(1) K-3 "When I went to the hospital, I cried nine times." Brown returns to the family featured in her ingenious The Airport Book (rev. 5/16); here, the now-older little sister narrates. The book follows the girl's experiences as she heads to the hospital with severe stomach pain, is diagnosed with appendicitis, undergoes an operation, and recovers. As in the earlier book, multiple subplots unfold in Brown's engrossing and detailed signature ink and watercolor illustrations; and we are treated to several amusing cameo appearances (paging Florence Nightingale and Dr. Watson!) and the return of some memorable Airport Book characters. But Brown smartly keeps a tight focus on the girl and her very relatable reactions and emotions, using as a through line the times she cries (e.g., when a doctor presses on her abdomen, getting an IV put in) versus the times she doesn't (getting an ultrasound, when she throws up her post-op Popsicle, etc.). Throughout, we meet a host of hospital workers--doctors, nurses, orderlies, cleaners--each one exuding a sense of caring and reassurance. Naturally and matter-of-factly, Brown incorporates a remarkable wealth of diversity--all kinds, from skin tones to abilities to genders to cultures to types of families. Instructive, engaging, empathetic, inclusive--Brown once again delivers an essential book about a common childhood experience.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) YA In this historical novel set in eighteenth-century Korea, Baek-hyeon, despite her low social status, has recently attained the coveted position of palace nurse when she and a friend encounter a mass murder scene at the public medical office: four young nurses have been killed. Suspicion is cast upon the Crown Prince as the possible perpetrator, and the list of victims grows as the murderer runs free. Hyeon and handsome, stoic police inspector Eojin work together to catch the criminal, uncovering forbidden love and royal family secrets along the way. Exciting and fast-paced, this unusual detective story transports readers to Korea's Joseon Dynasty, providing (per the author's note) one version of the tragic true story of Crown Prince Jangheon. Though some readers may find the Korean vocabulary difficult to keep track of, its frequent use to set the cultural context is a testament to Hur's dedication in researching Korea's complex history. Romance, adventure, and mystery keep pages turning, and readers will undoubtedly find themselves drawn to Hyeon's smarts, ambition, and strong will.

Reviewer: Gabi K. Huesca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) PS Busy but clean and orderly digital cartoon illustrations nicely complement the rhythm of a hospital (unmasked and presumably not during COVID times). The opening pages present the many people who work at Helping Hospital in the town of Honey Hill and then bring viewers into the admissions department, providing a closer look at some of the people at work (admissions clerk, hospital housekeeper, medevac pilot) as well as introducing three of the waiting patients. Emmy's mother is having a baby, Annabelle needs a checkup, and Leo has hurt his arm. After a quick tour of the departments in this three-story building, shown in a cross-section spread, viewers follow the patients through their appointments. Many types of nurses, doctors, and equipment are identified and defined in the illustrations, and images are well labeled. Questions posed throughout the pages further engage listeners with the text ("Can you guess which departments Emmy, Leo, and Annabelle will visit today?" "Which machine do you think will help Leo?"). In addition to providing a thorough look at the inner workings of a hospital, the well-structured book carries the three distinct plot lines, offering reassurance for common types of visits while pausing to recognize side characters who are in the building for a wide variety of reasons, from undergoing surgery to donating blood. In the end, Leo gets a cast, Annabelle receives a shot, and Emmy meets her new baby brother. This unique exploration of a hospital makes the complex organization accessible and awe-inspiring.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Richie Pope. Mary Seacole was raised by a Jamaican Creole mother who taught her herbal medicine and a Scottish soldier father whose stories inspired her to see the world. After using her skills during a cholera outbreak, Seacole is determined to volunteer as a nurse in the Crimean War, but first in London and then again on the battlefield she is turned away--by Florence Nightingale herself--because of her skin color. But Mary Seacole is not easily stopped, and she becomes a familiar sight welcoming people to her guest house/hospital and bringing her supplies to the battlefield, where she becomes known as Mother Seacole and eventually gains fame when a British journalist tells her story. Rubin sprinkles Seacole's own words throughout the book, bringing in some of her larger-than-life personality. The text is longer than a typical picture-book biography, making this a good choice for readers who may be ready for but intimidated by chapter-book biographies. Pope's illustrations have the difficult job of showing the devastating circumstances Seacole often finds herself in as a battlefield nurse, and his soft, cartoony watercolors deftly walk that line. Back matter includes source notes and a brief bibliography.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(3) YA Illustrated by Ben Hutchings. Created by Briony Barr and Gregory Crocetti. After caring for a WWI soldier infected with dysentery on the Western Front in 1916, Sister Annie Barnaby, a nurse, contracts the disease herself. As the invading Shigella bacteria wreak havoc in her gut, Annie's body--via bacteriophage--fights back: "You infect, we protect!" Black-and-white panels focus on a microcosmic life-or-death battle in this engrossing graphic-novel mash-up of historical fiction and medical science.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) YA Practical teen Audrey questions her future the summer after graduation. Her professor parents push their local liberal arts college, but Audrey considers pursuing nursing out of state. A surprising (and authentic) romance with a boy devoted to their seaside-California hometown makes her decision harder. This breezy summer story boasts a well-balanced mix of romantic, family, and personal conflicts that will appeal to Sarah Dessen fans.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) K-3 Seedlings: Community Life series. With glossy photos and very simple sentences in large type, these well-designed introductions to community-helping careers are suited to emerging readers new to nonfiction. The texts cover the bare essentials, including each job's purpose and basic details of the work being done. A concluding photo-diagram points out a handful of supplies and equipment. Also available in Spanish. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Seedlings: Community Life titles: Construction Workers, Dentists, Farmers, Nurses, Teachers, and Veterinarians.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 Fact Finders: First-Person Histories series. These slim volumes feature primary source accounts of the Civil War. Tillie Pierce helped nurse soldiers during the Battle of Gettsyburg, while Susie King Taylor, born a slave, worked with a troop of African American soldiers. The women's recollections are enhanced by an engaging, informative layout containing archival photos and illustrations plus relevant sidebars. Common Core–aligned questions are appended. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Fact Finders: First-Person Histories titles: Memoir of Susie King Taylor and Memoir of Tillie Pierce.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Fact Finders: First-Person Histories series. These slim volumes feature primary source accounts of the Civil War. Tillie Pierce helped nurse soldiers during the Battle of Gettsyburg, while Susie King Taylor, born a slave, worked with a troop of African American soldiers. The women's recollections are enhanced by an engaging, informative layout containing archival photos and illustrations plus relevant sidebars. Common Core–aligned questions are appended. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Fact Finders: First-Person Histories titles: Memoir of Susie King Taylor and Memoir of Tillie Pierce.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) 4-6 Eleven-year-old orphan Joe gazes longingly out of his sealed hospital room in London and daydreams about superheroes; his only company is hospital staff, his sister, and (via Skype) an American friend with the same autoimmune disease. Then an unlikely ally, nurse Amir, offers Joe a thrilling and terrifying opportunity to go outside. However unrealistic the plot, readers will cheer as Joe faces his fears and makes an unforgettable connection.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) YA Women of Action series. After an intimate foreword by a female medical resident, engaging profiles of (mainly American) women in medicine are divided among three sections: pioneers who received formal medical training in the nineteenth century, important contributors to twentieth-century medicine, and current practitioners. Each bio emphasizes personal strengths and triumphs over adversities and ends with suggested resources. Historical photographs portray the women at work. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) YA During WWI, fifteen-year-old Poppy leaves her job as a parlormaid at a UK estate in order to serve as a volunteer nursing assistant. Hardworking Poppy cares for her country's injured soldiers with diligence and optimism while entertaining some chaste romances. Her persistent guilelessness can be bland, but Poppy is a generally appealing Everygirl with a unique perspective on the historical period. Bib.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(4) YA Spanning five years, this emotionally wrenching love story explores the intersecting lives of three high-school seniors, Sloan, Dawson, and Lani, as they navigate life-altering events (e.g., teen pregnancy, drug overdose) and difficult choices. With frequent timeline jumps, the story develops as flashes of events rather than a well-composed narrative, but the quick pacing will keep readers engrossed.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) K-3 Bumba Books: Hooray for Community Helpers! series. This serviceable series covers a good variety of community-helping careers. Each book has brightly colored pages; large type; and cheery stock photos featuring men, women, and kids of different ethnicities. Some volumes are overly simplistic (Farmers, for instance), but question bubbles will help young readers think more about the topics. A photographic "tools" guide is appended. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Bumba Books: Hooray for Community Helpers! titles: Hooray for Nurses!, Hooray for Pilots!, Hooray for Police Officers!, Hooray for Teachers!, Hooray for Chefs!, Hooray for Construction Workers!, Hooray for Farmers, and Hooray for Veterinarians!.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) YA Reef brings her keen eye for character to the "Lady with the Lamp." At a time when a woman was expected to "[obey] her husband," Florence Nightingale acquiesced to no one, finding meaning in her work and advancing the nursing profession like few before or since. Making fine use of primary sources, Reef paints a complete picture of the complex woman. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(3) K-3 A straightforward text of declarative sentences describes Florence Nightingale's childhood, training, service in Crimean War hospitals, and lifelong crusade to reform nursing and health care. The true draw of this clear picture book biography, however, is Demi's simple line-drawn illustrations with collage elements: close reader attention will reveal rats, chamber pots, leaky roofs, and other engrossing details. Reading list, timeline.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) YA Using historical interviews and modern correspondence with the subjects' relatives, Farrell presents a fascinating account of the more than one hundred army and navy nurses who served in the South Pacific in WWII. Through every battle and retreat, and even in POW camps, these nurses cared for the injured under the most primitive of conditions. The book's utilitarian design features archival photographs. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2014

(3) 1-3 Magic Tree House series. Illustrated by Sal Murdocca. Siblings Jack and Annie are off on two more time-traveling adventures for Merlin the Magician. They journey to mid-nineteenth-century Egypt in search of Florence Nightingale in High Time and to Coney Island at the turn of the last century in Houdini. The series' formula, which blends magic, adventure, sibling dynamics, and history, is successful in these fiftieth and fifty-first installments. Review covers these Magic Tree House titles: High Time for Heroes and Hurry Up, Houdini!

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 American Red Cross founder (and Polacco's ancestor) Clara Barton's childhood is chronicled. Davie protects and teaches his little sister, especially when she's ridiculed for her lisp. But gentle Clara loves and understands nature and becomes recognized as a healer early on. Polacco's sunny illustrations underscore the sibling affection and Clara's compassion; invented dialogue and lack of concrete resources bring into question the sentimental story's validity.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(2) PS On her birthday, Clementine gets a first-aid kit. "You can call me Nurse Clementine from now on!" Her ACE bandages heal everything from headaches to hurt paws. While her parents and dog are willing patients, little brother Tommy is less compliant--until he truly needs her help. James's airy watercolors are loosely and wonderfully drawn, allowing the reader to catch nuances of Clementine's mood.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013