Families who loved The School Nurse from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Reach for this book when your child is facing their first trip to the school nurse, a routine checkup, or is feeling anxious about 'scary' authority figures at school. It is an ideal tool for children who have active imaginations that tend to run wild with worst case scenarios when they are nervous about the unknown. The story follows Hubie as he navigates the terrifying rumors surrounding the school nurse, Miss Brooks. He imagines her as a literal monster who uses a crane to weigh students and keeps a thermometer the size of a pole. Through humor and hyperbolic illustrations, the book addresses common childhood anxieties and the way peer rumors can distort reality. It ultimately provides a gentle, funny resolution that helps demystify medical professionals and school staff for the elementary set.
