Wendy Healy-Hindmarch

As many others have said, the concept of the book is a good one, with a cute story, something that would help a younger child understand why their pet needs to go to the vet, however the book badly needs to be edited. As a library professional, the words do seem to be a bit advanced for children to read on their own and I believe that they would lose interest even if the story was read to them. For the age group targeted, simple wording would make the story so much better for a young child to understand. An editor would be a great asset for this book.… (more)

Oh, dear. Taeh Goes to the Vet is meant as a children's picture book about a dog's trip to a veterinary clinic. It would seem to be ideal for a child who is concerned about their pet going to visit a veterinarian. Taeh Goes to the Vet does not accomplish this at all.

Very advanced words and phrases put this book out of reach of a child reading by herself. The grammar is absolutely terrible. At first I thought that the mistakes were due to my conversion of the epub ARC format to pdf, but no, the book apparently has no editor. The plot is a little convoluted for a young child.

From a veterinary professional who experiences nervous children and pets daily, this book does nothing to dispel the anxiety people feel when leaving their pets at a hospital. Computer-assisted drawings picture Taeh alone in a tiny cage on the floor instead of a hospital cage, where people are monitoring her and there are other pets around. The emphasis put on Taeh's fear about injections, while neglecting to explain that there is nothing to really fear, is likely to actually increase nervousness about routine and safe procedures. There is no explanation for anything that happens to Taeh. Even the ending continues to make veterinary staff work harder to end old wives tales with talk of canine forgiveness and guilt.

If you're looking for a good, clear, well-illustrated, and appropriate children's book on this topic, I recommend skipping this one and trying "Sally Goes to the Vet" by Stephen Huneck.… (more)