A sensitive and involving story about the experiences of a young girl, Anna, whose younger sister faces major surgery. Many concerns of the well child are addressed--anger at her parents' preoccupation with the ill toddler; fear that she somehow caused the illness; worries about catching it; and her loneliness when left behind with grandparents or neighbors. Anna takes part in the rehabilitation proces--seeing Molly in the hospital, attending sessions for siblings, and participating in physical therapy. Realistic, full-page black-and-white pencil drawings are finely rendered and expressive, and effectively reflect the story's mood and events. The hospital details are few but cover the essentials both in text and pictures. The situations discussed can easily be expanded to cover readers' own experiences. This unique offering will be welcomed by stressed relatives who do not want to overlook the emotional needs of siblings during difficult time.
-- School Library Journal
When Molly Was in the Hospital is a thoughtful, beautifully illustrated book that shows very accurately the mixed emotions that a sibling is likely to feel when a brother or sister unexpectedly becomes seriously ill and has to go into the hospital. Family life is completely disrupted and the sibling has to face many abrupt changes including perhaps staying with relatives or friends, receiving less attention from parents and being treated differently by a sick brother or sister.
This book can help siblings put words to the difficulty of the experience and to the range of emotions that the experience is likely to generate. The book is also general enough that siblings of children with many different conditions that require hospitalization will be able to identify with it. I recommend it highly to parents in a family with a sick child and to health care professionals who work with these families.
-- Joanna Breyer, Ph.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
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