My Sore Throat – Demystifying Medical Laboratory Science for Children

By Manu Scripts | Posted: Tuesday Dec 03, 2024

Manu Scripts Publishing announces with great pride the launch of its second book, My Sore Throat, written by Dr Heather Brooks and illustrated by Lisa McComish.

My Sore Throat is a charming children's book, with a poetic narrative that follows Small Bear as he gets poorly with a sore throat and visits the doctor for a throat swab. Small Bear and his father don't know what happens to the throat swab next, so they visit Uncle Fred, a medical laboratory scientist who explains it all.

Illustrated throughout with richly detailed collage art, the book gives young readers and their adults lots to look at and enjoy, while explaining a medical laboratory process and gently presenting some important public health messages.

Dr Heather Brooks, Associate Professor and Assistant Director, Medical Laboratory Science Programme, University of Otago, says, "My primary reason for writing this book was to help reduce anxiety by explaining a laboratory test for a common childhood illness. Adults read children’s books too, so it seemed a good opportunity to add an important public health message about antibiotics. In the context of My Sore Throat, antibiotics are important in preventing rheumatic fever, which is a rare complication of a bacterial throat infection.

"I hope too that the book will keep medical laboratory science in the public eye, even after the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a global shortage of medical laboratory scientists, in part due to lack of knowledge about the profession. For safety and patient confidentiality reasons, the general public is not allowed access to diagnostic medical laboratories, so this profession is generally hidden from public view."

Lisa McComish, illustrator and artist, says "Creating the illustrations for My Sore Throat felt like a massive task – I wanted to do the words justice and also to create a character that would appeal to all children. Each image is made from individual elements, collaged into many layers, colour photocopied, recut and glued on a large sheet of white card as if it were a page. There's lots of tiny details for readers to find!"

The public launch will be held at 5.30pm Wednesday 4 December at the Hunter Centre, Great King Street. RSVPs (for catering purposes) can be sent to hannah@mapedu.org.

My Sore Throat will be available for purchase at the launch, through the Manu Scripts website at www.manuscripts.nz and at selected book stores.

Manu Scripts acknowledges with gratitude the funding support for My Sore Throat from Dunedin City Council, Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature and Working for Ōtepoti Women.