A Cure for the Hiccups

Is it possible to have the hiccups forever? In this delightfully fun picture book, a determined kid who’s good at everything discovers that being patient and taking a deep breath may be the perfect place to start.

When Max gets a persistent case of the hiccups, she tries everything to make them go away. She tries holding her breath. She tries drinking water upside down. She tries standing on her head and doing a somersault, but nothing works. “The only way to get rid of the hiccups is to wait,” says her grandmother. But Max doesn’t have time to wait!

Soon, her imagination runs wild. What if she sets a record for the longest case of hiccups? Will doctors study her? Will babies stare at her? And what if, when she becomes president, the entire world hears her hiccup? But then, she starts to listen to the leaves rustling in the wind and feels the sun on her face. She takes a breath, she pauses, she waits…and the unexpected occurs.

Jennifer E. Smith’s imaginative and funny picture book, with bright illustrations by Brandon James Scott, reminds children—and adults—that discovering the solution to a problem sometimes requires taking a few breaths and slowing down.