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Publishers Weekly *Starred Review Doctor Ted is guilty of major medical malpractice. He diagnoses his mother with measles (Those are my freckles, she insists, unamused) and recommends an operation. He detects gingivitis in his principal and prescribes a full-body cast (he later follows up with an offer to do something about that foot odor). It's unlikely, however, that readers will want to revoke Doctor Ted's license he is, after all, an earnest bear cub, and his unwavering self-assurance in the face of adult certitude is too much fun. Beaty (When Giants Come to Play) and Lemaitre (Who's Got Game: Three Fables), working in much the same vein as Alexander Stadler (the Beverly Billingsly books), concoct a breezy story about pretend play that's laugh-out-loud funny. The prose is snappy but sympathetic to the outsize ambitions of its hero, while the pictures' chunky ink lines and almost neonlike digital colors give every page plenty of punch. Ages 4-8.
Horn Book Practicing medicine without a license is only advisable for those under, say, age ten, and even then it carries risks. For instance, one’s mother might not appreciate being told her freckles are measles that require surgery, and she might respond to the diagnosis not with gratitude but with a grumpy “eat your breakfast.” Young Doctor Ted, a round-headed bear with a can-do attitude, meets such resistance when he leaves his bedroom office, having forsaken jammies for a lab coat and stethoscope, and ventures downstairs. Later in the day, his drippy-nosed elementary school classmates, depicted in Lemaitre’s cheery, Easter-egg-colored ink-and-digital art as a variety of cartoon animals, renew his excitement. “Doctor Ted smiled. Patients, he thought.” The naysaying grownups, including his principal, who forbids him to dispense medical advice in the lunchroom, are the perfect comic foils for his doggedness. Beaty’s lighthearted story shows that creative play can be stifled but not defeated, as exemplified by the doctor outfit Ted wears to school beneath his regular clothes, like a superhero uniform, despite the reprimands. If only more physicians would adopt his prescription philosophy. “Take two cookies,” he tells his teacher when she sprains her ankle. Chocolate chips beat ibuprofen any day.
Just One More Book—Podcast April 21, 2008
Jen Robinson’s Book Page February 4, 2008
“Doctor Ted, written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre, is a delightful picture book about a resolute young bear who takes playing doctor seriously . . . This book is laugh-out loud funny. Ted prescribes crutches for his teacher's "mumps" (which are really chubby cheeks), and a shot for his Principal's "bad breath". He also takes note of ailments like gingivitis and foot odor, and always has a solution to propose. Andrea Beaty's tone is perfect - not mocking Ted, but taking him seriously, in a 100% kid-friendly manner. For example, after a tough day at school: ‘That night he took two cookies and went straight to bed.’“
Big A Little A March 21, 2008 Doctor Ted is a charming picture book for the young reader. Best suited for children ages three to seven, Beaty's wry humor shines in her optimistic text. Illustrator Pascal Lemaitre's rounded cartoonish animals and colorful pages complement Doctor Ted's journey through his day of healing perfectly. Read Doctor Ted aloud to a group of children (kindergarten is perfect) and let the pretending (and laughter) begin. |
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