Books Jack Reads

UK author Babette Cole is best known for her entertaining and informative picture books such as Hair in Funny Places (all about puberty) and Mummy Laid an Egg (all about childbirth).

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However, one of my favourite picture books by her is all about a ordinary family with a very special pet: canine consultant Dr Dog.

 

For the Gumboyle family, their dog is more than just their pet, he's also the one that the family turn to whenever they're feeling ill or sick.

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One day, when Dr Dog is away at a conference in Brazil giving a talk about bone marrow, Grandad and the Gumboyle children become ill, so the family sends a message to Dr Dog telling him to come back.

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Dr Dog is soon back home and dispensing helpful advice to cure his family. But will Grandad's tummy troubles and uncontrollable gas prove to be too much for Dr Dog?

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If your kids are nervous about a visit to their own doctor, then I think this book will be perfect for them.

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Babette is a talented illustrator, and has filled the book with lots of helpful diagrams that show children how their bodies work, showing different things like how our lungs work (after the Gumboyle's teenage son Kurt develops a cough from smoking), to what the bones in our ears look like (after Fiona Gumboyle complains about feeling dizzy).

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There are also lots of funny pictures as well as informative ones too, like the close-up of the nit in Kev's hair sticking its tounge out at Dr Dog, or when a girl sticks her finger up Baby Gumboyle's nose.

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Dr Dog also has lots of helpful (and often funny) advice for his family, with my favourite piece of advice being: "Never scratch your bum and suck your thumb!".

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Overall, this is a funny, educational story, with a little bit of gross-out humour, perfect for kids facing their first visit to the doctor.