(1) K-3 "When I went to the hospital, I cried nine times." Brown returns to the family featured in her ingenious The Airport Book (rev. 5/16); here, the now-older little sister narrates. The book follows the girl's experiences as she heads to the hospital with severe stomach pain, is diagnosed with appendicitis, undergoes an operation, and recovers. As in the earlier book, multiple subplots unfold in Brown's engrossing and detailed signature ink and watercolor illustrations; and we are treated to several amusing cameo appearances (paging Florence Nightingale and Dr. Watson!) and the return of some memorable Airport Book characters. But Brown smartly keeps a tight focus on the girl and her very relatable reactions and emotions, using as a through line the times she cries (e.g., when a doctor presses on her abdomen, getting an IV put in) versus the times she doesn't (getting an ultrasound, when she throws up her post-op Popsicle, etc.). Throughout, we meet a host of hospital workers--doctors, nurses, orderlies, cleaners--each one exuding a sense of caring and reassurance. Naturally and matter-of-factly, Brown incorporates a remarkable wealth of diversity--all kinds, from skin tones to abilities to genders to cultures to types of families. Instructive, engaging, empathetic, inclusive--Brown once again delivers an essential book about a common childhood experience.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Luciano Lozano. This picture-book biography of Spain’s first scientific Nobel Prize winner, Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934), moves from his imagination-filled childhood in the mountain village of Petilla to his groundbreaking discovery of the structure of the nervous system at the age of thirty-six. Readers will be delighted by the snapshots of a self-willed, precocious, inventive young boy who bucked his teachers’ attempts to clip his artist’s wings, and initially resisted following in his doctor-father’s footsteps, only to fall in love with the field of neuroanatomy on his own terms. Lozano’s stylized digital illustrations are interspersed with fascinating facsimiles of Ramón y Cajal’s photography, paintings, and medical drawings. Back matter delves into the anatomy of a neuron and expounds on Ramón y Cajal’s life and works. A compelling testament to the value of unconventional thinking.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) 4-6 Discovering History's Heroes series. In 1889, Susan La Flesche became the first Native American to earn a medical degree. Born and raised in the Omaha tribe, she used her education to doctor her people, to improve public health, and to advocate for her tribe's land rights. This well-written biography uses short, declarative sentences and plenty of context to help readers understand La Flesche's pathbreaking accomplishments and includes numerous quotes from the subject's letters to convey a sense of her personality (lack of any archival photos is unfortunate). The text ends with a glossary and bibliography.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Bye. Fauci's role in helping the country through the current global pandemic was preceded by decades of work studying infectious disease and public health response. In her timely and engaging biography, Messner portrays Fauci as an effective leader and problem solver whose interest in other people's viewpoints has served him well. Richly colored digital illustrations add warmth to the admiring and respectful narrative. Back matter includes discussions of vaccines and vaccine safety, Fauci's tips "for future scientists," a timeline, a reading list, sources (including Messner's two interviews with Fauci), and ten black-and-white photos (including six family photos).

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) K-3 Illustrated by April Chu. We open on a carnival barker ushering turn-of-the-twentieth-century crowds into a room whose walls are lined with metal and glass boxes. A farmer pulls a tiny baby out of a hatbox and asks for help saving his newborn child. In a remarkable true story, Moss introduces Dr. Martin Couney, a doctor with a flair for showmanship who used expositions and eventually the Coney Island Boardwalk to build public trust for a new idea that could save "doomed to die" premature babies: "warming boxes," or incubators. Moss's text depicts a deeply empathetic man who uses his flair for the dramatic to give babies from all kinds of backgrounds a fighting chance, and who eventually uses the skills he learned to care for his own premature infant. Chu's illustrations, sketched in muted browns and greens with an occasional carnival pop of color, have an old-timey charm full of detailed period dress and very appealing itty-bitty babies. (Unfortunately, the endpapers show sideshow performers without any context, treating them as something to gawk at in the same way these sideshow circuses did.) An author's note offers additional information about Dr. Couney and a list of suggested readings.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(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

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Allan Drummond. Before Dr. Ludwig Guttmann (1899–1980), there was no treatment for a broken spine; paraplegics were deemed incurable and usually died in a matter of weeks. With clarity and immediacy, ­Alexander tells a riveting story. She ­follows Guttmann, a German Jewish ­neurologist, as he flees Nazi Germany; finds a new home in Oxford, England, where, denied a medical position, he does extensive research on the human nervous system; and finally, near the end of WWII, is assigned to a spinal unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where he begins implementing a radical new plan of treatment for soldiers with spinal injuries. He gets them out of full-body casts, then sitting up, then out of bed, then doing strengthening exercises, and then--most radical of all--playing competitive team sports. From here, Alexander describes how Guttmann's annual competition, the Stoke Mandeville Games, first held in 1948 with only sixteen participants, grew into the international Paralympic Games, "the third-largest sporting event in the world." Throughout, Alexander conveys the force of Guttmann's commanding personality as well as his fierce drive and determination not just to heal his patients but to change public perception of disabilities and disabled people. A mix of period photographs, charts, and lively and engaging pen-and-watercolor-wash illustrations by Drummond adds even more interest and appeal. Alexander concludes her account, powerfully, with brief biographies of accomplished disabled athletes competing today in sports ranging from sled hockey to wheelchair basketball to cycling. Appended with a timeline, an extensive biography, source notes, and an index (unseen).

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alleanna Harris. At age six, Patricia Bath (1942–2019) declared: "I want to be a doctor!" Though she faced obstacles because of her gender, race, and socioeconomic status, she succeeded, breaking boundaries in many arenas including becoming the first African American female doctor granted a medical patent. Quotes from Dr. Bath appear throughout, and colorful digital illustrations reflect her curiosity and compassion. Reading list, timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lisa Anchin. Driven by a desire to "make the world a better place," Salk helped to develop the first flu vaccine before tackling--and conquering--the polio virus. Similarities to recent events are evident in how the well-paced text and inclusive illustrations portray public response to the 1950s polio epidemic: the fear, isolation, and uncertainty. The process of vaccine development also sounds familiar: studying the disease and its variants, testing the vaccine, and promoting its efficacy. An author's note discusses Marshall's personal connection to her topic. (A timeline would have helped clarify some biographical information.)

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lauren Simkin Berke. A remarkable life is given a sensitive portrayal in this picture-book biography. Dr. James Barry, assigned female at birth in the late eighteenth century, lived after the age of nineteen as a man. He rose through the ranks as a British military doctor, becoming known for his advocacy for proper hygiene in hospitals as well as his care for disadvantaged patients. Robinson tells her subject's story from childhood straightforwardly, addressing the reader directly ("Let me tell you a little more about what we do and don't know..."). While the main text does not use the word transgender, the opening lines ask readers to "imagine living at a time when you couldn't be the person you felt you were inside." Illustrations place realistically drawn figures in rich colors against sketchy, washed-out backgrounds, drawing the eye to Barry and the elegant clothes he loved. Back matter includes an author's note that gives more detailed information about events only briefly touched on in the story, as well as a note about gender identity and how names and pronouns are treated in the text.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(2) K-3 This book's Little Doctor, like Steig's Doctor De Soto before her, provides medical care to potentially dangerous animals. The little girl administers medicine, provides tail splints, etc., and the gentle crocodile patients pay her with stories. So far, so sweet--but there is underlying tension, involving teeth and jaws and plastic debris. Watercolor illustrations, rich in detail and in texture, give the dreamy narrative (with an environmentalist reminder) its energy.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) YA Janusz Korczak was the pen name of Henryk Goldszmit (1878–1942), a Jewish doctor, author, and orphanage director who famously championed children's rights and who perished at the Treblinka extermination camp. Marrin explores the man's life, with various digressions into such topics as Polish history and politics, WWII, and the Jewish diaspora. Marrin both illuminates history and provides occasional respite from the unrelenting (and often vividly described) cruelty of the Holocaust. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Chuck Groenink. In this fictional "biography" of Dr. Williams's most famous poem, Rogers shows how Williams managed to put all that he observed into an economical, one-sentence, sixteen-word poem (printed on the final spread). Rogers suggests that there is power in noticing, as Williams did--finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Groenink's muted, sepia-toned illustrations capture the quiet, unassuming doctor at work. An author's note explains Williams's contributions to American poetry; a partial list of Williams's poems is appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) YA Despite her fear of germs and her indifference to biology, seventeen-year-old MIT freshman Mei Lu is on the path to becoming a doctor, per her strict Taiwanese parents' wishes. But her first few months away inspire big changes: unbeknownst to her parents, Mei reconnects with her disowned older brother and indulges in her passion for dance. An endearing and at times laugh-out-loud coming-of-age story.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA A young Canadian woman with a large nose enters a long-distance relationship with a plastic surgeon, who loves her for who she is. Adapted from Dorfman's time-lapse film of the same name, this graphic memoir for older readers has mature themes yet a refreshing picture-book simplicity to the text. A creatively minimalist art style adds depth to this story of self-acceptance.

Reviewer: Jessica Costello

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book: My Community series. Illustrated by Catalina Echeverri. Through simple, kid-friendly framing stories, children learn about the possibilities and the variety in each community-helping career field. Softly colored cartoon illustrations show a diverse array of approachable-looking characters and match the books' conversational tone. Each easy-reader narrative flows naturally while providing controlled vocabulary and concrete explanations for emerging readers. Review covers these I Can Read Book: My Community titles: I Want to Be a Doctor, I Want to Be a Police Officer, and I Want to Be a Veterinarian.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) PS Illustrated by Sara Gillingham. At the Doll Hospital (a dollhouse), Dr. Pegs has a growing list of priorities, including setting a porcelain doll's cracked arm and providing new stomach stuffing for plush doll Scoop. Luckily, help arrives from the "Nesting Nurses," five nesting dolls who pitch in to mend the dolls in need. This charmingly old-fashioned story has appropriately retro illustrations featuring patterned stripes, dots, and shapes in an almost neon palette.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) YA Class in America series. This unique series--geared to school reports but with intriguing topics and ideas that go beyond the curriculum--could also provide support for debates and political action for motivated readers. Charts, graphs, archival photos, and contemporary color photos break up the dense information and detailed sidebars. Lots of discussion-starter questions make these books relevant to today's readers. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Class in America titles: The American Middle Class, Being Poor in America, Class and Education, Class and Race, Class Mobility, The Future of Work in America, The Health-Care Divide, and The One Percent.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Julianna Swaney. This enlightening and inspiring biography highlights Dr. Sara Josephine Baker's work with impoverished women and children in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Hell's Kitchen. Dr. Jo's public-health breakthroughs included heatstroke-safe infant clothes, antibacterial eye drops to prevent blindness, and training requirements for midwives. Swaney's watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations contribute both context and emotion. "More about Dr. Jo" is appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) YA Monty's sister Felicity (The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue) dreams of becoming a doctor, but she's been rejected by every hospital board (this being eighteenth-century Britain). In a last-ditch effort, she hitches a ride to the Continent with pirates to plead her case with her medical idol. Amid occasional fantasy elements, Lee keenly observes unsavory realities of the times while naturally incorporating casual diversity and a strong feminist credo.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019