There’s a Hippopotamus on the Hospital Roof Eating Cake!

I love reading books to my boys, and fortunately both seem to really enjoy this special time we have together. Sometimes the books are fun and I really enjoy them myself. Other times the stories are so mundane I feel like ripping my hair out!  My little one is Thomas obsessed and I find these stories so painful! It always makes me giggle when I know the book by heart and can close my eyes and be on autopilot! Trouble is most of the time the kids have also memorised the stories and they know if you ‘accidentally’ skip a part.

I have found that books have been a particularly useful tool for prepping children for events or certain situations. A common scenario that parents need to prepare their children for is medical procedures or visits to medical professionals. If children have good first experiences in these situations it generally sets them up for more positive future appointments. I often take a bit of artistic license when I am reading the stories particularly when they have a medical slant on them.

One of these books, There’s a Hippopotamus on the Hospital Roof Eating Cake, comes from a series of books by Melbourne based writer Hazel Edwards. The story basically describes the hospital experience of a child who has likely appendicitis (they never say what it is but that’s my expert guess ha!) and his imaginary friend the hippopotamus. 

The child has to have an operation and as he is taken into the operating room, he is instructed to ‘breathe slowly’ by the nurse and after that ‘everything goes black’. The illustration accompanying this is a nurse holding a black mask over the child’s face. When I first read this to J, I changed the words to ‘Breathe slowly’ said the anaesthetist! I then explained that mummy’s job was putting the patient to sleep and the nurse also was there to help look after the patient. This book was a favourite for months and each time we would discuss the procedures that would occur if one were ever to have to go to hospital for an operation.

J loved re-enacting the operating room scene and I slowly added embellishments like putting an IV cannula and infusing fluids/analgesia. When it came to that inevitable time when J fell at the park, lacerating his face and needed a general anaesthetic for sutures, he was well prepared. 

Most children and parents find a hospital admission daunting but with J on the spectrum I was pretty worried about how he would react. I played out several scenarios in my head – most of them traumatic but in the end, it turned out to be far better than I could have imagined as he had been well prepped. He came out of the experience wanting to do more play acting – except he wanted to be the anaesthetist! Another positive is he also now understands a bit more what his mum does for work.

It made me realise the importance of books and social stories in the preparation of children for unexpected events particularly ones involving hospitals / doctors. The key is to find a story that your child can relate to, be it because of the actual scenario or the character involved. If you child is a Dora fan then find a Dora themed story and so forth.  Social stories are useful for children with autism who often thrive on routine and familiarity, but they can also be invaluable for any child who has to face an unusual or frightening situation. Suffice to say if a child’s first experience having surgery or seeing a GP is a traumatic one, they are far less likely going to cooperate with you on the next visit.

Some other books/resources that we have found useful include

Elmo goes to the Doctor by Sarah Albee

Dora Goes to the Doctor/Dora Goes to the Dentist by Ellen Rosebrough

The Berenstain Bears Go to the Doctor by Stan Berenstain

Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne website

Note most children’s hospitals in each capital city have great website resources available to the public and easily accessable.

What other books have been useful for you and your children?