So You Want To Be A Veterinarian - So You Want To Be A... 2
Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Ages: 8-11, 12-15
What if the patient you're trying to save can't tell you a single thing about what's wrong? Welcome to the world of veterinary medicine — where science, instinct, and compassion collide every single day.
So You Want To Be A Veterinarian is an illustrated guide for kids ages 10 to 14 who feel drawn to animals and want to know what it really means to build a career caring for them. Not someday. Not in the abstract. Right now, in concrete detail that respects how seriously young people think about their futures.
You'll follow veterinarians through real days — diagnosing a family pet with a puzzling illness, performing surgery that demands precision across unfamiliar anatomy, making split-second decisions in emergencies where every minute counts. You'll learn the science behind how vets read what animals cannot say, interpreting symptoms through physical exams, diagnostic imaging, and lab work that would challenge any medical professional.
But this book goes further than the exam room. You'll explore the extraordinary range of veterinary careers most people never hear about. Some vets care for pets in neighborhood clinics. Others work with horses, livestock, or zoo animals. Some protect wildlife populations in the field. Others shape public health policy or lead research that keeps both animals and humans safe. The field is wider, more surprising, and more needed than most kids — or adults — ever realize.
You'll also get the honest truth about what this path demands. The years of studying biology, chemistry, and animal science before you ever touch a patient. The emotional courage it takes to face outcomes you can't fix. The physical stamina required to work with animals that are scared, hurting, and sometimes ten times your size. And alongside all of that — the powerful sense of purpose that makes veterinarians say they wouldn't trade this work for anything.
Whether you're the kid who kneels down beside every animal you meet, the one who reads everything about wildlife, or the young person quietly wondering if a career in veterinary medicine might be your calling, this book brings you all the way inside the profession. It's educational nonfiction that doesn't talk down — it trusts you with the real answers.
The next patient is waiting. It can't speak. But you're already learning its language.
Reviews
So You Want To Be A Veterinarian is part of a series for children on exciting and worthwhile careers. Without talking down to young readers, Linda Soules emphasizes that love for animals and scientific accuracy are necessary to succeed in this profession. She explains that vets help animals to live healthier lives. They treat all kinds of animals, from pets to farm animals, and wild animals in zoos and nature preserves. Because animals cannot speak directly, vets have to pay careful attention to their behavior for signs to discover what is wrong. Vets also need to listen to pet parents and animal carers, who know their animals' behavior best. The carefully organized chapters guide readers through the work vets do, the locations where they work, the tools they use, and a typical day in their lives. So You Want To Be A Veterinarian by Linda Soules is well researched and addresses the practical and emotional demands of this career. The concise biographies of famous vets like James Herriot, Aleen Cust, and Temple Grandin will inspire and challenge young readers. The colorful illustrations add lifelike details that are very appealing. With a glossary, lists of books for further reading, and websites and organizations for more information, the book is a useful reference that kids will grow with. There are some practical tips for getting started, such as observing animals, studying basic biology, and volunteering at a shelter. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to know what it takes to be a vet, including kids, parents, and educators.
One of nearly 200 books in the So You Want to Be A... series, So You Want to Be A Veterinarian walks readers through everything they could possibly want to know about a career in veterinary medicine. What is it really like being a vet and caring for animals every day? Well, vets work with animals of all shapes and sizes, from tiny hamsters to enormous elephants and giraffes, which means they sometimes have to be willing to work in unusual locations. Animals can't tell you what's wrong, so vets need extraordinary powers of deduction—including the ability to talk to animals! And vets don't just care for animals—they care for the people who own and love those animals too. Sometimes the job is filled with fun and laughter, but sometimes it is heartbreaking—like when a beloved pet needs to be put down. No matter what the job holds, however, vets love knowing that they are providing a service neither humans nor animals could do without. The book provides detailed, factual descriptions about the highs and lows of the job, the skills and training needed to succeed, and even what a typical day on the job might look like. Bright cartoon-style illustrations depict vets of different genders, ages, and ethnicities delivering care to a range of animals all over the globe, underscoring the book's central message about the diversity of care that veterinary doctors provide. A self-diagnostic checklist, suggestions for getting their career started early, and plenty of resources for further learning provide readers with a practical roadmap for becoming a vet if, after reading, they feel this is the career for them. For any child who loves animals, So You Want to Be a Veterinarian is the perfect starting place for fueling big career dreams.
