Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built for Pennies

Gr 1-4–This picture book biography from the author of Lily Leads the Way tells the story of the life and impact of Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb—known as simply Dr. Kate by most. She became a physician in the early 1900s and then a practicing physician in her rural community in northern Wisconsin. Readers might be surprised to read that hospitals were not always close by and that sometimes doctors needed to come to their patients. Newcomb did that, even as she advocated for hospitals. The local elementary school was working on a project about really big numbers and they decided to try to collect one million pennies, with the idea that they would use the money to help fund a hospital. The project received global attention in a time before social media. This is a lovely story about the importance of readily available health care for everyone and the persistence of one person with a vision. The art is warm and luminous, which pairs nicely with the gentle telling of the story. One spread is a tribute to the hundreds of babies Dr. Kate delivered, with an illustration of hundreds of babies. Another amasses pennies to help visually depict the effort that was underway. This book wonderfully touches on themes of community, the importance of health care, and a lesson in persistence that will resonate with lots of readers. Back matter includes an author’s note, illustrator’s note, and bibliography. Dr. Kate’s family is white, but there is diversity shown in other scenes.