Hospitalization for the school-age child (age 6–12) is a time of crisis that can impact achievement of normal developmental tasks as well as self-esteem. Many stressors are inherent in the hospital experience of the child and include concern about physical harm, separation, the unknown, and loss of autonomy. Art, an acceptable form of play or fantasy for the school-age child, can assist him to cope with hospitalization. An autobriographical scrapbook is one coping strategy that not only nurtures creativity in intellectual and physical development but also serves as a ventilatory mechanism. Participating with the child in creating the scrapbook allows the nurse to assess perceptions and adjustment of the child to the hospital experience. In assisting the child, the nurse gives him a positive feeling about nurses and the entire hospitalization experience.