Customer Reviews

Harry Goes to the Hospital: A Story for Children about What It's Like to Be in the Hospital

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Harry just loved macaroni and cheese and everyone knew something was very wrong when he took "one spoonful and told his mom he wasn't hungry." His brother was chowing down and even his baby sister was enjoying the meal, but he just felt awful. His mom sent him upstairs and he was so sick he just started throwing up and couldn't stop. It was terrible! His dad rushed upstairs to check on him and his mom called the doctor. It was off to the emergency room for Harry! It was something that never happened to him before and he was really scared.

It was a very busy place, but his mom and dad were there to reassure him. Oh, and he had Barney, his stuffed bunny there to help him get through his crisis. He was a little uneasy around this new Dr. Meadows because she didn't check on Barney like Dr. Walker did. She told Harry that he had a "bad case of stomach flu" and that his body would need "some water to make [him] feel better." He was going to have to get the water through something called an "IV." He was all upset and the only thing he wanted to do was go home. Harry's mom told him a nice story about their beach vacation and he closed his eyes and drifted away as the IV was put in place. He was going to have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days, but his mom was going to stay with him. Being in the hospital was scary, but maybe if his mom was there he'd be just fine.

Harry, like most children, are afraid of the unknown and a trip to the hospital can be a very frightening thing. This book does a marvelous job detailing his trip to the hospital and doesn't minimize his emotions or fears. IVs, CAT scans and blood work can be scary for anyone, let alone a child. The art work is nicely detailed and brings out the emotional aspect of the story, both from Harry's vantage point and that of his parents. In the back of the book is a detailed section from a clinical psychologist describing ways in which the parent or caretaker can help the child through a potentially traumatizing event. This book is very well done and even if your child doesn't have to go to the hospital it is well worth reading to them!

Harry Goes to the Hospital: A Story for Children About What It's Like to Be in the Hospital is more than an ordinary picturebook. Medical doctor Howard J. Bennett wrote Harry Goes to the Hospital specifically to prepare young people for a hospital stay. Harry Goes to the Hospital addresses many of the difficult things young people can expect: having to stay in bed for hours, funny smells, prickly needles, homesickness, adjusting to the presence of many busy, sick, or worried people, and more. The simple, charming illustrations complement the sympathetic text, which reveals that imagination, reassurance, and just knowing that loved ones are there can all be very helpful during a hospital say. A "Note to Parents" by psychologist Virginia Shiller, Ph.D. rounds out this welcome and needed contribution to public and private children's libraries.

Bought it for my 4 yo, just to give her an idea, what happens to people in hospitals. She really liked the story and asked a lot of questions- another mystery in life solved for her :)

We got this book after my four-year-old son's recent unexpected hospitalization. It has been tremendously helpful for helping my son work through his feelings about being in the hospital--he asks to read it every night, and talks about Harry often. When he received a "patient" doll on a recent follow-up visit, he immediately named it "Dr. Bob," after the doll that Harry played with in the book.

The book presents, in a very accurate and non-threatening way, the story of a young boy who has to be hospitalized. It shows Harry going through many experiences typical in a hospital setting--getting an IV, with fluids; having a CAT scan; even getting visited by the Child Life people! It also shows Harry being frightened and confused, and shows how those around him help to comfort him.

I think this book fills a very important niche in this area--so many of the books for children about the hospital deal with either long-term hospitalization, or preparing children for a scheduled surgery or stay in the hospital. I really appreciate that this one depicts a situation where a hospitalization is very sudden, and helps talk about the fears and the concerns that a young child has when such a thing happens ("Was it my fault? Why did I get sick?"). I don't know if our Children's Hospital already has a copy of this book, but if not, I plan to buy several.