The Doctor with the Listening Ears a personalized book with your child as the hero

Florence could hear a worry even when the house was quiet. It sounded like tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. Tomorrow was the doctor's check-up, and Mum had said a vaccination was due. Florence hugged Teddy on the window seat. Teddy had a cream tummy and one ear that leaned sideways. Surely somebody else could go instead? Somebody made entirely of stuffing?

Today, nursery was having a Teddy Bear Hospital. Medical students had brought stethoscopes, soft bandages and towels for pretend patients. Florence nearly left Teddy inside the bag. Hospitals sounded much too close to tomorrow. But a student called Alex knelt beside the table. “You know your bear best,” Alex said. “Would you help me listen?” Florence slowly took Teddy out.

First, Alex showed Florence a stethoscope: earpieces, a bendy tube and a round listening disc. With help, Florence heard a real heartbeat through the disc against their own chest. Lub-dub, lub-dub. “Your heart pumps blood around your body,” Alex explained. Then Florence listened to Teddy. Nothing! “Stuffing is very quiet,” Florence decided. Alex laughed. This hospital was make-believe, but the questions could be real.

They wrapped a little bandage around Teddy's paw. Florence tucked the loose end in gently. “A bandage can hold a dressing in place,” Alex said. “On a real person, we make sure it isn't too tight.” Teddy looked very important. Florence held the bear upright, then asked, “Does Teddy need a vaccination?” The question seemed to belong to somebody else. It did not.

“Pretend bears don't,” Alex said. “People have vaccines to help their bodies learn to recognise particular germs and fight them. That helps protect us from some illnesses.” Florence looked at Teddy's bandage. “Does it pinch?” Alex answered without hurrying. “It can sting for a moment. You can ask questions and choose what helps you feel comfortable.” Florence whispered, “It's actually me who's worried.” Alex listened to that too.

Before snack time, everyone washed their hands with soap and water. Florence remembered the spaces between the fingers, then rinsed and dried carefully. Alex explained that helping somebody began with clean hands and knowing when to get a grown-up. Florence could ask for help, bring something safe or sit and listen. Being useful did not mean doing everything. That sounded possible, even without a stethoscope.

After nursery, Mum took Florence to the park. Teddy watched from the open bag while Florence and Robin made a trail of fallen leaves. Robin hurried round a bend, stumbled and landed on one knee. The game stopped. Robin's face crumpled. Florence felt a jolt in the tummy and reached towards the dusty scrape. Then the hand stopped. “Mum!” Florence called. “Robin's hurt. Please come!”

Mum came straight over. She checked Robin and the small graze, which had already stopped bleeding. There was a first-aid pouch in her bag and clean drinking water in a bottle. After cleaning their hands, Mum helped Florence tip a gentle stream of water over the knee. They let the dirt wash away instead of rubbing. “Tell us if you need a pause,” Florence told Robin.

Mum gently dried the surrounding skin with clean gauze and opened a plaster. She showed Florence how to hold its sticky ends, leaving the middle pad clean. Together they covered the little scrape. Florence stayed beside Robin while Mum checked again. “It stung,” Robin said. Florence wanted to promise that nothing would ever hurt again. Instead, Florence said, “I believe you. Would you like me to stay?” Robin nodded.

They sat on a bench until Robin felt ready to walk. Mum let Robin's parent know what had happened. “You called me first,” she told Florence. “And you listened when Robin needed a rest.” Florence looked at Teddy's bandaged paw peeping out of the bag. Helping a real person had felt different from playing hospital. There had been no perfect words. Staying close had helped anyway.

At the clinic next morning, the worry returned. Florence's younger sibling Kit was there for a check-up too. Kit hid behind Mum's sleeve. Florence wanted to hide beside Kit, but told the doctor, “I'm frightened about my vaccination.” The doctor thanked Florence for saying so. She listened to Florence's heart, explained the check-up and answered the questions. She would explain before giving the vaccine as well.

Florence chose to sit with Mum's arm comfortably around them and Teddy on their lap. “Can I look at Mum?” The doctor nodded. Florence breathed out slowly, as though cooling a spoonful of soup. A brief sting; eyes grew wet. Mum stayed close while the doctor finished and put on a small plaster. “I felt it,” Florence said. “And you told us what you needed,” Mum replied.

Then it was Kit's turn for the check-up. The little hand reached out from Mum's lap. Florence bent down and offered a hand back. “The listening disc might feel cool,” Florence said. “You can ask her to show you first.” Kit watched the doctor warm the stethoscope between her palms. Slowly, Kit's shoulders loosened. Florence did not need to wear the stethoscope now. The best thing to offer was a familiar hand.

Before they left, the doctor crouched beside Florence. “You asked for help, listened to your friend and told me how you felt. Those are excellent caring skills.” Florence grinned at Teddy. The worry had not vanished by magic. It had made room for questions, a slow breath and somebody else's hand. “Teddy's doctor has very good listening ears,” Florence said. This time, tomorrow sounded a little quieter.