New series of hospital-based adventure books for children

Hospitals can be scary and overwhelming for kids, and Hospital Critterz, a new series of hospital-based adventure books, helps children see the medical world differently. Imaginative and entertaining, the books in the series introduce kids to the hospital setting, and each provides an adventure that can be enjoyed by both ill and healthy children. The first book was just lauded on the daytime talk show, "The Doctors," which is syndicated by CBS.

The Hospital Critterz adventure series, published by Strategic Media Group, a Strategic Partners, Inc. company, was created to help kids ages 6-10 feel more comfortable in a healthcare setting. "I believe Hospital Critterz can transform a child's view of the hospital environment. McPopper Children's Hospital, in the story, is a warm, friendly, magical place that encourages children's imaginations to soar and family discussions to arise," says Strategic Partners, Inc., CEO, Michael Singer. Singer was inspired to create the series by the experiences of his six-year-old cousin who passed away from leukemia. His company is donating a portion of the proceeds from Hospital Critterz to support both a scholarship program for nursing students as well as the "Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award," a national award that celebrates and promotes the exceptional service, sacrifice, and innovation of nurses and other healthcare professionals.

In the first book, Hospital Critterz: The Prairie Pet, by Stacey Laura Lloyd, Lily tries to befriend Max, who is newly arrived in the hospital. The unhappy boy tells her to go away. But when Lily's drawings magically come to life as colorful "Hospital Critterz," Lily and Max become friends. Soon they find themselves whisked back in time to nineteenth-century Nebraska, where they and the Hospital Critterz characters must solve a riddle to save a boy's unusual pet from being sold to perform in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.