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< Picture Books Library
Categories: Anxiety, Comfort Objects, Common Childhood Illnesses, Courage, Doctors, Hospitals & Operations, Kindness

Betsy Goes to the Doctor

A story about a little girl of pre-school age called Betsy who feels unwell and is taken to see the Doctor for the first time by her mummy. She is worried about letting the Doctor look at her sore ear, but is put at ease when the kind Doctor looks at her toy penguin first.
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Betsy Goes to the Doctor

Author: Helen Stephens
Illustrator: Helen Stephens
Publisher: Egmont

“She did worried eyebrows and said I needed to go to the doctor”

Betsy has a Mummy, Daddy and a dog called Rufus. One day she feels unwell and has a sore ear. Her mother is worried about her and arranges for her to go the Doctor. She takes her favourite toy Penguin, even though Penguin is scared and doesn’t want to go. She meets her friend Wynne at the Doctor’s surgery and she has a sore tummy and spends a little time playing together. When it is Betsy’s time to see the doctor she isn’t sure about the medical equipment. The kind doctor checks penguin first which then makes Betsy feel a little less afraid and she allows the doctor to check her too. She is very proud when the doctor gives her a sticker for being brave. Betsy is a good girl who takes her medicine and it starts to make her feel better. She then uses imaginative play with her Daddy and pretends she is the Doctor and wants to be one when she grows up.

Betsy is suffering from a common childhood illness which needs medical attention. The kind doctor includes her comfort toy during the consultation and makes the daunting medical experience a positive one. Betsy feels proud of her sticker that her doctor gives her and takes her medications to help her to get better. Children often find it difficult to take medicines as they taste strange and often quite ‘yucky’ so it was a positive message that Betsy takes her medicine without complaint and in doing so, feels better and in turn, wants to help others.

The messages we found in this book:

Acknowledgement:

  • Going to the doctor can feel scary, especially for small children. This book makes the experience a positive one.
  • Betsy projects her anxiety of going to the doctor on to her penguin and says he feels scared …. this is a good observation of how some children behave when anxious or worried about a new situation or experience.

Hope & Inspiration:

  • Betsy is supported through a scary situation.
  • She feels better when she takes her medication and then is inspired to help others.
  • When Betsy sees the doctor about being unwell with an ear infection she shows she is brave and allows the doctor to examine her whilst being supported by her mother.
  • Feeling better, Betsy is inspired to become a doctor and help others and she initiates role play with her Daddy.
Review by: Gaynor Wood

Categories: Anxiety, Comfort Objects, Common Childhood Illnesses, Courage, Doctors, Hospitals & Operations, Kindness
Tags: anxiety, dog, illness, medicine, parents



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What is a Parachute Book?

A challenging experience can make a young child feel as if they are in emotional free fall. As a parent, you can’t stop them falling, but you can offer them a softer landing:
a Parachute Book.

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