Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built for Pennies

by Margi Preus

First published 2025

Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb practices medicine in northern Wisconsin during the early 1900s, when few women work as doctors. Snow blocks the roads for months each year, and the closest hospital sits more than two hours away. Dr. Kate straps on snowshoes and travels miles through blizzards to reach patients who need her care. She delivers babies in remote cabins and treats families who have nowhere else to turn. Over her career, she brings 4,000 babies into the world. The children she helped deliver grow up remembering her kindness. They organize the Million Penny Parade to raise money for Dr. Kate's dream of building a local hospital. In 1954, Lakeland Memorial Hospital finally opens its doors, with Dr. Kate serving as chief of staff. This picture book biography shows how one determined woman overcame barriers to serve her community.

Genres: biography, 20th-century, childrens, american-history

Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: determined-protagonist, overcoming-barriers, serving-community

Setting: Northern Wisconsin, Lakeland Memorial Hospital

Period: Early 1900s

48 pages · Hardcover · Harry N. Abrams

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