To my husband and children for their love and support, and to Nomi for bringing light and joy into every day. Lola Goes To The Doctor Text and photographs copyright 2014 Marcia Goldman Endpapers by Marissa Moss Cover and book design by Simon Stahl All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews without permission in writing from its publisher, Creston Books, LLC. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. No animals were harmed in the making of this book and some even received treats. Published by Creston Books, LLC www.crestonbooks.co Source of Production: Worzalla Books, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Printed and bound in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5
Today I am going to visit my doctor.
I am a little nervous. Maybe even a teeny tiny bit afraid. I don t know why, because the waiting room has nice toys.
And there are usually interesting animals. I wonder how you give a chicken a checkup. Or a pig?
Sometimes I see the doctor when I am sick, but today I am getting my regular checkup. I try to wait patiently, just like the big dog.
Finally the nurse calls my name and takes me into a special room. I m scared, but I tell myself I m a big dog, too. The doctor comes in and says, Hello, how are you? His voice is soft and kind.
First, I get on the scale, and we find out how much I weigh. When will I ever get bigger? The doctor is very gentle when he looks at my teeth.
And when he checks my neck and throat. I don t really like it when he takes my temperature.
Or looks in my ears. But I try to stay very still. I m not afraid when he uses his stethoscope to listen to my lungs.
It kind of tickles when he listens to my heart. Uh oh! I think it might be time for my shot!
Now I remember why I was nervous, even a tiny bit scared! But I m a big dog...
It stings a bit, but I am very brave. When my exam is over, my doctor says that I am very healthy.
He gives me a treat for being so good! I wonder how the doctor gives a shot to the snake?
Or to the goldfish? I wonder who I ll see in the waiting room next time.
I ll come back to see the doctor next year. I bet I ll be bigger and braver then!
Curriculum Guide Focus Words: -Discuss the meaning of words and/or role-play the meaning of words; what are other situations where we may experience these feelings or have to practice these behaviors? Nervous Patient Afraid Brave Questions: -Why did Lola visit the doctor? How can you take care of yourself to stay healthy? -Where did the doctor use a stethoscope to listen to Lola s body? Where is your heart? What do your lungs do? -Name the other parts of Lola that the doctor checked. Locate these parts on your own body (add other body parts to be located making it more complicated depending on the skill level of the child). -Why did the doctor give Lola a shot? What kind of shots do you get? -Are there some other reasons you might go to the doctor s office? How can a doctor help you? -Has a doctor ever made you feel better? How? -Why was Lola nervous? Patient? Afraid? Brave? How did she act when she felt these things? -What makes you feel nervous or patient, afraid or brave? Activities: -Use a doctor s tool kit to role-play a visit to the doctor. Use stuffed animals, dolls, puppets, or cutouts as the patient (draw your own or have the child color an already-made cutout). -Act out the focus words above and further discuss what to do to take care of ourselves and be safe. -Draw parts of your body that the doctor checks when you go for a visit. Do you stick out your tongue? -Does the doctor check your teeth the way he does for Lola? About the Author Marcia Goldman has her Master s degree in Special Education and has spent the last 25 years focusing on autism. Lola is a five-pound Yorkshire Terrier and is a certified therapy dog who loves visiting classrooms and making people feel better. Marcia and Lola are the authors of a previous book, Lola Goes to Work: A Nine-to-Five Therapy Dog, available from Creston Books. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Marissa, Simon, Shelah, and Gina for their expert touch. My thanks also go out to Moo the pig, Juno the chicken, Manchas the snake, Maisey the big dog, Morris the goldfish, and all of their humans, for their participation. A very special thanks to Dr. Diederick Lagerwerff for his time, patience, and loving care.