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Hi. My name is Whitney, and I love books. In jr high school, I’d borrow a book a day from the library and return it before the day was out. I’d read during lunch. I’d read during study hall. I’d hide my book under my desk and read during geometry which…. explains a lot. I really hope to pass this love of books along to P. I’m constantly searching out new books for our library (or to borrow from the local library), and have decided to share what we’re reading to spread the good word about books we love.
This week, we are rocking out to OLIVIA’S DOCTOR ADVENTURES.
This book is a charming run through of careers in the medical field, written by Dr. Ashley Denmark. I love the book even more because it focuses on women of color in medical careers. I try to keep Penny’s shelf diverse and it can be hard to find books about women of color – especially books about STEM topics.
The book follows Olivia – who’s mother is a doctor – imagining herself in various careers as her mom describes them. I LOVE this for a few reasons: it’s great seeing young women portrayed as doctors, and I LOVE teaching Penny big words. When we read OLIVIA’S DOCTOR ADVENTURES I have P repeat each profession back to me, and read the description once she does. My biggest complaint about the book is that it doesn’t include nephrology (kidneys), but… I’m biased. (thanks, dad!) Kidneys aside, the description of each profession is in plain language that young children can easily grasp. The illustrations are vivid and heartwarming. Penny stayed engaged the whole book and enjoyed pointing to things on the page and asking questions/making observations.
I definitely recommend OLIVIA’S DOCTOR ADVENTURE for households with kids kindergarten and younger. The names of each medical profession may seem daunting but I fully believe that if you read it, they’ll pick it up. OLIVIA’S DOCTOR ADVENTURE would be an awesome book to accompany a doctor playset gift. Or a great way to familiarize your kiddo before trips for checkups. You can pick up the book on Amazon (and snag some doctor-centric play items while you’re at it).