Rufus Comes Home

by Kim Gosselin

After being sent to the hospital, Brian finds out has diabetes. Brian's mother decides to get a stuffed bear for Brian. She sews special patches on the same areas where Brian gets his insulin shots and puts hearts on the paws where Brian gets his fingers pricked for glucose testing. Brian now has his own "diabetic" bear with which to share his fears and experiences.

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

Reviews

[Riley Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book when I was diagnosed with diabetes as a kid and decided to give it a read again now that I'm an adult. The book is a great way to inform young kids newly diagnosed with diabetes about the disease, however I do have some gripes. I think it leans a bit too much into the informational aspect rather than story telling, also the book refers to Brian's (The main character) thoughts as "Personal Diabetes Thoughts" which weirds me out a little. Aside from that I'd say it is effective at what it sets out to do.

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good intro to T1D for kids. Somewhat dated from a medical/technology perspective but usable.

[Bennett’s Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gifted from my sister who had her very own Rufus growing up.

A fun way for my own children to learn a bit more about their aunt ❤️

[Emily Foley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I think that children who have diabetes could find some comfort in this book, knowing that there are others out there like them. Additionally, I thought that it was very cute that Rufus, Brian's bear, had patches on him in the same places where Brian received his insulin. In this way, Rufus served as a companion to Brian, a young boy who was struggling with his new diagnosis. Overall, I thought it was a very sweet book that was a bit informational as well.

[Miss Balzaretti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kim Gosselin’s book, Rufus Comes Home, is about a young boy named Brian who discovers that he has Diabetes. After feeling lonely while adjusting to his new lifestyle his mom gives his a bear named Rufus to help him feel better. The book goes into detail about the disease in a kid-friendly way. The approach to the book is to give a child a better understanding and to let them know that they are not alone on the journey of living with Diabetes. This book is aimed to reach young reader who is going through the same thing Brian is. The illustrations for this book, done by Terry Ravanelli, are very kid-friendly and portray Brian’s emotions very well. This book would be a great contribution to a class library as a tool for students who have Diabetes or have a sibling with Diabetes. It does a good job of explaining Diabetes. I like how the book takes time to acknowledge the feelings of loneliness that a child may feel. Something I didn’t like about this book is that it has many Diabetes related advertisements in end paper. I feel that it takes away from the story and the message behind the book. I would use this book in my classroom for my individual students who have Diabetes or use it as a tool to teach the class about the disease since it is common among young children and it can come on as an adult too.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book still makes me cry nearly every time I read it. It brings back all of the memories of our own trip to the hospital with our son when we first found out he had diabetes.

[Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sister has type 1 diabetes now and the hospital sent it home with her. The book didn't give me enough information to take care of her.