Book Review: The Best Audience: A Lesson about Food Allergies for Young Children

After publishing my post on how to do a class presentation on food allergies, I was contacted by an allergy advocate and author from Ontario, Canada, who had taken notice of my post.  She introduced herself to me as a mom who has a food-allergic son just like myself and informed me that she has been doing classroom presentations ever since 1995!  Her name is Diana Brock and she is the author of The Best Audience which was published last year.  Diana's peanut-allergic son Evan, who illustrated the book with older brother David, is now in college and lives away from home where he successfully manages his food allergies on his own.

Book Review: Taking Food Allergies To School

Contributing GAW writer Michelle K. recently gave a lesson on food allergies to her nut-allergic, seafood-allergic son's class. To read more about Michelle's presentation, check out her previous post.

Taking Food Allergies To School by Ellen Weiner is great for food-allergic children, classmates, teachers, and friends. When I was looking for a food allergy book to read to my son's 2^nd grade class, the title alone immediately caught my attention. It stated my exact intention of taking the topic of food allergies to school and doing a classroom presentation to increase awareness. This book is based on the author's son, Jeffrey, who has multiple food allergies including milk, corn, strawberries, peanuts and anything made with wheat. Jeffrey shows us that having food allergies is just a part of life and that although he must take safety precautions and follow a strict diet, food allergies don't have to interfere with the things kids love to do such as playing sports, going to school, and playing with friends. The book also describes the visible signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction as well as what happens microscopically. It goes as far as to describe the immunologic response to a food allergen, but in a very kid-friendly way. The language involves words such as white blood cells, antibodies, mast cells, and histamines, but the illustrations offset any hint of a strong technical tone by colorfully depicting these cells as having facial expressions. The cells come to life as they interact with each other and the allergen itself. By providing this explanation, I feel that this book reinforces the fact that having a food allergy is not made up, that it is a real thing, and therefore, should be taken seriously. Finally, the author even includes an Allergy-Free Pizza Recipe and a list of Ten Tips for Teachers. For those reasons and more, I think this book would make a great teaching tool for a classroom presentation on food allergies and a perfect donation to any classroom library.

Kian's classmates are now more aware of food allergies, what happens to the body during a reaction, what he has to do to stay safe, and what they can do to keep their food-allergic friends safe! Want to browse through some food allergies books for kids? Come to our Food Allergies Rock event! RSVP on our event page by 8pm PST on Monday October 31 for your chance to win a set of Allergy Alert Stick Ons.

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.

Book Review: Food Allergies

Food Allergies by Christine Taylor-Butler is a straightforward book about -- you guessed it -- food allergies.  The book explains the body' immune system, what allergic reactions might look like, unexpected foods and products that often contain common allergens, food labeling rules, and the risks of cross-contamination.

This is a very detailed book that goes beyond listing the most common food allergens and possible reactions.  My 6-year-old read parts of it by himself and it reinforced his need to avoid food-sharing and be vigilant with label-reading.  Much of the scientific/clinical language (immunoglobulins, antibodies) and in-depth information on government regulation will be too difficult for elementary school readers to fully understand on their own.  This would be good to read with your kids so that you can explain some ideas and gloss over others that are too abstract.  For younger audiences, definitely focus more on the diagrams, photos and accompanying descriptions. 

Common foods with allergens you might not have suspected.

Photo of a girl's swollen eyes during a mild allergic reaction.

This book is actually a terrific read for adults working with food-allergic children.  The visuals in the book are helpful and to the point, especially those that show what a child's body might look like in the midst of an allergic reaction. 

The book asks if it's safe for a peanut-allergic child to eat a friend's cookie.

Photo of a child's swollen lip during an allergic reaction to peanuts.

You can find this book for sale on Amazon.  I am planning to loan this book to Ryken's and Callan's teachers as a quick introduction to the world of food allergies.  I recommend all school libraries should have a copy of this book on their shelves as a resource to its teachers and curious parents. 

Book Reviews: Allie the Allergic Elephant & Cody the Allergic Cow

Cody the Allergic Cow, by Nicole Smith, illustrated by Maggie Nichols

A cow allergic to milk?  Cody is a young cow with a loving family and a passion for soccer, and he happens to have a dairy allergy.  He wears an allergy bracelet, knows to bring his own snacks to games, learns how to identify common milk-based foods, and remembers that having an allergic reaction is no fun.  His mom carries epinephrine in her bag in case of an accidental ingestion.  A simple book for young ones to enjoy and learn from. 

Allie the Allergic Elephant by Nicole Smith, illustrated by Maggie Nichols

Allie is a cute young elephant who is allergic to peanuts!  With simple and engaging language and cartoon-like drawings, little kids will love Allie and her story.  I read it to my boys, 4 and 6, and it prompted a discussion about symptoms of an allergic reaction in a very matter-of-fact way.  I appreciate how the book describes Allie as special and unique because of her allergies.

Book Review: The Peanut-Free Cafe

The Peanut-Free Cafe, a children's picture book by Gloria Koster and illustrated by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

I am starting a series of reviews on children's allergy-themed books with this one because although they seem to be few and far between at the public library, I do know that the San Francisco Public Library shelves this one.  (I'd love to hear if your local library carries it, or whether it would be interested in carrying allergy-themed books like this one).  It could be a great place to start up an open communication with your young ones, or to delve a little deeper with the older set! 

This book tells the story of Grant, a new peanut-allergic student at Nutley School, whose students are all very passionate about their daily peanut butter sandwiches, and Simon, the most passionate of the bunch.  To protect Grant without having to ban peanuts from the school entirely, the principal sets aside a peanut-free table in the cafeteria, which turns out to be a pretty lonely place.  Some of the kids come up with the idea of making the peanut-free table a fun place, and the Peanut-Free Cafe is born--complete with peanut-free snacks, arts and crafts, and entertainment.  It takes Grant a while to come around, but eventually learns that he can live without peanut butter at school, and joins the fun. 

Although the concept of such a peanut-free cafe is a bit far-fetched, a peanut-free zone at school is a great topic of conversation for our families.  At Tristan's school they have a peanut table instead of a peanut-free table, which actually echoes the concept of the book more than a traditional peanut-free table--that is, the party is where the peanuts are not.  It seems to work pretty well, and encourages allergy awareness in a simple way among teachers, staff, students, and their parents. 

Overall, the book is well-written, the illustrations are colorful and fun, and my kids all seem to enjoy it.  I especially like the part in the book that shows a picture of Grant showing his Epipen to his new friends, describing it in kid-friendly language: "It's a shot...Because if I eat just one peanut or anything made with peanut oil, I can't breathe.  I have to take my medicine right away."

Check this book out if you get the chance!