Ugh. No one likes the stomach flu, especially when it comes with throwing up and
diarrhea. Children are often frightened and confused by
their symptoms. Worried parents are not much happier, wanting
to help their children feel better as quickly as possible.

While many
parents know that gastroenteritis — specifically diarrhea — is
common, most have no idea that it affects tens of millions of children
annually in the U.S., resulting in 1.5 million outpatient doctor
visits, 200,000 hospitalizations and 300 preventable deaths.

Dr. Charlotte Cowan decided to address this common childhood
ailment in The Moose with Loose Poops! ($17.95 hardcover,
www.drhippo.com), the newest book in her award-winning
Dr. Hippo Series (which includes Katie Caught a Cold, The Little
Elephant with the Big Earache, Peeper Has a Fever and Sadie’s
Sore Throat).

In this fun story, four-year-old
Miles develops a tummy ache
while on a family picnic in
Maine. His planned
camping trip with Papa
(complete with
canoeing and fishing)
is postponed when
throwing up (oops!)
and diarrhea (loose
poops) develop.
Mama, Papa and Lucy
Moose take excellent
care of Miles at home. Of
course, they are helped by
their kindly pediatrician, Dr. Hippo,
who advises that fluid is the best medicine for
Miles. Will Miles recover in time to go camping with Papa under a
special, star-filled sky?

In this story for children ages 2-7, Dr. Cowan offers a clear and
child-friendly explanation of gastroenteritis. A board-certified pediatrician,
she captures the misery of tummy aches, caused first by
vomiting and then by diarrhea, and writes to educate, entertain and
comfort her small readers — as well as their parents.

This is a fun book that really reassures kids. The delightful
illustrations by Penelope Neal add so much. I wish I'd had this book when my son was in preschool!

Just not sure how to explain to your child that "Mommy’s going to get breast implants"? There’s one Florida plastic surgeon who’d like to help.

Michael Salzhauer, M.D., has written a new book for kids ages four to seven: My Beautiful Mommy. He describes the book as "a must-have for any mother with young children considering plastic surgery."

The cover alone makes quite a statement. There’s nothing like seeing a little girl, teddy bear in hand, expressing delight over her newly transformed mommy, who now resembles a sexed-up Disney princess, complete with belly top and surrounded by magical sparkles.

Now that’s something every little girl should aspire to.

As Newsweek reports: [The book] features a plastic surgeon named Dr. Michael (a musclebound superhero type) and a girl whose mother gets a tummy tuck, a nose job and breast implants. Before her surgery the mom explains that she is getting a smaller tummy: "You see, as I got older, my body stretched and I couldn’t fit into my clothes anymore. Dr. Michael is going to help fix that and make me feel better." Mom comes home looking like a slightly bruised Barbie doll with demure bandages on her nose and around her waist… The book doesn’t explain exactly why the mother is redoing her nose post-pregnancy. Nonetheless, Mom reassures her little girl that the new nose won’t just look "different, my dear — prettier!"

What about the body issues raised here? Will our Ms. Perky Boobs’ 6-year-old daughter start worrying that her nose — or stomach, or whatever — isn’t good enough? Will she worry that her breasts — still years away from even making the scene — won’t measure up?

Here’s my alternative book suggestion: I’m Gonna Like Me — Letting Off a Little Self Esteem (HarperCollins; 2002), by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell. It’s written for ages four to eight. "Self-esteem is at the core of what is wrong with us and what is right with us," says Curtis. "It’s an absolutely universal issue. I’m Gonna Like Me allows children to explore their own feelings of self-worth."

And you gotta love a first line like "I’m gonna like me when I jump out of bed, from my giant big toe to the braids on my head."

After all, isn’t that the message we really want to share with our kids?

P.S. I have to say, Dr. Michael has a killer P.R. person working for him. This book seems to be on the desk of every parenting editor I’ve spoken with this week. And they all seem to think it’s pretty pathetic. Even perezhilton.com got in on the book-review act. Check it out here.

P.S. Oh, by the way… If you click on the link to Dr. Michael’s website, you’ll get a pop-up "live chat" box, where a "patient coordinator" will ask what surgical procedure you’re interested in. I used that as an opportunity to briefly share my thoughts on the book…