What Medicine Can Do
written by Gabrielle Balkan | illustrated by Alberto Lot
published by Rise x Penguin Workshop | October 2025 | 979-8217051243
ages 3-8 | 48 pages |
>> AVAILABLE: Your local bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop (Bookshop affiliate links support the author and independent bookstores), Penguin Random House
>> ORDER SIGNED COPIES through Oblong Books—they ship!
>> ACTIVITY SHEETS: check back in October 2025!
>> Companion book: What a Map Can Do, new title to be determined
An accessible, informative, and humorous introduction to the power of medicine for young readers.
Uh-oh—Raccoon feels blerg and ick. Read along as he and his friends do symptom checks, get examined, get diagnoses, and each, in turn, get the treatment they need, from medicines ranging from anti-itch lotion that you can get over-the-counter to those that require a prescription, such as an antibiotic for strep throat and an early-childhood vaccine. Readers will learn that medicine can make you feel more comfortable, help you heal, help prevent you from getting sick, and more. Raccoon, Fox, and Baby Fox also discover that medicine comes in many forms (such as a lotion you can smooth on your skin or a liquid you can drink), can treat every part of your body (you can “sniff it in with nasal spray” and “push it in with an insulin pump”), and is not for sharing. Finally, our curious animal friends learn that “Medicine works best when you use it with other things that can help your body, too,” such as washing your hands, eating colorful fruits and vegetables, getting plenty of sleep, and moving your body.
Written by nonfiction maven Gabrielle Balkan, and vetted by a Board Certified Internal Medicine physician; RN, BSN school nurse; Child Life Specialist; and Licensed Independent Social Worker; this conversationally informative text incorporates comfort and humor, in partnership with Alberto Lot’s emotive, comical character art. A truly enjoyable read that will leave readers better equipped for their next germy experience!
Includes: About the Author and Illustrator, nine-word glossary.
Proudly and happily written and illustrated, edited and copy edited, designed and vetted by humans!
EARLY REVIEWS from review panel
“I loved the emphasis that getting sick and getting better are part of life. It is informative without being anxiety-inducing.“
“As a former child abuse social worker in an ICU, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the part about never taking medication that is not for you. Many neglect cases are a result of children taking medication that is not theirs. I also LOVED the playful over-thinking situation. This is a technique I use in my own therapy sessions with adults to make them realize how our thoughts can run away from us.”
“The language you use is very minimally invasive (eg. “poke” instead of “shot”) and perfect, in my opinion, for your targeted developmental age rage.”
AWARDS
check back in October 2025!
SELECT REVIEWS for previous book in series
“So many places to go. How to explore them? With maps! A standout picture book that both entertains and teaches.” — Kirkus, starred review
“A clever instructional volume that helps young readers acquire the art of map reading.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
"This introduction to maps that will have readers learning and laughing together." — School Library Journal
INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS
check back in October 2025!