The Hospital Book - Softcover

James Howe began his writing career with Bunnicula, which was published in 1979. Bunnicula has received numerous awards as a favorite among children throughout the U.S. and Canada. It was also the basis of a popular television special, a record and a tape, and has been published in the United Kingdom, as well as in German- and French-speaking countries. Howe so enjoyed writing as Harold -- the shaggy dog narrator of Bunnicula -- that he went on to write Howliday Inn, The Celery Stalks at Midnight and Nighty-Nightmare.

James Howe lives with his wife, Betsy Imershein, and their daughter, Zoe, in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Gr. 2-6. This revision of a book originally published in 1981 features a new, full-color jacket illustration and an attractive, redesigned layout. The text is virtually unchanged (one paragraph about oral medication has been deleted), and most of the original photographs have been retained, with a few new ones added. Many of the photographs have been cropped or enlarged in order to focus more on the young patients or to remove scary-looking equipment (the recovery room is much cheerier without the tubes, wires, and monitors that appear in the photographs in the earlier book). In some cases, the clarity of the pictures has suffered, but most pictures have been improved. It would have been helpful had Howe added a section on MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), a new technology that is incredibly noisy and potentially frightening to children. Libraries that own the original book may not need to purchase this edition, but those that don't will find the book well worth the price. Howe's sensitive explanation of hospital procedures will do much to allay the fears of young patients and their parents. Chris Sherman