Spot

Spot Visits the Hospital by Eric Hill, 1987.

Spot’s friend Steve, who is a monkey, is in the hospital with a broken leg. Spot and some of their other friends decide to go visit him and take some presents to cheer him up.

Steve likes their presents, and Spot and his friends sign Steve’s cast. They play in the hospital’s playroom, where they have toys, games, and books for child patients.

Spot’s friend Helen decide to play doctor, and she puts a bandage on Spot’s leg, as if his leg is broken, like Steve’s. They start pushing Spot around in a stroller, like it’s a wheelchair.

Their friend Tom hides, and they all go looking for him, finding him in an x-ray room. In real life, they would probably get in trouble for goofing off around the x-ray equipment, but in the book, nobody catches them doing it. I think the reason why the book has this episode in it is to have a reason to show readers the x-ray equipment and explain how the doctors used it to examine the break in Steve’s leg.

Spot is fascinated by what he sees in the hospital and tells his mother that he might like to be a doctor someday.

This story could encourage children who find the idea of studying medicine and helping people interesting, but it also makes a visit to the hospital seem less scary for children who may worry about what happens there and what all the big machinery, like the x-ray machines, are for.

The book is available to borrow and read for free online through Internet Archive.