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Tales From the Care Bears
Being Brave Is Best
Cheer Bear and Funshine Bear help Jenny to overcome her fears when she goes to the hospital to have her tonsils removed
44 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1984
About the author
Elizabeth Winthrop
74 books184 followersELIZABETH WINTHROP ALSOP (www.elizabethwinthropalsop.com), is the author of over sixty works of fiction for all ages, including ISLAND JUSTICE and IN MY MOTHER'S HOUSE, both available as e-books.
DAUGHTER OF SPIES: Wartime Secrets, Family Lies, her memoir about her parents' love affair during World War II and her own childhood in 1950s Washington as the daughter of a famous journalist, will be published October 25, 2022 by Regal House.
Her short story, The Golden Darters, was selected by Best American Short Stories by Robert Stone and was recently read on SELECTED SHORTS by the renowned actress, Ann Dowd. She is the author of the memoir piece, Don't Knock Unless You're Bleeding; Growing Up in Cold War Washington.The daughter of Stewart Alsop, the political journalist, she divides her time between New York City and the Berkshires.
Her historical novel, COUNTING ON GRACE was chosen as a Notable Book of the Year by the American Library Association, the National Council of Social Studies, the International Reading Association and the Children’s Book Council among others. The novel has also been nominated for state book awards in Vermont, Virginia, Kentucky, Kansas, Missouri,Indiana, Hawaii and Arizona.
THE CASTLE IN THE ATTIC and its sequel, THE BATTLE FOR THE CASTLE, were nominated for twenty-three state book awards and are considered children’s fantasy classics.
Her popular picture books include DUMPY LA RUE, SHOES,DOG SHOW, SQUASHED IN THE MIDDLE and most recently, THE FIRST CHRISTMAS STOCKING and THE BIGGEST PARADE. Two of her recent books for older children are THE RED-HOT RATTOONS, a comic fantasy novel and DEAR MR. PRESIDENT, Letters from a Milltown Girl, a work of historical fiction set in western Massachusetts.
For more information, www.elizabethwinthrop.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 22, 2016
Being Brave is Best (Updated)
Annie, Beth, and Jenny are jumping rope. All of a sudden, Jenny stops because her throat starts hurting. It's not the first time. Jenny says that Dr. Williams told her mother that if she got one more they’d have to do something about it. So, she decides just not to mention it.
The next day, tho (Tuesday), her throat feels worse, and she can’t drink her orange juice at breakfast. I imagine (it doesn’t say), but she can’t eat her breakfast either (cereal). Her dad asks if she feels alright, but she lies and says she does. Then rushes off to school before he can ask any more questions.
Jenny’s teacher calls her to the board, and she starts to feel dizzy. She gets the problem wrong. Mrs. Brunett ends up sending her to the nurse because she’s pale and burning up. After checking her temperature, Dr. Williams steps outside to speak to her mother in private. She overhears the words “tonsils” and “hospital”.
Dr. Williams comes back in and tells Jenny she’s going to give her some pills that will help her for now, but next week she’ll have to go into the hospital and get her tonsils removed. Their big and sore and need to come out. Jenny asks will it hurt and Dr. Williams says she’ll be asleep through the whole procedure, but when she wakes up, it will hurt a little. She tells her to go home and think about what she said, and if she has any questions to call her.
On the way home, Jenny’s mom and dad assure her that they’ll be with her the whole time. They can stay at the hospital. Jenny decides she won’t think about it. She won’t even talk about it. She’ll be brave. But that night, Jenny can’t sleep, and her throat hurts. She puts her head under her pillow.
Jenny gets a visit from a pink bear with a rainbow on his tummy that says it slid all the way down from Care A Lot to see her. The bear (Cheer Bear) says that where she’s from, she and the other Care Bears are always watching out for people who are sad and scared. Cheer Bear asks her what’s wrong. Jenny says she has to be brave so she can’t talk about it. Cheer Bear explains that being brave and being quiet are two different things.
So, Jenny tells Cheer Bear her fears about the operation. Cheer Bear says, “Now doesn’t that feel better that you get that all out?” She assures her that her mother and father will be there the whole time, that Dr. Williams knows what she’s doing, and that she and the other Care Bears will be looking down from Care-A-Lot on her the whole time. Jenny asks will she come to see her. Cheer Bear says she’ll send her good friend Funshine Bear. So, make sure to be on the look-out for him. She then walks back up a rainbow, and Jenny falls asleep.
On the day of the operation, Jenny packs her pajamas, toothbrush, and favorite doll. Her mother goes to fill out some paperwork when they get there. Her dad picks her up and carries her to her room. The nurse introduces herself as Mrs. Kent and shows Jenny her room. Her father helps her change into her pajamas and then goes to find her mother.
The room is nice. Still, Jenny wants to go home. When she looks down, Funshine is beside her bed. Jenny confesses to him that she’s a little scared. He says to look on the bright side: the operation will be over this afternoon, her throat won’t hurt anymore, and before she knows it she’ll be back home and go back to school and things will be back to normal. Then he vanishes.
Jenny looks under the bed, but he’s not there. Her parents and Dr. Williams come in. Dr. Williams asks how she is, and she says she's scared, but she’s looking forward to not having a sore throat anymore. Dr. Williams is pleased by this attitude. Jenny is then given a shot that knocks her out.
Jenny comes to after the operation and sees her mother and father. She asks Funshine if the sun is still shining. Her parents ask her what she said, but she’s knocked out again. I think this version skips because I vaguely remember Jenny being given ice cream afterwards. She’s now back with her friends, jumping rope and says no more sore throats and going to the hospital wasn’t that bad. She’s glad she went.
My Thoughts
Now, as somebody who's been in and out of the hospital A LOT, I know how important it is to have the support and love of family and friends because even as an adult, it's a scary thing. You just never know how it's going to go. But as much as I love the Care Bears and collected the little plastic hard ones (and actually a big plush Cheer bear) I think it would freak me out more than the surgery if one of them came through my window and jumped on my bed. Then showed up at the hospital and disappeared right in front of my eyes. I probably would have blamed it on the drugs they shoot you up with right before they put you under.
On this read, I thought about how scary it feels to know that you have to go to the hospital soon and just not know what to expect. I’m always wondering that any day now that I’ll get a call for a transplant and have to be out the door just like that. As I read this story this time, not only did I note that most hospital rooms aren’t this inviting, that you also don’t get the luxury of wearing your own pajamas to an operation. They usually give you some thin thing with the back out. I related strongly to this story before, but I could *really* REALLY really to the fear on this read.
Rating: 7 I can relate to this story because I've been in Jenny's place MANY times. But I have NEVER seen a hospital room look as nice as the one Jenny's in. This story shows that even tho the Care Bears are fictional creatures, in real life, it's important to have "Care Bears" in your life, be it family or friends, when you're in a situation that places you in the hospital to have any kind of surgery. All the love that surrounds you from that definitely makes it easier.
Annie, Beth, and Jenny are jumping rope. All of a sudden, Jenny stops because her throat starts hurting. It's not the first time. Jenny says that Dr. Williams told her mother that if she got one more they’d have to do something about it. So, she decides just not to mention it.
The next day, tho (Tuesday), her throat feels worse, and she can’t drink her orange juice at breakfast. I imagine (it doesn’t say), but she can’t eat her breakfast either (cereal). Her dad asks if she feels alright, but she lies and says she does. Then rushes off to school before he can ask any more questions.
Jenny’s teacher calls her to the board, and she starts to feel dizzy. She gets the problem wrong. Mrs. Brunett ends up sending her to the nurse because she’s pale and burning up. After checking her temperature, Dr. Williams steps outside to speak to her mother in private. She overhears the words “tonsils” and “hospital”.
Dr. Williams comes back in and tells Jenny she’s going to give her some pills that will help her for now, but next week she’ll have to go into the hospital and get her tonsils removed. Their big and sore and need to come out. Jenny asks will it hurt and Dr. Williams says she’ll be asleep through the whole procedure, but when she wakes up, it will hurt a little. She tells her to go home and think about what she said, and if she has any questions to call her.
On the way home, Jenny’s mom and dad assure her that they’ll be with her the whole time. They can stay at the hospital. Jenny decides she won’t think about it. She won’t even talk about it. She’ll be brave. But that night, Jenny can’t sleep, and her throat hurts. She puts her head under her pillow.
Jenny gets a visit from a pink bear with a rainbow on his tummy that says it slid all the way down from Care A Lot to see her. The bear (Cheer Bear) says that where she’s from, she and the other Care Bears are always watching out for people who are sad and scared. Cheer Bear asks her what’s wrong. Jenny says she has to be brave so she can’t talk about it. Cheer Bear explains that being brave and being quiet are two different things.
So, Jenny tells Cheer Bear her fears about the operation. Cheer Bear says, “Now doesn’t that feel better that you get that all out?” She assures her that her mother and father will be there the whole time, that Dr. Williams knows what she’s doing, and that she and the other Care Bears will be looking down from Care-A-Lot on her the whole time. Jenny asks will she come to see her. Cheer Bear says she’ll send her good friend Funshine Bear. So, make sure to be on the look-out for him. She then walks back up a rainbow, and Jenny falls asleep.
On the day of the operation, Jenny packs her pajamas, toothbrush, and favorite doll. Her mother goes to fill out some paperwork when they get there. Her dad picks her up and carries her to her room. The nurse introduces herself as Mrs. Kent and shows Jenny her room. Her father helps her change into her pajamas and then goes to find her mother.
The room is nice. Still, Jenny wants to go home. When she looks down, Funshine is beside her bed. Jenny confesses to him that she’s a little scared. He says to look on the bright side: the operation will be over this afternoon, her throat won’t hurt anymore, and before she knows it she’ll be back home and go back to school and things will be back to normal. Then he vanishes.
Jenny looks under the bed, but he’s not there. Her parents and Dr. Williams come in. Dr. Williams asks how she is, and she says she's scared, but she’s looking forward to not having a sore throat anymore. Dr. Williams is pleased by this attitude. Jenny is then given a shot that knocks her out.
Jenny comes to after the operation and sees her mother and father. She asks Funshine if the sun is still shining. Her parents ask her what she said, but she’s knocked out again. I think this version skips because I vaguely remember Jenny being given ice cream afterwards. She’s now back with her friends, jumping rope and says no more sore throats and going to the hospital wasn’t that bad. She’s glad she went.
My Thoughts
Now, as somebody who's been in and out of the hospital A LOT, I know how important it is to have the support and love of family and friends because even as an adult, it's a scary thing. You just never know how it's going to go. But as much as I love the Care Bears and collected the little plastic hard ones (and actually a big plush Cheer bear) I think it would freak me out more than the surgery if one of them came through my window and jumped on my bed. Then showed up at the hospital and disappeared right in front of my eyes. I probably would have blamed it on the drugs they shoot you up with right before they put you under.
On this read, I thought about how scary it feels to know that you have to go to the hospital soon and just not know what to expect. I’m always wondering that any day now that I’ll get a call for a transplant and have to be out the door just like that. As I read this story this time, not only did I note that most hospital rooms aren’t this inviting, that you also don’t get the luxury of wearing your own pajamas to an operation. They usually give you some thin thing with the back out. I related strongly to this story before, but I could *really* REALLY really to the fear on this read.
Rating: 7 I can relate to this story because I've been in Jenny's place MANY times. But I have NEVER seen a hospital room look as nice as the one Jenny's in. This story shows that even tho the Care Bears are fictional creatures, in real life, it's important to have "Care Bears" in your life, be it family or friends, when you're in a situation that places you in the hospital to have any kind of surgery. All the love that surrounds you from that definitely makes it easier.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 3, 2025My kiddo had a tonsillectomy a few days ago. I had previously rounded up some library offerings re: kids and tonsils ("A Visit to the Sesame Street Hospital," "Goodbye Tonsils," et al) but I don't think we really read any of them beforehand. Got some good mileage out of the old "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" hospital episode, though (please don't judge: I know Cosby sucks, but this was THE education I had on tonsillectomies as a kid, so it was an automatic fallback. She also asked for it several times before the surgery and has asked for it several times afterward, so it seems like it was a good choice.) We were back home and tucked in bed for some recuperative rest when I noticed this Care Bear book on the floor on my wife's side of the bed. Just a random children's book, but I saw the nurse on the cover. Could it be...? YES IT IS. Another children's picture book involving tonsils and tonsillectomy. The usual wacky coincidence that we had a super pertinent children's picture book in our possession the whole time...
December 1, 2025
Absolutely obsessed with this i read it like 6 - 7 times
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