my fur? I had it when I came in?" The patient doctor answers, "This is a special camera for looking inside people - and bears too." In a similar fashion, Paddington introduces children to anesthetic, hospital beds, medicines, emergency buttons and more. Paddington is confident when he leaves the hospital and says, "now that I know what goes on, I won't mind coming back!" This is really an informational book with a story invented for easy delivery. Paddington, an inquisitive and adventurous bear is a perfect character choice.
Juliana Lee Hatkoff was five when she had to have her tonsils out. Her father,Craig, suggested she write a journal and now they've now published Good-Bye Tonsils! (Viking, $15.99; ages 5-8) The introduction is written by Dr. Robert Ward, NY Otolaryngology Institute. He gives a history of tonsillectomies and guidelines for families who are facing one. Then we follow Juliana from her diagnosis, through the operation and recovery. The book is full of imagery that children can understand. Tonsils are described as "two little soldiers standing in the back of our throats to protect us by catching germs" and when they catch too many germs, have to be taken out. Juliana and her parents are smart about preparing for her hospitalization. She is a great guide with practical advice and creative ideas for those who have to face a similar situation. Juliana reads books in which two story heroes, Curious George and Madeline, go to the hospital. She's advised by a friend who's had three operations and tells her about "magic mask with magic gas" and hospital beds that go up and down. The eve of her operation is also her sister's first birthday, so the family celebrates with birthday and Good-bye Tonsils cakes. What makes this book work best are the voice, the ingenuity and creativity of the family, and the specifics that make the story genuine and the solace it provides real, practical and usable.
The hardest sickness a child might have to face is the serious illness of a parent. Children's book author, Laura Numeroff and Wendy Harpham, a physician,mother and cancer survivor, have collaborated with children on The Hope Tree: Kids Talk About Cancer (Simon & Schuster, $12.00; ages 7 and up) . The writings come from a group of five to twelve year olds who gather to talk about their mothers' breast cancer. They write advice pieces like "The day my family found out", or "Family meetings". They write words of encouragement like "Picturing cancer makes it less scary", "You can't catch it" , or "Looking for the good things in something bad." All their thoughts, feelings, and ideas are well-represented by David McPhail's emotion-filled pictures. Both words and illustrations can open up needed and helpful discussions.