Review - You're in Good Paws

You're in Good Paws
by Maureen Fergus
illustrated by Kathryn Durst
Date: 2019
Publisher: Tundra Books (NY)
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

When Leo arrives at the hospital, he is surprised to find it run by animals! A hilarious story featuring animals in human situations, perfect for fans of Zootopia and A Sick Day for Amos McGee.

Slightly distracted parents accidentally take their son, Leo, to the animal hospital to get his tonsils out.

Luckily, taking care of a human doesn't ruffle any feathers among the hospital staff. The chicken at the admissions desk is welcoming, the bear orderly is friendly and wise Dr. Stan inspires tremendous confidence despite being a mouse. Is the plastic cone really necessary, though?

In this sweet and hilarious story, a child discovers that a trip to the hospital can be a positive experience--even when the hospital isn't quite up to code...

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is pretty amusing. Leo's parents accidentally take him to the animal hospital to have his tonsils out. Now, this isn't just a hospital for animals... it's also a hospital run by animals! There are lots of cute touches with this premise, including an anesthesiologist sheep, a nurse who gives ear skritches, and a mouse surgeon who doesn't have opposable thumbs. I'm not sure if tonsillectomies are a common part of veterinary medicine, so I don't know how Dr. Stan knew how to do one (let alone one on a human)!

There's plenty of fun stuff to look at in the pictures. The waiting room full of patients awaiting their own surgeries is pretty funny. After surgery, that snake needs some other sort of therapy, because he's clearly got some sort of eating disorder...

I don't know why Leo's parents are so clueless, but it makes for a fun premise. The book does actually show a plausible hospital experience (intake, getting weighed and having vitals taken, what happens before and after surgery, etc.), so it might be a good book for kids who are facing their own surgery.

I quite enjoyed this one. Thank goodness Leo's parents didn't take him to the regular children's hospital, or we wouldn't have had such a neat little story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5