The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Gilmore, Sophie

Little Doctor and the Fearless Beast

32 pp. | Owlkids | March, 2019 | Trade ISBN 978-1-77147-344-6 $17.95

(2) K-3 This book's Little Doctor, like Steig's Doctor De Soto before her, provides medical care to potentially dangerous animals. The little girl administers medicine, provides tail splints, etc., and the gentle crocodile patients pay her with stories. So far, so sweet--but there is underlying tension, involving teeth and jaws and plastic debris. Watercolor illustrations, rich in detail and in texture, give the dreamy narrative (with an environmentalist reminder) its energy.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019