This is a charming story about a little boy's circumcision but don't you think it needs a sequel, in which Jake has "that other operation that boys have?" The storyline is really suggested by "Pediatric". Jake could get the injections in a totally casual way (e.g. from the school nurse) and only later come to the realisation that - with some others in his peer group) he was growing up without testicles. Somewhere along the line his foster-mother might say "We figured you'd be happier without those nasty balls, honey".

When I was Jake's age my mother used to tell me that it was quite common to "operate on a little boy's 'doodle' to keep his voice high and prevent him ever doing 'rude things'. A boy who was going to be an attendant to a princess would have to pay a visit to the doctor to be "suitably pruned" i.e. get his little balls taken out.

C van D