Hello, friends! Our book today is M Is For Medicine, written by Veronica Goodman and illustrated by Nicole Jones Sturk, fourth in a series of profession-based alphabet books.

Just like the format of L Is For Law and E Is For Economics before it, each letter is given an element of medicine to illustrate – A is for ambulance, B is for bandage, and so on. Accompanying each subject is a cheerful illustration, often employing a clever visual gag to get a chuckle out of adult readers, particularly those in the medical field; for instance, depicting (I is for) interns as a gaggle of wailing infants, or a guiltily grinning child and her pup in a bathroom, both covered in bandaids. By Z (is for Zoom In, as with a microscope), little readers will have learned some of the lingo of the medical field.

This was a natural progression of this series, and I was happy to see it – there will always be a need for books that demystify the medical world for nervous little patients, and this book is a great resource for that. Showing smiling personnel, brightly colored spaces, and even the lighter, more humorous side of the medical field, little ones can learn a little more about their doctors’ and nurses’ world along with practicing their ABCs. Sturk’s bubbly characters are still refreshingly diverse, and a page that depicts D is for Doctor as a group of men and women of varied ages and ethnicities is great; I only wish the same had been done for N is for Nurse, which missed the opportunity by showing a lone white woman. Also missing is a glossary of terms – while many, like “ambulance” or “hospital” are fairly self-explanatory, terms like “quality of care” or “on-call” may be less familiar to those with non-medical backgrounds. Still, for timid patients such as JJ, or little ones interested in growing up to be healthcare providers, this is a great way to introduce the world of medicine. The length was great, and we recommend it. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the author in exchange for an honest review.)