These three books introduce us to the three stars of the Helping Paws Academy series. I would recommend that you read these ones first, before the set of three we highlighted last week, but overall it wouldn’t be devastating to read them like we presented them. They’re not horribly sequential.
About the Helping Paws Academy Series
Mayo Clinic Press Kids creates empowering health and wellness content in partnership with pediatric experts. Proceeds from the sale of every book go to benefit important medical research and education at Mayo Clinic.
This inviting chapter book series explores health topics through the friendly lens of therapy dogs. Follow adorable therapy dogs helping children through with strong messages of empathy, kindness, and courage. Therapy dogs are specially trained to help kids through medical experiences—from lifting spirits, motivating movement, modeling the power of play, and more. Nonfiction back matter provides more information about medical topics introduced in the books, from acute to chronic issues, while also providing more information about therapy dog programs and the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center.
About Cricket Helps Out: Understanding Appendicitis
Follow an adorable therapy dog helping a child through appendicitis.
About Lumos Keeps Calm: Dealing with Cuts & Stitches
Follow an adorable therapy dog helping a child through getting stitches.
About Dash Can Do It: Taking on Diabetes
Follow an adorable therapy dog helping a child through a diagnosis of diabetes.
My Thoughts
I love this series so much. They are an awesome resource for parents, doctors, teachers, and anyone who works with children. Any kid who gets diabetes, appendicitis, or needs stitches would benefit from reading one of these books. Sometimes just knowing you’re not alone – even if it’s just a fictional character – can help so much. Representation really does matter!
As a parent, I wouldn’t have thought to look for resources like this, and they’re so awesome. Using a dog, which is a much-beloved animal by most children, is a great way to educate them about various illnesses and diseases in a non-threatening and engaging manner. As a parent, I really see what the Mayo Clinic Press is doing with books like this and others I’ve seen recently as a game changer. I’m so glad that they’re making these books available to kids and their families to help them navigate these various issues with more ease.
Though I have Type II, it is great to have a resource to help teach my daughter more about the disease I have in a kid-friendly way. She isn’t quite ready for the book – she’s only five – but I’m excited to have it for when she’s a little older. She got excited about the books when we got them and tried to read the cancer one with me. She’d seen a YouTube video about cancer and wanted to read more. But, it made her a little sad, so we didn’t pursue that any further. It’s nice to know we have these resources if any of these issues come up again and we can talk about how the various dogs handle it.
I found the books very simple to read, making them very appropriate for children and explaining the various health concerns in an understandable and enlightening way. I am grateful to the author, illustrator, Mayo Clinic Press, and Love Book Tours for including me in this tour, and the first week as well. You can find my review for Week One here.
If you’d like to see more Mayo Clinic Press books, check out this one on depression and this one on Periods. They’re all pretty awesome!
Who’s It For
The publisher says the book is for ages 8-12 years old. That seems about right. This is a chapter book, but not a long, complex one. All of the medical conditions and procedures are described in easy-to-understand language, and the story should be engaging and appropriate for these age ranges. My 5-year-old was intrigued by the books but lost interest after a couple of chapters. She is an advanced reader for her age, but the topic was still advanced for her, even with a love of science.
Content Warning: These books explore medical topics, so there is a great deal of content that might be disturbing to both children and/or some adults. It is presented in a kid-friendly way, but adults should still practice caution based on their own knowledge and experiences with their own children. Topics include such potential triggering content as a burst appendix, surgery, stitches, MRI, CT scans, X-rays, diabetes, insulin, and more. Much of the books also take place in a children’s hospital setting.
About the Author
Pat McCaw, M.D., is a family practice physician passionate about using books to help children with emotional and health issues. She teaches classes on how to use picture books in the classroom and writes online educational lessons on science and physiology.
About the Illustrator
Beth Hughes is an illustrator and concept artist. She loves telling stories and using art to get those stories out. Her work credits include children’s books, mural designs, concept art, and character design work for animation.
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