Book Review: Food Allergies and Me

If you have food-allergic kids or teach pre-K or lower elementary grades, I highly recommend having a copy of Juniper Skinner's Food Allergies and Me in your library as the new school year gets underway.  It is a terrific book for educating young children about food allergies.  I liked it so much I'm working on getting our local library to order copies for its parent resources collection!

I found the book's simple language and amount of information to be perfect for my 3-year-old who knows that he has food allergies but still isn't always so savvy enough to avoid potentially dangerous situations. 

Having already heard the story, Callan's understanding grows by reviewing the pictures.

The book was helpful to my veteran 6-year-old because it reiterates very important rules: never share food, always have mom, dad, or a qualified caregiver check labels, and always tell a grown-up right away if you feel sick.  I also appreciate how the boy's allergies are presented as simply one aspect of his life.  Everyone -- allergies or not -- is different in some way.

Kids must "investigate" with adult assistance in order to be sure a food is safe.

Last thing, I love that the book was written in first person.  Very kid-friendly and read like a true story.  It resonated with my kids because it is a reflection of their lives with food allergies. 

Author Juniper Skinner is a mom of two kids, one of whom has multiple food, dander, and pollen allergies.  To find out more about the woman and kids behind the book, check out Juniper's witty blog, This Little Piggy Went to Farmers Market.