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PRESCHOOL
Ward, Lindsay

Helping Hospital: A Community Helpers Book

40 pp. | HarperCollins/Harper | October, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-0-06-308139-0 $14.99
(2) PS Busy but clean and orderly digital cartoon illustrations nicely complement the rhythm of a hospital (unmasked and presumably not during COVID times). The opening pages present the many people who work at Helping Hospital in the town of Honey Hill and then bring viewers into the admissions department, providing a closer look at some of the people at work (admissions clerk, hospital housekeeper, medevac pilot) as well as introducing three of the waiting patients. Emmy's mother is having a baby, Annabelle needs a checkup, and Leo has hurt his arm. After a quick tour of the departments in this three-story building, shown in a cross-section spread, viewers follow the patients through their appointments. Many types of nurses, doctors, and equipment are identified and defined in the illustrations, and images are well labeled. Questions posed throughout the pages further engage listeners with the text ("Can you guess which departments Emmy, Leo, and Annabelle will visit today?" "Which machine do you think will help Leo?"). In addition to providing a thorough look at the inner workings of a hospital, the well-structured book carries the three distinct plot lines, offering reassurance for common types of visits while pausing to recognize side characters who are in the building for a wide variety of reasons, from undergoing surgery to donating blood. In the end, Leo gets a cast, Annabelle receives a shot, and Emmy meets her new baby brother. This unique exploration of a hospital makes the complex organization accessible and awe-inspiring.
Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

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