Books for Children
Most of the children's books listed on this page include publisher's descriptions or reviews by others. I wrote my own reviews only for the ones I've read, and indicated beside the title the rating I gave each book. If it does not have a rating, then I haven't read it yet or don't own it.
The Bugabees: Friends with Food Allergies
This is a story about 8 friends with food allergies. It focuses on the daily routines of best buggy friends such as Beetle, Cricket and Butterfly, as they each deal with their food allergies. The entire tone of the book is very positive and teaches kids that they can enjoy life despite their food allergies. Toddlers will most likely find the book quite entertaining, with colourful pictures and fun rhyming verses. The characters are based on the top 8 food allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, milk, soy, eggs and wheat. I especially liked the additional activities in the back of the book, particularly the ones that pointed out examples of allergenic foods. It inspires further learning and teaching opportunities for young children and their parents. Another bonus is the fact that the book is in hardcover, which makes it more durable in the hands of little toddlers. I highly recommend The BugaBees for children with multiple food allergies.
This is a story about 8 friends with food allergies. It focuses on the daily routines of best buggy friends such as Beetle, Cricket and Butterfly, as they each deal with their food allergies. The entire tone of the book is very positive and teaches kids that they can enjoy life despite their food allergies. Toddlers will most likely find the book quite entertaining, with colourful pictures and fun rhyming verses. The characters are based on the top 8 food allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, milk, soy, eggs and wheat. I especially liked the additional activities in the back of the book, particularly the ones that pointed out examples of allergenic foods. It inspires further learning and teaching opportunities for young children and their parents. Another bonus is the fact that the book is in hardcover, which makes it more durable in the hands of little toddlers. I highly recommend The BugaBees for children with multiple food allergies.
A Day at the Playground
This book focuses on teaching kids to avoid sharing foods and touching garbage or wrappers on the ground. It's mainly geared towards children under five. It's written in a very simple and direct format. It does not cater to any one specific allergy, rather talks about how to avoid an allergic reaction regardless of what a child is allergic to. The book provides advice in a fun setting and has a bit of a ryhme to it along with some colourful artwork. What I liked about the book is that it points out areas of concern that people often don't think about; the type of things that extend beyond the safety of the classroom or home. I also liked the emphasis on washing hands not only before food but also after eating and playing outside. It's short and was able to hold the attention span of my little girl. It also has a happy ending and an Allergy Awareness Plan on the last page. I would definitely recommend A Day at the Playground for children who are getting ready to attend daycare or school.
This book focuses on teaching kids to avoid sharing foods and touching garbage or wrappers on the ground. It's mainly geared towards children under five. It's written in a very simple and direct format. It does not cater to any one specific allergy, rather talks about how to avoid an allergic reaction regardless of what a child is allergic to. The book provides advice in a fun setting and has a bit of a ryhme to it along with some colourful artwork. What I liked about the book is that it points out areas of concern that people often don't think about; the type of things that extend beyond the safety of the classroom or home. I also liked the emphasis on washing hands not only before food but also after eating and playing outside. It's short and was able to hold the attention span of my little girl. It also has a happy ending and an Allergy Awareness Plan on the last page. I would definitely recommend A Day at the Playground for children who are getting ready to attend daycare or school.
Abby the Alley Cat - Staying Safe from Dairy
This book focuses on one allergy: dairy. The overall message is diluted by an emphasis on only three dairy by-products: milk, butter, and cheese. I was bothered by a particular verse in the book, one that stated "Abby could eat anything she pleased except milk, butter or cheese." I thought it was misleading, as we often try to teach kids to read labels or ask parents to make sure a food is allergen free. Milk protein is not just in a glass of milk, tub of butter, or slice of cheese. I thought it dismissed other cheese options, such as soy or rice cheese. The illustrations are colourful and it has some rhyming verses. Despite that, it failed to capture my toddler's attention. In fact, she stopped half way through and asked for another book. Abby the Alley Cat might be useful if your child is only allergic to milk, but for children with multiple food allergies, I would not recommend it. The only saving grace is a page at the end that has a list of milk names and web sites about food allergies.
This book focuses on one allergy: dairy. The overall message is diluted by an emphasis on only three dairy by-products: milk, butter, and cheese. I was bothered by a particular verse in the book, one that stated "Abby could eat anything she pleased except milk, butter or cheese." I thought it was misleading, as we often try to teach kids to read labels or ask parents to make sure a food is allergen free. Milk protein is not just in a glass of milk, tub of butter, or slice of cheese. I thought it dismissed other cheese options, such as soy or rice cheese. The illustrations are colourful and it has some rhyming verses. Despite that, it failed to capture my toddler's attention. In fact, she stopped half way through and asked for another book. Abby the Alley Cat might be useful if your child is only allergic to milk, but for children with multiple food allergies, I would not recommend it. The only saving grace is a page at the end that has a list of milk names and web sites about food allergies.
The No Biggie Bunch
The smart and whimsical stories of The No Biggie Bunch teach kids when they're prepared with safe snacks and a ready response, the social challenges of food allergies are "No Biggie"! The characters are comprised of Paige who's allergic to Peanuts, Eliot who's allergic to Eggs, Scotty, who's allergic to Soy, Davis who's allergic to Dairy, Greta who's allergic to Gluten, and Natalie who has No allergies. You can also buy the books from Amazon's US web site.
The smart and whimsical stories of The No Biggie Bunch teach kids when they're prepared with safe snacks and a ready response, the social challenges of food allergies are "No Biggie"! The characters are comprised of Paige who's allergic to Peanuts, Eliot who's allergic to Eggs, Scotty, who's allergic to Soy, Davis who's allergic to Dairy, Greta who's allergic to Gluten, and Natalie who has No allergies. You can also buy the books from Amazon's US web site.
Aaron's Awful Allergies
Aaron loves his house full of pets, but when he is diagnosed with allergies, he must find new homes for his dog, cats, and guinea pigs. While he is upset at having to do so, he eventually realizes that his goldfish is fun, as are the butterflies and frogs he finds outside. The text only touches on the actual discussion of allergies, focusing more on the child's feelings. The tone of the writing is warm, and the colorful gouache illustrations add humorous touches while capturing Aaron's devastation at losing his beloved animals and his gradual acceptance of his problem. A useful book to help young allergy sufferers to realize that there is indeed life after furry pets.
Aaron loves his house full of pets, but when he is diagnosed with allergies, he must find new homes for his dog, cats, and guinea pigs. While he is upset at having to do so, he eventually realizes that his goldfish is fun, as are the butterflies and frogs he finds outside. The text only touches on the actual discussion of allergies, focusing more on the child's feelings. The tone of the writing is warm, and the colorful gouache illustrations add humorous touches while capturing Aaron's devastation at losing his beloved animals and his gradual acceptance of his problem. A useful book to help young allergy sufferers to realize that there is indeed life after furry pets.
Avoiding Milk Protein Book List
Karen Blue from Avoiding Milk Protein has a very extensive book section listed on her web site. She provides links to not only dairy allergy books, but ones addressing other allergies as well, and various authors' web sites. It is worth checking out, especially if you would like to read reviews of some of those books before you buy them. She links to other bloggers' reviews of a selection of books. However, many of the books are not available in Canadian bookstores and you would only be able to purchase them via the American web sites. Keep in mind that for those books, the links are to web sites in the USA. Hence, the prices are in American dollars and do not reflect shipping or duty charges on shipments sent to Canadian addresses.
Karen Blue from Avoiding Milk Protein has a very extensive book section listed on her web site. She provides links to not only dairy allergy books, but ones addressing other allergies as well, and various authors' web sites. It is worth checking out, especially if you would like to read reviews of some of those books before you buy them. She links to other bloggers' reviews of a selection of books. However, many of the books are not available in Canadian bookstores and you would only be able to purchase them via the American web sites. Keep in mind that for those books, the links are to web sites in the USA. Hence, the prices are in American dollars and do not reflect shipping or duty charges on shipments sent to Canadian addresses.
AAIA's Children's Books
The AAIA has a number of books on various allergies for children. Those include Alexander and Allie the elephants who are allergic to peanuts, Lenny the lion and Cody the cow who are allergic to dairy, Suzie's sister, Sally, who is allergic to fish, and Chad the chipmunk who is allergic to tree nuts. They also have books for older children, such as Anthony who goes to a restaurant and Kim who goes to camp.
The AAIA has a number of books on various allergies for children. Those include Alexander and Allie the elephants who are allergic to peanuts, Lenny the lion and Cody the cow who are allergic to dairy, Suzie's sister, Sally, who is allergic to fish, and Chad the chipmunk who is allergic to tree nuts. They also have books for older children, such as Anthony who goes to a restaurant and Kim who goes to camp.
Anaphylaxis Canada's Children's Books
Same as AAIA, also "One of the Gang" (focuses more on the emotional aspect of living with allergies) and "No Nuts for Me", (nut allergy story).
Same as AAIA, also "One of the Gang" (focuses more on the emotional aspect of living with allergies) and "No Nuts for Me", (nut allergy story).
