You're in Good Paws by M. Fergus

Authors

  • Jenn Laskosky

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20361/dr29487

Abstract

Fergus, Maureen. You're in Good Paws. Illustrated by Kathryn Durst. Tundra-Random House Canada, 2019.

Maureen Fergus’s You’re in Good Paws is about a young boy named Leo, whose parents accidently take him to an animal hospital to get his tonsils out. Leo is unsure about being at an animal hospital, but the animals do their best to make him feel comfortable and safe. Leo even ends up making friends with other animal patients.

The illustrations, by Kathryn Durst, are bright and take up most of the space on the pages. The illustrations give children a lot to look at and explore. There are some hidden jokes throughout the book, which can be as entertaining for the adults as they are for the children. The text is very simple for children to follow and more difficult words, such as anesthesiologist, are explained in plain terms making it easy for children to understand.

While the story of a young boy’s parents taking him to an animal hospital may seem silly, it puts a positive spin on going to the hospital. Leo’s adventure makes a hospital visit seem less scary and even puts a fun spin on having to get surgery. This book can be very useful for children who are unfamiliar with hospitals and have to have surgery or even just go in for a check-up.

With that in mind, I would recommend it for elementary school and public libraries.

Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars
Reviewer: Jenn Laskosky

Jenn Laskosky is a graduate student at the University of Alberta in the Library and Information Studies program. She has an interest in health sciences librarianship and international librarianship. Her passion for reading has continued to grow throughout her education.

 

Published

2020-08-11

How to Cite

Laskosky, J. (2020). You’re in Good Paws by M. Fergus. The Deakin Review of Children’s Literature, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.20361/dr29487

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2020): Spring

Section

Book Reviews

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).