Monday, May 4, 2009


Chandler loves to look at and read books.  We have made it a habit to always read books before he takes naps and before bed.  We usually tell him to pick 3 or 4 and he carefully scans through them to pick the ones he likes the most.  He is getting to the stage where he is really interested in the storyline of a book.  I know that reading with your child is extremely important, and I believe that the content and what it teaches is a very important aspect of that.  The Dr. Hippo Series Books help you and your child learn about different medical issues and how to handle them in a wonderful, entertaining way.

There are 5 books in the series which include:
The Little Elephant with the Big Earache
Katie Caught a Cold
Peeper has a Fever
Sadie's Sore Throat
The Moose with Loose Poops

The Hippocratic Press was founded by Dr. Charlotte Cowan.  She practiced for many years in Boston and noted  the different emotions and how children changed when they were sick.  She also noted how parents seemed to react the same way.  Many children and their parents didn't understand what was going on.   As taken from the Dr. Hippo website, this is how the Dr. Hippo series was born:

"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.

Before long, Dr. Cowan began to write age appropriate stories for her patients. Through her animal characters, she not only entertains her audience but also combines empathy with education. Reading her stories, children and their parents will feel comforted and cared for as they face together the inevitable illnesses of childhood."

Pros:  These books are highly captivating. The illustrations are beautiful and the text is written so that a small child can easily understand it.   Chandler's favorite are:  The Moose with Loose Poops, and Sadie's Sore Throat.  The title in and of itself
wants to make you read them, right?  I think a book is wonderful when it's title can immediately capture your attention.  They are published in hardback which makes them extremely durable.  They've already been toted all around the house, taken to church, and even on a road trip.  They still look great.  That is definitely one thing I love about hardcover books.  
The fact that they are written written by a Pediatrician lets you know that you can trust the information, which is a huge plus!
I think the medical issues that are covered in these books are so appropriate.  Those covered include colds, fevers, ear infections, sore throats, vomiting, and diarrhea.  Although my boys are still small, we have experienced every one of these illnesses with one or the other.  
I specifically remember one time when Chandler was sick and throwing up.  After being woken in the middle of the night, we proceeded to change his bedding, give him a bath, and put him back in bed.  He started feeling terrible again, and began throwing up.  He looked at me and kept saying:  "Help me mama!  help - what is it?"  I felt a bit helpless, not knowing how to keep it simple in explaining what happened.   The Dr. hippo series outlines easy ways to explain to your child what is happening during an illness, while telling a story at the same time.  I LOVE this.
Another strong Pro is the parent's guides that are included in the back of each of the books.  It is a laminated fold out that outlines common questions about that illness, offers advice to parents, and guides them as to when they should call the Dr. 
To learn more about each Dr. Hippo book, click here.
I really am excited to spread the word about the Dr. Hippo series.  My youngest has had a lot of health problems that have had us in and out of the Dr.'s office.  Although I feel I am much more educated than I was to begin with, these books would have been a great starting resource for me.  

Cons:  I wish that these books were available in paperback as well.  I'd love to be able to give them as gifts, and this might make it more affordable to do so.  

The Bottom Line:  Entertaining and educational with wonderful illustrations and great text, the Dr. Hippo series are a must have in any children's library.  

Where to Buy:  Your local bookstore, Amazon (Links to books below)
The Little Elephant with the Big Earache

Price:  $17.95

Rating:  Excellent

Want to Win the Entire Series?

Here's How to Enter:

Mandatory Entry:
Visit Dr. Hippo's website and tell me something I didn't mention in this post - 1 entry

Additional Entries:
Follow Babes and Kids - 1 entry

Blog or tweet about this giveaway - 1 entry

Subscribe to my posts - 1 entry

Please leave each entry as a separate comment.  Contest is open to US residents only and will end at 11:59 MST on May 18th.  Winner will be chosen via random.org, and has 48 hours to claim their prize, or I will redraw. (Please leave contact information or come back and check the giveaway winners page.)
 

70 comments:

Unknown said...

I learned 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?”

Unknown said...

I tweeted.

http://twitter.com/lovemy2doggies/status/1695705478

aggiemomof2 said...

I like that the topics of the books are the common illnesses that children face. I also like that on the website they have a list of resources and references for more medical information.
sylviarj at yahoo dot com

aggiemomof2 said...

I subscribe!
Thanks!
sylviarj at yahoo dot com

Janaca said...

I couldn't believe that ear infections are responsible for 30 million office visits and more than 10 million antibiotic prescriptions annually! The stats were very interesting.

Janaca said...

I follow your blog.

Janaca said...

I subscribe as well.

The Bluths said...

There were a list of Medical issues examined in the books. Here's one of them: "Over-the-counter cold and cough medications are not considered either safe or effective in treating children under age 6."

Unknown said...

From their Mission Statement, I learned that their mission is "to provide guides for parents which answer common questions, offering advice about when to call or visit the doctor and how to comfort the child at home."
THese books sound great.

jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

Tweet http://twitter.com/MACMOMof3/status/1697656671

jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Cory and Becca said...

i really like on the website that it gives you the professional references to back up their data, which for me is comforting with all the claims people throw out there.

Cory and Becca said...

i follow

Cory and Becca said...

I tweeted @beccachats

MOMFOREVERANDEVER said...

like they are facing issues in real life

Couture Lady said...

I liek these books becasue they can help show kids what is going on with their body and their health without being too scary.

Thanks for the chance.

FLY18GRL21(at)aol(dot)com

Couture Lady said...

Follower
FLY18GRL21(at)aol(dot)com

Couture Lady said...

Subscriber
FLY18GRL21(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

THese book sound greeat to teach my children about their health. I liek that each book includes a parent guide to answer questions that it written by a pediatrician.
fcscheermom@aol.com

Anonymous said...

I follow your blog.

fcscheermom@aol.com

Ashley Hancock said...

I love that these books are written by a pediatrician, and the question answer format is really cool. Also I like the parent guide idea. One thing I found is that fever is the number one complaint of children in the ER.

Ashley Hancock said...

I follow your blog!

Ashley Hancock said...

I subscribed to your posts!

agordon10 said...

Their mission is "to provide guides for parents which answer common questions, offering advice about when to call or visit the doctor and how to comfort the child at home."

Stephanie said...

Because not all parents in America read English well, Dr. Cowan has matched the illustrations of her stories to the questions and answers in her "Parent Guides," which are included with her books. This visual relationship should help to cue parents and enable them to focus on areas of concern for them and their child. -- great idea!
tvollowitz at aol dot com

Sara said...

I learned they won the Seal of Approval Winner Spring '08. As a mom and a nurse I think these books are a must have for every household!
saradavis1 at gmail

Sara said...

follower

Sara said...

subscriber

Sara said...

tweeted it http://twitter.com/SaraMama/status/1703141981

Anonymous said...

I learned and wanted to pass along this --
Over-the-counter cold and cough medications are not considered either safe or effective in treating children under age 6.

Anonymous said...

tweeted

http://twitter.com/lisagee123/status/1703153267

Anonymous said...

follow

Anonymous said...

feed subscriber at my yahoo
lisalcolorado2007

McKim said...

I think the books are great. It explains things to kids in an entertaining, understandable way. As a medical office worker I liked the comment that Dr. Hippo explains that antibiotics are unnecessary in the book about the cold.

Liz Johnston said...

I didn't realize how long the books are 32 pages.. sounds like you get your money's worth.

elizabethrene@gmail.com

Liz Johnston said...

I tweeted..

Liz Johnston said...

And I read your stuff in my reader!

Kristie said...

The books got the BEST of SHOW, National Health Information Awards.

khmorgan_00 [at] yahoo [dot] com

Feed the moose said...

fever is the most common complaint of children in the emergency room.

Crystal F said...

Ear infections are responsible for 30 million office visits and more than 10 million antibiotic prescriptions annually. I did not know this.

Thank you!

ReggieMann said...

I got a pop up to sign up for medical tips for kids, so I signed up :)

mail4rosey said...

I learned that Sadie is a giraffe.
msurosey@yahoo.com

mverno said...

ear infections are responsible for 30 million office visits mverno@roadrunner.com

janetfaye said...

Approximately 7.3 million outpatient visits attributable to sore throat occur yearly among children in the US, and group A streptococcus is responsible for 15%-36% of cases.

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

janetfaye said...

I follow.

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

janetfaye said...

Subscribed.

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

janetfaye said...

Tweet:
http://twitter.com/Janetfaye/status/1735689975

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

Kim said...

I learned: Over-the-counter cold and cough medications are not considered either safe or effective in treating children under age 6.

Tracysweetangl said...

That they are 32 pages long and they are hard cover. They teach about children about health issues.

Andrea said...

I like the parents guide that is included in each book

Carol EL said...

Ear infections are responsible for thirty million dr's office visits a year. jelly15301@gmail.com

Carol EL said...

Yahoo reader subscriber. jelly15301@gmail.com

Carol EL said...

Blog follower. jelly15301@gmail.com

nightowl said...

I learned that Ear infections are responsible for 30 million office visits and more than 10 million antibiotic prescriptions annually.

nightowl said...

I follow your blog.

nightowl said...

I subscribe to your posts through Google Reader.

Carlene said...

I learned that we take our kids to the doctor for ear infections alot.
I would love to enter your drawing.
Thanks
carlene
iluvreading@verizon.net

Carlene said...

I am a follower.
Thanks
carlene
iluvreading@verizon.net

oceanrena said...

i like that they have professional references to back up their data

Denise S. said...

I learned that their mission is "to provide guides for parents which answer common questions, offering advice about when to call or visit the doctor and how to comfort the child at home."

Jessilyn82 said...

Ear infections are responsible for 30 million office visits and more than 10 million antibiotic prescriptions annually! Wow!

Jessilyn82 said...

Subscriber

Gloria's Bits and Pieces said...

I learned that ear infections are the most common office visit!

The Fishers said...

The website has a list of resources for each book.

The Fishers said...

I follow

The Fishers said...

I subscribe to your posts.

Pam said...

I learned that each book comes with a Parent guide to answer common questions.

melacan at hotmail dot com

Pam said...

Follower

melacan at hotmail dot com

Sara said...

I follow :-)

idahomom said...

This is from their mission statement "to provide guides for parents which answer common questions, offering advice about when to call or visit the doctor and how to comfort the child at home."

Marianna said...

I learned this: Furthermore, because not all parents in America read English well, Dr. Cowan has matched the illustrations of her stories to the questions and answers in her "Parent Guides," which are included with her books. This visual relationship should help to cue parents and enable them to focus on areas of concern for them and their child.