Dr. Hippo Series Books For Children Review

If you’re a parent of a child, you know eventually they’re going to turn into a walking question box…if they haven’t already. You get a lot of what’s, why’s and how’s. Sometimes the questions are no brainers and sometimes the questions are a little tougher to answer. Especially when you have to explain it in younger terms. So what happens when your child starts to feel icky and they want to know why? You can try to explain it to your child, but that conversation has the possiblity of getting pretty complex. Thank goodness Dr. Hippo is there for you!

Dr. Charlotte Cowan founded The Hippocratic Press with a mission to publish medical children’s stories that entertain, educate and reassure both parent and child. The idea of writing stories for sick children evolved as a natural combination of her professional experience and her childhood love of reading. As a pediatrician, Dr. Cowan developed a strong intuition that children would do better with their illnesses if they both understood what was happening to them and realized that they would get better. As a fan of children’s books, she recognized that they offered the perfect medium for her message.

If you haven’t had children yet or you have very young children the chances are good that you will become the biggest worry wart whenever your children get sick. *Raises Hand* Mmmmhmmm. Been there, done that….still do. As first time parents we never really know what to do until we learn from it. Thanks to Dr. Cowan, we now have the Dr. Hippo Series of books that we can get answers from secretly while reading to our kids. PERFECT! These stories also provide comfort and entertainment to the sick child because more than likely they’re experiencing the same thing as well. Each book in the Dr. Hippo Series is 32 pages, hard cover, full color and includes a separate laminated Parent Guide written in question/answer format. The Parent Guide answers common questions like: “How can I keep my child comfortable?” and “When should I call the doctor?” There are five books in the Dr. Hippo Series

The Moose with the Loose Poops: Four-year-old Miles develops a tummy ache while on a family picnic in Maine. His planned camping trip with Papa (complete with canoeing and fishing) is postponed when throwing up (oops!) and diarrhea (loose poops) develop. Mama, Papa and Lucy Moose take excellent care of Miles at home. Of course, they are helped by their kindly pediatrician, Dr. Hippo, who advises that fluid is the best medicine for Miles. Will Miles recover in time to go camping with Papa under a special, star-filled sky? In this story for children ages 2-7, Dr. Cowan offers a clear and child friendly explanation of gastroenteritis. A board-certified pediatrician, she captures the misery of tummy aches, caused first by vomiting and then by diarrhea, and writes to educate, entertain and comfort her small readers—as well as their parents.

The Little Elephant with the Big Earache: The Little Elephant with the Big Earache tells the story of Eddie, who awakens with a terrible earache after a busy afternoon making mud pies with his cousins. His mother takes care of him during the night and Dr. Hippo reassures them both during the day. Will Eddie recover in time for his birthday? In this story for children ages 2-7, Dr. Cowan empathizes with her small patients. A board certified pediatrician and parent of three children, she understands about earaches and the worries of parents with sick children, and writes to entertain, educate and comfort both parent and child.

Katie Caught a Cold: Katie is happily skating with her friends when she begins to sneeze. She soon develops a bad cold. Will she be better in time for the Ice Show? Her mother takes excellent care of Katie at home, checking in with their pediatrician, Dr. Hippo, when Katie starts blowing “green stuff” into her tissue. Won’t she need antibiotics? Katie needs to get better—and fast! In this story for children ages 2-7, Dr. Cowan empathizes with children who are feeling miserable with a cold. She understands about their stuffiness and sneezing, feeling tired and thirsty. In Katie Caught a Cold Dr. Cowan illustrates the comforting care that can help children feel better and thus reassures both parent and child.

Peeper Has a Fever: The day of the Diving Contest has arrived! Peeper hops out of bed with excitement and joins his mother for breakfast. When he doesn’t touch his pancakes, she wonders whether he might be getting sick and soon discovers his fever of 104°. Worried, she calls their pediatrician, Dr. Hippocrates, who gives her excellent advice and asks her to keep in touch by phone. His parents then take wonderful care of Peeper, but what about the Diving Contest? Is he well enough to go? Will he win this year? In her story for children ages 2-7, Dr. Cowan empathizes with the aches and chills and misery of small children with fevers. In Peeper Has a Fever Dr. Cowan captures the unhappiness of her patients and writes with confidence and humor to comfort them. Peeper’s story is as educational as it is entertaining and will offer reassurance to any parent and child dealing with fever.

Sadie’s Sore Throat: One day while she is beading necklaces for the School Art Fair, Sadie begins to feel sick. Her mother worries about Sadie’s sore throat and takes excellent care of her at home before they go off to their pediatrician, a friendly hippopotamus named Dr. Hippocrates. Is Sadie too sick to go to the Fair? Will her necklaces win a prize? In her story for children ages 2-7, Dr. Cowan empathizes with small children who are often confused about being sick and scared of going to the doctor. She writes with gentle humor and encouragement, showing children that there is nothing to be afraid of. Her story is as educational as it is entertaining and will provide comfort to both parent and child.

My son and I loved these books! Right before our vacation DS did encounter a stomach virus. Boy was I thrilled that I had The Moose with the Loose Poops on hand. We sat down and read it together once I determined we had a problem on our hands. I have to compliment the illustrations! They were wonderful! Very colorful! Also, the book was written so well that it was easy for my son to understand what was going on. He would even compare himself to the moose in regards to his symptoms. The story was comforting to him. Also, the fact that we were calm and that mommy was laying with him added to the comfort as well. I think these books are an awesome idea!

If you have children, I would definitely recommend these books to you. They are the best!