Naomi Butler (Children's Literature)
After bumping his knee one morning, Ted decides to become a doctor. He has only one problem--he has no patients! His bump on the knee, a class full of sniffles, a principal with foot odor, and not a doctor to be found--Ted knows it is time to become Doctor Ted. This is a very clever story with pictures that will appeal to the young child. Look at every character and all of the things on the page. It is a delightful and tremendously funny book. Great illustrations will make adult readers smile, too, as they are reminded of the imaginations of young children. It will be a great book for the person reading and sharing the book with a child or a group of children. Don’t miss the back cover--“Wonder who Ted will need to be next?” 2008, Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, $14.99. Ages 4 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2008 (Vol. 76, No. 5))
Ted is one prepared bear. After bumping his knee one morning he wants a doctor, but with none in sight, he becomes one himself. Though he satisfactorily treats his booboo, his Doctor Ted persona is none too popular with the people around him. His offers to cure the principal's bad breath and his teacher's mumps (actually just chubby cheeks) are met with annoyance. However, the next day his services are required, when there's a playground accident involving his teacher. Feeling quite heroic, Doctor Ted is entirely satisfied upon getting into bed that night. Ted is ready the next morning—not to become a doctor again, but rather a fireman. Lemaitre's illustrations are bright, bold and childlike. They effectively show the variety of responses Ted receives during his attempts to heal the sick (and not so sick). The colors are vivid and add to the mood of each section of text. Kids will be anxious to see what kind of fireman Ted becomes. 2008, McElderry, 32p, $14.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 4 to 7. © 2008 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, April 2008 (Vol. 61, No. 8))
When little bear Ted bumps his knee, he decides he needs a doctor, and when no doctor is forthcoming, he decides to embark on a medical career of his own. He begins his public service with his mother, diagnosing her with measles and recommending surgery (“Those are my freckles,” his mom points out. “Eat your breakfast”). At school, Doctor Ted is a lifesaver to his drippy-nosed animal classmates, dispensing “fine medical advice” until his teacher and principal cut short his career as in-class GP. Fortunately, it’s hard to keep a good wannabe-doctor-bear-kid down, and when a plummeting playgrounder lands on the teacher’s ankle, Doctor Ted is the first responder. Careful, deliberate pacing and poker-faced, unobtrusively structured style make this story into an endearing comic gem, with Doctor Ted angelic in his purposeful, lunatic healing (“You have gingivitis,” he tells the principal solemnly. “You need a full-body cast”) and humorous in his blithe indifference to social nicety (“You have mumps,” he announces to his teacher, who tells him sternly “Those are my cheeks”). Visuals meet the text more than halfway, turning Principal Badham into an authoritative tusked boar and allowing Doctor Ted to produce all matter of medical apparatus out of nowhere. Thickly brushed ink lines are sturdy but liquid, with digital color suggesting the opacity of acrylic and the lightness of gouache in its even planes of springy tones. Offer this as a tonic cure for the unwell or as a loopy partner to Wells’ Felix Feels Better (BCCB 6/01) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2008, McElderry, 32p., $14.99. Ages 4-7 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2008)
Young Doctor Ted is a round-headed bear with a can-do attitude. He meets resistance from such naysaying grownups as his principal, who forbids him from dispensing medical advice to his drippy-nosed classmates. Lemaitre's cheery Easter egg-colored ink and digital art depicts a variety of cartoon animals. Beaty's lighthearted story shows that creative play can be stifled but not defeated. Category: Preschool. 2008, McElderry, 32pp, 14.99. Ages 2 to 5. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.