Author Interview, Book Review & Giveaway: Doctoroo & the Case of the Red-Hot Hawaiians

Welcome to my stop on this tour!

Book Details:

Book Title:  Doctoroo and the Case of the Red-Hot Hawaiians by
Rachel B. Wellner
Category:  Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7), 44 pages
Genre: Children’s Book
Publisher: Wellner Media
Release Date: March 2022
Content Rating:  G – (No bad language, story suitable for children ages 3-7.)

Book Description:

Doctoroo (also known as Dr. Marsha Roo) and her team―Kirby Koala, Louie Llama, and Terence Toad― may live in Australia, but they travel all over the world solving medical mysteries. In Doctoroo & the Case of the Red-Hot Hawaiians, they fly to The Big Island of Hawaii, where red, hot and very itchy hula dancers are in danger of missing their Big Dance Festival. Will they have to skip the Festival, or will Doctoroo help them in time?

Author Interview

Tell us about your books – 

The Doctoroo series is dedicated to teaching kids from pre-school to grade school about basic health issues and maintenance.  I came up with idea as a resident when I did my pediatrics rotation. I liked using solving a mystery and traveling to a new place as the settings for Doctoroo and her friends to teach about good health. In the story, they solve that mystery to enhance the excitement of “catching the culprit.” My first two book are about good nutrition and hand hygiene respectively and this third book – Doctoroo and the Case of the Red Hot Hawaiians is about sun protection.

Why do you think you are the best person to write these books?

As a physician, I know a great deal about health problems, how to diagnose them and solve them.  Basically, the mystery is a “differential diagnosis” as Doctoroo first rules out other causes of the problem at hand until the clues lead her to the right conclusion.  I love kids and want to see them grow up healthy and happy, especially in these precarious times of pandemic- I chose to focus on what we CAN do, not what we can’t, to help maintain and improve our health, starting with the youngest of the young.

What do you enjoy the most about being an author?

I truly enjoy spreading positive messages.  I’ve done many television spots about breast cancer (my specialty), and I’ve always loved delivering a message to the public in a digestible way so that everyone can understand a complex medical issue. When I’m writing the Doctoroo books I can let my imagination go wild and bring in crazy animal characters that go along with the setting.

How do you do research for your books?

I start with locations I’ve actually visited and then develop the mystery using cited sources for the medical information. I use Google Scholar, personal experience in my medical practice, things I learned from my own education. I also look up articles on the geography, animal life and cultural aspects of the locations I use in my stories. Sometimes my editor or project manager will also suggest animal characters or story twists.

What do you most want readers to know about you?

I’d want people to know that writing these stories to teach kids good health habits is part of my commitment to humanity and especially children. It’s why I became a doctor. It’s also central to my core belief that you must find the positive in negative experiences and try to grow through them. I’ve also loved traveling and learning about other cultures. I want to encourage children to explore the boundaries of their creativity, interests, passions and imaginations.

 My Thoughts

Who doesn’t love an adventure?

Dr. Marsha Roo and her team head out from Australia to Hawaii to solve a mystery: why the dancers are ill.

This is done with the use of vibrant illustrations. There is counting, problem-solving, and facts about health and nature skillfully woven together as Dr. Roo leads her crew unswervingly through theories about what could be wrong.

On top of that, she also teaches them not to poke fun at someone who is not feeling well and that they should strive to be helpful because it is important that we all help one another.

WHAT I LIKED:

• All the glorious colors of the book, starting from the cover
• So many lessons taught:
• Educational and fun: delightful play on words and cute alliteration

WHAT GAVE ME PAUSE

• The mention of magic (I wasn’t expecting that)
• I don’t know if it’s because I have a digital version, however, one sentence cuts off and is never continued

MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Meet the Author:

Doctoroo & the Case of the Red-Hot Hawaiians Book Tour Giveaway