The Prairie Pet: Hospital Critterz    by Stacey Laura Lloyd & Steve Loizos Order:  USA  Can Strategic Media Group, 2011 (2011) Softcover     Reviewed by Bob Walch Lily is spending some time as a patient at the McPopper Children's Hospital. When Max becomes her neighbor in a nearby room, Lily goes over to cheer the boy up but Max wants no part of her proffered friendship. That's when the eight year old girl makes some drawings of animals to share with Max. Using special marking pens one of the nurses has given her, Lily creates the Hospital Critterz. After Max receives the pictures he is surprised when they spring to life and hop right off the paper. Then the children's new, tiny friends take Max and Lily on an adventure back in time to a section of Nebraska where a farmer works the prairie. What follows next is the tale of how the children and their new friends have to solve a riddle to save a boy's pet buffalo from being sold to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. This illustrated chapter book is part of a new series intended to help children feel comfortable in medical settings and not be afraid to spend some time, if need be, in the hospital. Although the intent is admirable, the story may not resonate with the intended audience of children between the ages of six and ten. Given some of the literature now available for this age group, this fanciful fantasy falls a bit short of the character and theme development youngsters are used to. On the other hand, it is worth a try. If the youngster does find Hospital Critterz to his or her liking, there are certainly more adventures on the way. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews