Children's Book Review - Dr. Marsha and the Case of the Missing Marshmallows and Hotdogs by Dr. Rachel B Wellner

It is morning in Australia, and Dr. Marsha and her animal friends are busy getting ready for the day ahead when the postman arrives with a letter from Washington, D.C. Dr. Marsha is excited to see that it is from her cousin Milton Marsupial who is the Mayor of Washington. However, Milton is writing to her with a problem: all the hotdogs and marshmallows have disappeared and are needed in a week for the fourth of July celebrations. Dr. Marsha and her friends fly to Washington immediately to see if they can help. Read Dr. Marsha and the Case of the Missing Marshmallows and Hotdogs by Dr. Rachel B. Wellner and travel the world with Dr. Marsha learning about health and nutrition. 

I enjoyed the way Dr. Marsha answered her phone. 'Do you have an ache? Do you have an ouch? The number to dial is 1-MD-POUCH,' young children enjoy learning through rhyme. Sadly there are other rhymes dotted throughout the book, and not all of them rhyme very well, which made me cringe. The artwork is delightful; although the characters are humanized with some clothing, they are still recognizable animals. I liked that the hotdogs and marshmallows had been disguised by making them look like a log cabin, although it would have been better to have made this more of a mystery for children to try and work out for themselves. 

I dislike a lot about Dr. Marsha and the Case of the Missing Marshmallows and Hotdogs by Dr. Rachel B. Wellner. The story is difficult to follow as it chops and changes direction all the time. For example, Dr. Marsha answers the phone, immediately says hello to the postman who has just arrived with a letter, and then moves on to talking about what is for lunch! The dig at vegetarians was unnecessary. People choose to be vegetarian for various reasons, and there is no reason for this diet to be unhealthy. Terence the toad is also spelled Terrance and Tereance; the author needs to ensure it is spelled the same throughout the book.

Dr. Marsha and the Case of the Missing Marshmallows and Hotdogs by Dr. Rachel B. Wellner should have been a great way to teach young children about sensible diet choices, but sadly it fell short of the mark. Dr. Rachel B. Wellner did not accomplish this because the story needs to be clearer. It was easy to get lost, and I needed to read parts of the book a few times to understand what was being taught. This was disappointing, considering the book is aimed at young children! Also, this book needs to be proofread, as there are mistakes.

I would not recommend this book to anyone in its present form. The idea for this book was brilliant, but the execution needs more work. There are spelling errors throughout. 

I am rating Dr. Marsha and the Case of the Missing Marshmallows and Hotdogs by Dr. Rachel B. Wellner 1 out of 5 stars due to this being a confusing book that jumps all over the place, the lack of proofreading, the name Terence being spelled three different ways and the fact there is much information, but it is not presented in a way that children will enjoy learning from. I am giving one star for the fantastic illustrations and the rhyme Dr. Marsha uses when answering the phone!