A Trip to the Hospital by Freda Chiu

Rani has a broken arm - she needs to go to hospital and later she will need some surgery. Momo doesn't feel well because her asthma is making it hard to breathe - she travels to the hospital by ambulance. Henry has been visiting the hospital for many years. Today he has an appointment with a physiotherapist because he needs strong muscles to help with his prosthetic leg. All three children are in safe hands. The staff work hard, they smile (we can see through their masks) and inside the hospital walls are bright colours. Hopefully it is not too scary.

Publisher blurb: Going to hospital might seem scary or worrying - you might be hurt, you might feel sick or maybe you just have to visit a friend. But don't be worried! Hospitals are amazing places filled with clever people all doing incredible things, including making you feel better. Follow Momo, Rani and Henry on three very different adventures inside a busy children's hospital. A picture book that shows children all the interesting things that happen inside a hospital, helping them feel safe and secure, and ready for their first visit.

I volunteer at a children's hospital in their library. This book is simply perfect and should be a gift to all children who have to visit hospital and it should be added to all Primary and public library collections. Oh and in the interest of full disclosure I do need to mention one of the children in this book is named Momo!

There are many things to love about Chiu’s bright and dynamic debut picture book. The clear, simple language; the inclusiveness of the illustrations (workers, visitors, patients and families); the breadth of information, covering emergency visits, scheduled operations, recovery and rehabilitation; and the person-centred focus and capabilities of hospital staff. Reading Time

Freda Chiu spent time at Liverpool hospital in the paediatric unit and her experiences really shine through in this book. You might like to linger over the end papers (front and back are different) have been designed to match messages in get well soon and thank you cards. 

A Trip to the Hospital was entered (and short listed) for our Australian Children's Book of the Year Award for a New Illustrator. I was not able to talk about this book on my blog until after Book Week which happened last month. Take a look at my post about another book from this category For Love.

The judges said: The cover of this debut picture book which depicts the main characters beaming out will do much to allay readers’ fears of going to hospital. Chiu has cleverly captured the busyness and complexity of a hospital by using a mix of page layouts. Her bold style is perfectly matched to her use of mixed media such as pencils, gouache, crayons, pastels and collage. This original style allows the reader to explore the content and the artistic media on each page in detail or to read each image as a whole. Chiu quietly introduces inclusive adult and child characters in a natural way. She does not shy away from the reality of illness and injury, but her ability to convey the individual personalities of staff members will reassure readers.

Teachers Notes are available on the publisher web site - Allen and Unwin. You can see inside this book here on Freda Chiu's page. 

The exuberant child-like illustrations, use of bright colours, inclusive adult and child characters, and the variety of page designs are all excellent features of this book. The graph paper background on the cover and on the page where we meet all the medical specialists, is also very effective. The cover is terrific – this could be a frightening topic but these three smiling children will assure young readers (and their parents) that they are in safe hands with this exploration of hospitals and medical procedures. 

Contagion by Kerry Greenwood

"He told me that this flu is not just an epidemic. It is a pandemic. All over the world, people are dying of it. They have it very badly in America. And in Europe."  Charlotte McKenzie 1918

"The worst thing is that all the people who don't usually get the flu are getting it, and there is no-one to look after them but old people and children" Charlotte McKenzie 1919

"This is a new disease: it burns hot like a bushfire and it'll burn itself out. In the end." Doctor Barnes 1919 quoted by Charlotte McKenzie.

At first glance it seems Kerry Greenwood (author of the Phryne Fisher books) has been busy and very efficient producing a book this year that echoes our times with COVID-19 - a book about the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic. Yes Kerry Greenwood has penned a compelling tale but she didn't write this book in 2020. Contagion was originally published in 2002 under the title A different sort of real - the Diary of Charlotte McKenzie then again in 2012 under the title The Deadly Flu (My Australian story series) and now again in 2020 with an appealing new cover and title - Contagion. So it's really the publisher Scholastic Australia who have seized the moment.

I highly recommend Contagion for readers aged 11+. If you were using this book with a group of students it would be good to talk about the work of cover designers. These three copies of the same book have such very different covers. Here is a set of comprehension questions written to accompany the 2012 edition of this book.

Charlotte begins her diary as World War One ends. Her soldier father has come home but he is suffering from severe shell shock. There are four children in the family and Charlotte's mother is a nurse. She works through the night and much of the care of the younger children falls to Charlotte along with laborious household duties. The process of washing sheets for example, takes a whole day and three women. "It takes both me and Amelia, one on each end, to wring out a sheet over the copper stick ... "

In her diary Charlotte shares her daily life from 16th October, 1918 up to 8th February, 1919. This is a short period in history but a momentous one. The historical notes at the back of Contagion explain - the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 killed 27 million people world wide. It killed 5,000 people in Victoria and about 13,000 in Australia but Charlotte does not talk about these statistics. Her daily reality is about life and death as she works as a nursing assistant to her neighbour, Doctor Barnes. Travelling from home to home she witnesses shocking poverty, extreme sickness and distress. Charlotte demonstrates her enormous courage, her outstanding work ethic and best of all we can read about her personal life and the compassion she offers her own family and the families of strangers.

I often think about the rhythm of reading. Contagion (my copy was The Deadly Flu) has a definite rhythm to the writing which helps to keep the diary style format moving forward. Charlotte has a strong and compelling voice.

Here are few comparison observations between the times described by Charlotte and our lives in 2020.

Sewing - Charlotte's sister Amelia begins to sew as part of her recovery from the flu which has just claimed the life of her sister Lily. Amelia is sewing shrouds."Doctor saw that she wanted occupation and bought her a great basket of cloth. It's just straight seams with a frill around the neck and she can make them very fast, especially the little ones. She's sewing shrouds. ...  we can't send them naked into the earth, can we?" In 2020 people are sewing and selling masks.

Closures - "They are holding up trains at the border between New South Wales and Victoria." and "The government have closed all the cinemas, pubs, theatres, racetracks and music halls." Charlotte McKenzie tells us in 1919. By the 24th January 1919 the decision is made to close the schools. And in 2020 we have nearly all  the same closures.

Masks - In 1919 Charlotte wears a carbolic mask when she helps the doctor on his daily home visits - Carbolic is a disinfectant and masks were soaked in this liquid as a protection against the flu. In January 1919 the NSW Government made the wearing of masks compulsory. In August 2020 the Victorian Government also did this.

Shopping - "Dad went down to the grocer's shop himself. You have to hand in your list and the grocer puts the bags on the floor, a safe distance away. You put the money in a dish of carbolic on the floor." In 2020 we stand 1.5 metres apart and pay with a tap of a credit card!

Temperatures - Charlotte writes in 1919: "Doctor told the husband to keep giving her asprin and water and he would call in the evening. Her temperature was 105 degrees, almost at the top of the thermometer."  In 2020 I've had my temperature checked in shops, visiting the hospital where I volunteer and at a school reception. Explaining the numbers -  98.6 Fahrenheit is normal or as we measure it now in Australia it's 37 Celsius. 

Treatments for the influenza in 1919 - They use "Carbolic masks, as we think it might be airborne. Cool drinks, soup, cold sponging to bring down fever, aspirin, orange flower water ... fresh air, constant attention. That's all. .. (there is) no cure."

Charlotte McKenzie is an invented character but it is obvious Kerry Greenwood did a huge amount of research for this book. It is sobering to read her thoughts (written in 2002) on the final pages of her book:

"It could happen again. This time it would travel by jet, not by troop ship. The World Health Organisation has a disaster plan should another Spanish Flu come along, because there are a lot more people in the world now, and the flu would move much faster."

Urgency Emergency Big bad Wolf by Dosh Archer

"He may be a wolf,' said Doctor Glenda, 'but he is still our patient.  He only has minutes to live! Nurse Percy, can you overcome your fear of wolves and help me save him?' Nurse Percy pulled himself together. 'Good job,' said Doctor Glenda. 'Wait,' cried Nurse Percy.  'What is that noise? Where is it coming from?' It was coming from inside Wolf."

I picked up this slim hardcover beginner chapter book called Urgency Emergency Big bad Wolf without much thought.  It has big big printing so I knew I could read it quickly. Wait slow down.  I reached the pages above and realized I had missed an important clue.  I turned back and saw a little sheep sitting in the waiting room of the hospital - "someone in a red coat who was crying because she couldn't find her grandma."

Have you guess the story?  Yes it is Red Riding Hood in another guise.  This is a fabulous and funny spoof with an ending that will make you cheer.  There are others in the series too which I need to add to my shopping list.  If you need to know more about this little book click the Kirkus link below.

an amusing take on an old story and a fast-reading, 

funny choice for new readers.

Violet Mackerel’s remarkable recovery by Anna Branford illustrated by Sarah Davis

I just grabbed this book, the sequel to Violet Mackerel, with both hands as soon as it arrived in our school library. I was not disappointed. In fact I will say this one is even better than the first. Anna Branford has that lovely knack of introducing a whole set of seemingly unrelated story threads which she then skillfully draws together in a really satisfying way.

Violet has tonsillitis and will need an operation but the good news, explained by the doctor, is that her voice might change. Violet imagines this means she will now have the voice of an opera singer. In the hospital waiting room Violet meets an old lady. She “has a green cardigan and a necklace of bright red beads and she is doing a funny thing with her hands. Her fingers, which have lots of rings on them, are all laced together and she is making her thumbs go round and round.”
Violet lives by the theory of giving small things. The doctor gives Violet a small purple lozenge which she in turn gives to the old lady to help with her anxiety as she prepares to have an operation on her arm. The two new friends make a promise to share afternoon tea following their remarkable recoveries but Violet forgets to tell Iris where she lives.

As we read in the first book, Violet must now think outside the square in order to find Iris and keep her promise. How did Violet get her name? What sort of plants does Iris love to grow? How can a radio gardening program bring the two new friends back together?

The most joyous part is right at the end when we hear Violet sing on radio :
“Red beads and cardigans
Made of green knitting
Round and round thumbs
While you’re quietly sitting.
Robins, eggs, flowers
And fingers with rings
These are a few of Iris MacDonald’s
Favourite things.”

Can you guess the tune? After reading Violet Mackerel you must get your hands on this sequel it is a delight!