For Release: January, 2009 or anytime thereafter

The Moose with Loose Poops!

No one likes the stomach flu especially when both throwing up and diarrhea develop. Children are often frightened and confused by their symptoms. Concerned parents are not much happier, wanting to help their children feel better as quickly as possible. While many parents know that gastroenteritis—specifically diarrhea—is common, most have no idea that it affects tens of millions of children annually in the U.S., resulting in 1.5 million outpatient doctor visits, 200,000 hospitalizations, and 300 preventable deaths! Dr. Charlotte Cowan decided to address this common childhood ailment in The Moose with Loose Poops! ($17.95 hardcover, www.drhippo.com ), the newest book in her award-winning Dr. Hippo Series (which includes Katie Caught a Cold, The Little Elephant with the Big Earache, Peeper Has a Fever and Sadie’s Sore Throat).

In this fun story, four-year-old Miles develops a tummy ache while on a family picnic in Maine. His planned camping trip with Papa (complete with canoeing and fishing) is postponed when throwing up (oops!) and diarrhea (loose poops) develop. Mama, Papa and Lucy Moose take excellent care of Miles at home. Of course, they are helped by their kindly pediatrician, Dr. Hippo, who advises that fluid is the best medicine for Miles. Will Miles recover in time to go camping with Papa under a special, star-filled sky?

In this story for children ages 2-7, Dr. Cowan offers a clear and child-friendly explanation of gastroenteritis. A board-certified pediatrician, she captures the misery of tummy aches, caused first by vomiting and then by diarrhea, and writes to educate, entertain and comfort her small readers—as well as their parents. The delightful illustrations are by Penelope Neal.

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“Writing with humor and wisdom, Dr. Cowan gets it exactly right! The story of The Moose with Loose Poops will comfort frightened children and reassure worried parents. The Parent Guide is an excellent bonus!”
~ Ronald E. Kleinman, M.D., Physician in Chief, MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Chief, Pediatric Gastrointestinal and Nutrition Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charles Wilder Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School

“The Moose with Loose Poops helps sick children feel better about the stomach flu. Parents and pediatricians alike will love this delightful, educational story! A terrific, tummy-settling tale!”
~ Jennifer Shu, M.D., FAAP, co-author of Food Fights and Heading Home with Your Newborn

Dr. Charlotte Cowan Cowan is a pediatrician who trained and practiced for many years at Boston’s MassGeneral Hospital for Children where she remains on staff. A board-certified Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Cowan has completed a postdoctoral Fellowship in Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. Before going into medicine, Dr. Cowan taught English and worked as a social worker with emotionally disturbed children in New York City. Dr. Cowan lives in Concord, MA with her husband and three children all of whom have had gastroenteritis. As a mother, she knows first hand how helpless a parent can feel when taking care of a sick child. As a doctor, she knows exactly how to help.

Penelope Neal grew up in Carlisle, MA, where she spent her free time in nearby woods exploring and drawing. After college, she moved to Africa to teach English. While there, she spent countless hours after school drawing the animals of Africa. Back in America, she settled in Salem, MA, and kept her love for animals alive by designing exhibits for zoos and museums and centering her art around the “personification of animals.” This is Neal’s first children’s book.

Slipped into the back of this book is a separate Parent Guide entitled Getting Through Gastroenteritis. It answers those questions that arise when parents are taking care of a child who is either vomiting or having diarrhea— or both. Dr. Cowan’s answers reflect her years of practice as a pediatrician. She draws on her experience as a doctor and as a mother as she reassures parents about what is wrong and offers advice about what to do. Getting Through Gastroenteritis even includes helpful charts about how much fluid to give your child and when to call the doctor.

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Read more about the Dr. Hippo Series at www.drhippo.com

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The Moose with Loose Poops by Charlotte Cowan, M.D. illustrated by Penelope Neal Color illustrations throughout 32 pages • 9.25" x 8.5" For children ages 2 - 7 ISBN-13: 978-09753516-5-9 $17.95 dust-jacketed hardcover Publication date: January 2009 Published by The Hippocratic Press, Concord, MA. The book is available at bookstores nationwide with distribution being handled by National Book Network (NBN). It is also available online or by calling 1-800-462-6420. Separate tri-fold laminated Parent Guide included.

Please send two copies of any review or mention to The Hippocratic Press • 281A Fairhaven Hill Road • Concord, MA 01742