I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had never heard of Dr. Jo before, so this was eye opening for me. I thought it was well written with good pictures.

Dr. Jo is a children's nonficton book written by Monica Kulling and illustrated by Julianna Swaney
Sara Josephine Baker was a strong girl who loved adventure. Growing up in New York in the late 1800s was not easy. When she lost her brother and father to typhoid fever, she became determined to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. In Jo's day, medical schools were closed to women, but times were changing, and Jo was at the forefront. When she graduated in 1898, Dr. Jo still faced prejudice against women in her field. Not many people were willing to be seen by a female doctor, and Dr. Jo's waiting room remained mostly empty. She accepted a job in public health and was sent to Hell's Kitchen, one of New York's poorest neighborhoods where many immigrants lived. There, she was able to treat the most vulnerable patients: babies and children. She realized that the best treatment was to help babies get a stronger start in life. Babies need fresh air, clean and safe environments, and proper food. Dr. Jo's successes, fueled by her determination, compassion and ingenuity, made her famous across the nation for saving the lives of 90,000 inner city infants and children.

Dr. Jo is an important book because too many children (and adults) do not know about the wonderful women that were trailblazers set things into motion that still affect us today. Young readers (of all genders) can get inspired to follow their dreams, face obstacles that seem insurmountable, and deal with prejudice. Baker made great changes and led to poor women and children living much longer, safer lives. While in an ideal world lack of money would not mean lack of access to health care and safety, we all know that even in modern times this is not necessarily the case. Baker was a woman that worked hard to follow her dreams, and to help those that need it most. This is a wonderful example for readers of all ages. The wording of the information is well done, accessible to a wide range or readers and leaving the readers a little curious to find out more without feeling like important information was left out. The illustrations from Swaney are lovely to look at and help remind readers of the times when Baker was alive and adding color to the pages.

Dr. Jo is an well written and interesting read about a woman the defied convention and helped the people that needed her most. I highly recommend this book for elementary school and public libraries, as well as personal libraries for anyone with children that will face obstacles live Sara Josephine Baker.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

What a lovely little book! The illustrations are great and the story about Josephine Baker an important one to tell. I love that we have children's books to choose from that are educational AND empowering. This is something I truly appreciate now that I have young nieces. This is definitely a book I would love for them to read.

I hope this becomes a series. There are plenty of real-life people that we should use to inspire our children.

'Dr. Jo: How Sara Josephine Baker Saved the Lives of America's Children' by Monica Kulling with illustrations by Julianna Swaney tells of the remarkable life of a woman who found a way to do good in the midst of adversity.

During her childhood, Sara Josephine Baker lost her brother and father to typhoid fever. From that moment, she was determined to become a doctor. This was a tough pursuit for a woman in the late 1800s. There weren't a lot of schools that would teach women, but she found a way. When she graduated, it was tough to find a job, but she found a way. She worked in the poor neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, and helped children and infants to get better treatment.

I liked this true story of a person determined to help in spite of being told they couldn't. The determination of this story is a good lesson for young readers.

The illustrations by Julianna Swaney are also very nice. They have a good feel for the time of this story, and I liked the warm colors that were used.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Tundra Books, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Dr. Jo – How Sara Josephine Baker Saved the Lives of America’s Children, by Monica Kulling, tells about one of the earliest female doctors in America, Dr. Baker. She didn’t fit into the normal mold of “girl” in the late 1800s and was intrigued by medicine early on. That intrigue changed when both her brother and father died of typhoid after drinking contaminated water. She attended the Women’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary, but few people wanted to go to a female doctor. Instead, she became a health inspector. That role led her to Hell’s Kitchen, a poor neighborhood in New York, where she saw first hand what poverty and lack of knowledge was doing to new infants. She saw a need and went about fixing it.

Dr. Jo is the kind of character that our children need to learn about because she thought outside of the box. She also saw what ignorance could do and went about changing it without making anyone feel that they were ignorant. She not only cared for infant health, but she saw that women in general needed training in safe ways of taking care of their children and the birthing process.

The book itself might be challenging for younger readers, but if you are wanting to lure older elementary kids into a subject or give them someone completely different to research, this is a great opportunity.

Before reading Dr. Jo, I was already somewhat familiar with Monica Kulling’s work. I had read three of her picture-book biographies in Tundra Books’ Great Ideas Series. These books introduce kids to the historical figures behind many inventions we take for granted, including inexpensive personal cameras, paper bags, elevators, and the Zamboni machines used on skating rinks’ icy surfaces. One of the good things about this children’s nonfiction series is Kulling’s focus on African American, female, and economically disadvantaged individuals, whose curiosity, creativity, and grit drove them to make valuable contributions to everyday life. Though not a part of that series, Kulling’s Dr. Jo, resembles her earlier books in both format and content. The narrative is roughly 30 pages long and attractively illustrated—this time by Julianna Swaney, whose clean pencil and water-colour work, with its antique quality, complements the life story of Dr. Sara Josephine Baker.

I’d never heard of Dr. Jo before this book, and I’m glad Kulling decided to write about her. Baker certainly deserves attention for her early understanding of “the connection between poverty and illness” and her tireless work “to improve the health of women and their children” in big cities. Born in 1873 in Poughkeepsie, New York on the Hudson River, Jo was a very unconventional girl. Considered a tomboy, she spent her summers fishing the river with her younger brother, Robbie. Winters, the two skated together.

Kulling isolates two key events in Jo’s young life. At age 10, she injured her knee and was tended to by a doctor and his son, who was also a doctor. This experience apparently sparked her interest in becoming a physician herself, a decidedly unladylike career choice at the time. It is what happened when Jo was sixteen, though, that was probably even more decisive. In 1889, sewage was emptied into the river, the source of drinking water for the town. Jo’s beloved brother and then her father contracted typhoid fever and died within a few months of each other. After high school, she traveled to New York City where she received medical training at a college started by two doctor sisters, Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell. (Elizabeth was, in fact, the first woman to receive medical qualifications in the United States.)

After obtaining her medical license, Dr. Jo struggled to make a living in private practice. Kulling doesn’t explain why, but one assumes that public confidence in “lady” doctors wasn’t high. She ended up becoming a public health inspector (and eventually the first director of the New York City Department of Child Hygiene). Her role as an inspector took her to Hell’s Kitchen, a West-Side neighbourhood with manure-piled streets and squalid tenements, which were mostly occupied by immigrants. In almost no time she realized that many deaths, especially children’s, were due to unsanitary conditions and ignorance. She was determined to make a difference.

Kulling spends the last several pages addressing the improvements Dr. Jo made to public health in the city. Among other things, Jo devised antibacterial beeswax containers that held exact (single) doses of the silver nitrate solution applied to prevent blindness in babies. Prior to this, bacteria-laden glass containers for the solution were actually contributing to the problem. Jo designed an infant sleeper, with a button-down front, to replace the swaddling that caused babies to die from heat stroke. She also set up a system for licensing midwives, and she organized accessible stations where mothers could obtain clean, fresh milk for their kids.

For the most part, I really liked Julianna Swaney’s illustrations, but they do fall short at times. Although Swaney does give young readers historically accurate details—e.g., a 6” medical thermometer (which resembles a knitting needle) appears in one picture, she does not satisfactorily communicate the grit, grime, and general filth of the environment in which Dr. Jo worked. The immigrant families all look a bit too tidy. One illustration is even a bit puzzling: a family, shown seated at a table, is strangely engaged in making paper or cloth flowers. The text offers no explanation about this. Perhaps it was some kind of piecemeal work available at the time?

Aside from my reservations about the book’s artwork, I really liked Dr. Jo. Dr. Sara Josephine Baker was a fascinating and admirable woman, and Kulling’s book does her justice. The vocabulary and content make it best suited to kids aged 8 to 10.

Monica Kulling does an excellent job of introducing young readers to biographies. The story of Sarah Josephine Baker, Dr. Jo, is one that would interest any child, whether they are an early reader or being read to.
Jo knew from an early age she wanted to be a doctor and help others. Losing her brother and father to a typhoid fever epidemic and seeing too many sick and dying, she wanted to make a difference.. She was only ten when she injured her knee and was taken care of by a kind doctor, she wanted to do the same for others. Sarah Josephine Baker learned about the Women's Medical College in New York founded by two sisters Emily and Elizabeth Blackwell. After graduating she did not have an easy time getting patients. She became a health inspector in the city of New York. It was during this time that she was sent to Hell's Kitchen a tough and very poor section of town. Due to the poverty and conditions, there was a lot of sickness and dying especially among the babies and children. It was here that Dr. Jo made the biggest impact, saving over 90,000 infants and children.
I loved not only the story, but the simple but elegant art work.
This is a book I would recommend for a lot of reading pleasure.
I received a copy of this book from Tundra Books through NetGalleys. The opinions expressed in this book are my own.

I had never heard of Dr. Sara Josephine Baker (also known as Dr. Jo) until reading this book so everything I read about her was a new morsel of learning to devour. Despite very few people probably knowing about Dr. Jo, she actually made quite a significant impact in America's history. She is credited with saving the lives of 90,000 children. Some of her accomplishments included organizing milk stations with clean healthy milk, making beeswax eye-drop containers that were safer for babies, as well as designing infant wear that allowed for better temperature control. I will definitely be sharing this book with my 3rd grade students during our biography study. My 7 year old son read this book with me and he told me to write, "This book is good for kids who want to be a doctor or who like babies and cute little ones. It's also good for kids who like learning stuff." Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

I love learning about new historical figures. And by new, I mean new to me, and new to other readers as well. This story biographies the life of Dr. Sara Josephine Baker, the first pediatrician for the New York City Department of Child Hygiene. She helped develop rules, medical practices, and clothing for children that we take for granted. She focused a lot on poor immigrant children in Hell’s Kitchen because that is where she was needed most. While I am not a fan of the artwork, it plays well with the story, and helps progress the ideas of a woman stepping out of time. Quite well done, and a new historical figure to admire.

I am loving this new wave a picture book biographies that have been released recently. I especially love learning about people who made a great difference in the world, but that I had previously never heard of.

I found Dr. Jo's story compelling and inspiring. I love the way she saw problems and, instead of despairing, worked hard to find solutions. She took on things that were not in her usual skill set (like designing new baby clothes that were more safe) because she knew it needed to be done. She was just one person doing what she could to help and she saved the lives of thousands of children.

Seeing the way that one person can change the world is something I never get tired of reading about.

The text wasn't too long or cumbersome that my 5 year old was able to enjoy reading it with me.

I will be featuring this book on my blog and social media accounts closer to the release date!

DR. JO is a beautifully written book about Sara Josephine Baker, a trailblazer in medicine. She lived in New York in the late 1800s, and after her father and brother died from typhoid fever, she vowed to become a doctor. This was easier said than done at that time as Medical schools did not admit women. Josephine was accepted to a Women's Medical School in New York and her dream was realized. Graduating did not mean she would be able to practice medicine. People would not go to a female doctor, so she became a health inspector for the city of New York. In Hell's Kitchen, Jo once again came face to face with typhoid fever. She taught the parents what to do to prevent this terrible disease as well as many other child diseases and ailments. She researched and developed practices, items and inventions for various problems she encountered. Jo helped to change many practices, and in doing so, ultimately saved the lives of 90,000 inner city infants and children in her practice in Hell’s Kitchen. A great book to read when studying health practices, women's rights and growth, poverty, biographies, famous women and more. A great addition to any school or public library. The publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, provided me with a copy of this book to read. The opinions stated are my own.

I love time-period books and I love biographies. You learn so much from the past and discover the root of things that we just take for granted in our modern day world.

Sara Josephine Barker, or Jo as she is referred to, wants with all her heart to become a doctor. She looses both her beloved brother and father to typhoid fever. She hurts her knee and is cared for by a kind physician and his son which motivates her even more to fulfill her dream.

In 1868 she applies, and luckily is accepted, to the Women's Medical College of the New York Infirmary and bravely sets off moving towards her destiny. Unfortunately she is ahead of her time and when she and a female friend set up a practice together they find people are wary of having women physicians. Her clients are sparse causing the two to close down their clinic. But what she has in store for her is a million times more important for her accomplish in her lifetime.

Jo becomes a health inspector for the city and is assigned to Hell's Kitchen, a poor, run-down, immigrant neighborhood where babies and children have a very high death rate. Dr. Jo uses her skills to tend to the sick children and she finds solutions to many of the problems that are causing premature deaths in the youngsters. She trains midwives, sets up milk stations in storefronts, discovers safe containers for silver nitrate eyedrops that are used for newborns and creates baby clothes that allows airflow and movement. Her designs open down the front and make changing diapers easier and vulnerable babies less susceptible to heatstroke.

"By the end of her career, Dr. Sara Josephine Baker had saved the lives of 90,000 inner-city children across America. People were always happy to see Dr. Jo coming their way!"

This book is an inspiration to young people to follow their dreams and Dr. Jo is a strong role model for doing just that. The illustrations are water-colour, gouache, and coloured-pencil and the colour pallet is perfect to depict that era. The author cites sources at the end where the reader can go deeper into this fascinating and very important trailblazer of a strong woman. I love the book and highly recommend it.

I loved this picture book. I had no idea who Sara Josephine Baker was. It was a wonderful story with beautiful illustrations. After I read it, I read it to my 4 and 6 year old daughters, who loved it. Now my 6 year old wants to read it all the time.

DR. JO is a lovingly illustrated, beautifully written book about Sara Josephine Baker, a trailblazer in medicine. She lived in New York in the late 1800s, and vowed to become a doctor after her brother and father succumbed to typhoid fever. Med schools did not admit women then but Jo helped to change all that, and in doing so, ultimately saved the lives of 90,000 inner city infants and children in her practice in Hell’s Kitchen. Inspiring! 5/5p

Thank you to the author, Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#Dr.Jo #NetGalley

My daughter and I regularly read picture books that share the stories of important women and men in history. I look forward to sharing this story with her when it published as well!

The illustrations werw engaging and helped.to experly tell the story. The story itself was written to be both easy to understand and engaging. It was the perfect mix younger children to help hook them into Dr. Jo's story.

As an adult, I didn't know much about Dr. Jo so this story was really interesting to see what a difference she made work with the families in Hell's Kitchen and how she helped set them up for success. I look forward to seeing the finalized story!

I thought this book was pretty interesting. I am thinking it will surprise many children to learn that women weren't encouraged to be doctors at the turn of the century. I also thought it was interesting that she helped save so many infants and children in Hell's Kitchens tenements in New York. I did not know that! Also, she was responsible for locating and getting Mary Mallon (Typhoid Mary) off the streets! Kids who likely have never heard of Typhoid Mary will find the story fascinating. I'm thinking grades 5 and up will appreciate this story.

What a powerful story!! This is the kind of book that you want your daughters AND sons to be reading as they grow up. All people are capable of learning and doing incredible things!

Dr. Jo has a story of persistence and resilience despite many obstacles. The beautiful illustrations are a cherry on top of a wonderful book.

10/10 would recommend.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m ashamed to admit that I had never heard of Dr. Sara Josephine Baker, who did so much to improve health conditions in Hell’s Kitchen While now trendy Clinton in the West Side, Hell’s Kitchen used to house impoverished New Yorkers beset with smallpox and typhoid. It was so bad that, in 1917, infants in New York City suffered a higher mortality rate than soldiers deployed in World War I!

Dr. Jo realized that much of those deaths were needless, caused by poverty and ignorance. She pioneered official training for midwives, better swaddling clothes (some infants died of heatstroke previously) and milk stations, where mothers could get unadulterated milk for their children, amongst many other improvements. The book estimates that Dr. Jo’s improvements, which spread beyond New York City, saved the lives of 90,000 inner-city children. She became the first director of New York City’s Department of Child Hygiene. By the time, Dr. Jo retired in 1923, New York City had the lowest infant mortality rate of any major American city!

Readers of any age will adore this beautifully illustrated book that recounts the difficulties that women doctors faced at the turn of the 20th century and how much illness depends on access to good food and medical information (a good lesson even today). Kudos to author Monica Kulling for this eye-opening book and illustrator Julianna Swaney for her charming full-color pictures.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley. Penguin Random House Canada and Tundra Books in exchange for an honest review.

As an adult, I learned a great deal reading this non-fiction title about Dr. Josephine Baker worked to save children's lives. We need more books like this that showcase the hard work and determination of women in the 18- and 1900's. This book showed a strong, determined woman who was also compassionate, intelligent and kind. I look forward to sharing this title with my classroom.

This picture book about the life of Dr. Sarah Josephine Baker is great! It was really interesting to see how she improved the lives of babies--and their families--in NYC, from beeswax eyedropper bottles to clothing patterns that allowed babies better movement and less overheating.
This book will appeal to readers looking for insights into awesome figures in American history and determined women. It could also be a great discussion starter to discuss unsanitary conditions caused by overcrowding and lack of access to needed resources, which unfortunately continue to be a problem in the world even nearly a century after Dr. Jo's retirement.
I read this book with my five-year-old twins, and they both thought it was interesting and liked the illustrations.

I read a copy of the ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#Dr.Jo #NetGalley