Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built for Pennies bookcover

Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built for Pennies

Margi Preus 

(Author)

Jaime Zollars 

(Illustrator)

This title will be released on:

Oct 28, 2025

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Description

Newbery Honor-winner Margi Preus and illustrator Jaime Zollars shed light on a trailblazing doctor known as the "Angel on Snowshoes" in this picture book biography

Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb (or "Dr. Kate," as she was known to her patients) was a doctor in rural northern Wisconsin during the early 1900s, a time when very few women practiced medicine. Because the nearest hospital was over two hours away and the snowy roads were often impassable, Dr. Kate frequently traveled many miles by snowmobile or snowplow in order to reach her patients, which lead to her nickname, the "Angel on Snowshoes."

In her years as a doctor, she delivered an astonishing 4,000 babies, and those same children later played a key role in the "Million Penny Parade," a massive grassroots fundraiser inspired by Dr. Kate's lifelong efforts to build a hospital in her community. Dr. Kate's dreams of being able to better serve her community finally came to fruition in 1954 when Lakeland Memorial Hospital opened--with Dr. Kate serving as chief of staff.

From Newbery Honor-winning author Margi Preus and illustrator Jaime Zollars, this picture book biography celebrates a woman who defied gender expectations and dedicated her life to helping the farthest reaches of her community.

Includes author's note, illustrator's note, and bibliography.

Product Details

PublisherAbrams Books for Young Readers
Publish DateOctober 28, 2025
Pages48
LanguageEnglish
TypeBook iconHardback
EAN/UPC9781419756719
DimensionsN/A
BISAC Categories: Kids, Kids

About the Author

Margi Preus is a New York Times bestselling author of the Newbery Honor Book Heart of a Samurai and other notable books for young readers, including West of the Moon, Shadow on the Mountain, and Village of Scoundrels. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota, land of snow squalls and cardamom buns.

Jaime Zollars is inspired by fairy tales, Flemish painters, and flea-market photographs. Among other things, she is an illustrator of children's books and book covers. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

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