As many of my readers know, we have very few good allergy books that target preschoolers. Last week, I was able to take a look at The No Biggie Bunch series, which I received in the mail. Let me just start by saying that the authors have done a fabulous job of delivering the message to our dear little ones, all in a fun setting. I had been checking out the No Biggie Bunch web site with anticipation for the newest addition to the series: Dairy-Free Dino-Licious Dig. My little girl has a severe dairy allergy, among others, and she identified with this one right away. I am impressed by the books and I love the concept of inclusion. The entire series addresses the very issues that we struggle to work through with our kids.
The No Biggie Bunch is written by Heather Mehra and Kerry McManama. It's about a group of six kids who have different food allergies, with the exception of one. 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. Clever and playful, the stories teach kids that with prepared safe snacks and a ready response, the social challenges of food allergies can be easily overcome. The mission of the No Biggie Bunch is as follows(excerpt taken from the books):
The No Biggie Bunch is a diverse group of kids who handle the social challenges of food allergies with poise and panache.
The adventures of Davis, Natalie, Paige, Elliot, Scotty and Greta are neither technical nor medical. Their stories are meant to act as springboards for conversation among children, parents, teachers, friends and family members.
The No Biggie Bunch doesn’t speak about limitations or medications. They focus on allergen-free celebrations and smart preparation.
Focus on Fun and all you can do and pretty soon, you will be saying “No Biggie” too.
As soon as the books arrived, Maya and I sat down to read them. The first thing that caught her eye was the amazing illustrations. With vibrant colours and beautiful artistic style, the book was able to capture her attention for the entire time, from start to finish. Maya particularly loved the Dairy-Free Dino-licious Dig, not only because she is allergic to dairy, but also because she absolutely LOVES anything dinosaur related. She was so excited as we read the story together and her eyes just lit up when she saw the picture of the dinosaur. She kept pointing at all the pretty pictures and most importantly she understood the story, which brings me to the next point. I liked the fact that the stories are simple, straightforward, and very engaging.
The No Biggie Bunch is written by Heather Mehra and Kerry McManama. It's about a group of six kids who have different food allergies, with the exception of one. 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. Clever and playful, the stories teach kids that with prepared safe snacks and a ready response, the social challenges of food allergies can be easily overcome. The mission of the No Biggie Bunch is as follows(excerpt taken from the books):
The No Biggie Bunch is a diverse group of kids who handle the social challenges of food allergies with poise and panache.
The adventures of Davis, Natalie, Paige, Elliot, Scotty and Greta are neither technical nor medical. Their stories are meant to act as springboards for conversation among children, parents, teachers, friends and family members.
The No Biggie Bunch doesn’t speak about limitations or medications. They focus on allergen-free celebrations and smart preparation.
Focus on Fun and all you can do and pretty soon, you will be saying “No Biggie” too.
As soon as the books arrived, Maya and I sat down to read them. The first thing that caught her eye was the amazing illustrations. With vibrant colours and beautiful artistic style, the book was able to capture her attention for the entire time, from start to finish. Maya particularly loved the Dairy-Free Dino-licious Dig, not only because she is allergic to dairy, but also because she absolutely LOVES anything dinosaur related. She was so excited as we read the story together and her eyes just lit up when she saw the picture of the dinosaur. She kept pointing at all the pretty pictures and most importantly she understood the story, which brings me to the next point. I liked the fact that the stories are simple, straightforward, and very engaging.
In the case of Dairy-Free Dino-Licious Dig, the story starts with Davis and Natalie who are going excavating to find a dinosaur. It shortly progresses to the main theme of the story, which is snack time. Natalie and Davis are hungry and each of them grabs a snack from their individual No Biggie Bags. Davis pulls out his dairy free snack while Natalie grabs her cheese crackers. The story focuses on Davis's dairy allergy and emphasizes that Davis is allergic to the milk in the cheese, something that I found lacking in other allergy books. The message that comes across is not that cheese causes an allergy but that the allergy is to the milk in the cheese, and so something like soy cheese or rice cheese can be safe, and that anything else (not just cheese) that contains milk is not safe for children with dairy allergies. The story goes on to explain that Davis cannot share snacks because he is allergic, something that most allergy parents try to teach their kids; sharing is a confusing issue for allergic children. One of the most important things about the story is the approach to the challenges of having an allergy in a social setting. It teaches children that food allergies will not dampen their experience if they are prepared with safe snacks and a positive attitude. Simple, yet brilliant.
In a similar fashion, Sports-Tastic Birthday Party addresses a common obstacle for allergy parents, namely birthday parties. The story is about Scotty (who's allergic to soy) and how he celebrates his birthday with the rest of the No Biggie Bunch. It starts off with them playing soccer and then focuses on the food theme: birthday cake. The children handle their respective allergies by showing the group what they each brought as a treat. The story also introduces a new idea; the premise that treats do not necessarily have to resemble the birthday cake, but can be anything else, like favourite fruits or safe candy. The lesson here is that the possibilities are endless. Just because everyone else is having a cupcake doesn't mean I can't have gummy bears instead.
Peanut-Free Tea for Three is about Paige, Eliot, and Greta who are having a tea party. What I liked about this one is that it addressed a common concern for children with allergies; cross contamination. At one point during the story, the children all agree that Paige cannot use the jar of jelly someone brought from home because it might be contaminated with peanut residue. In the end, they all enjoy drinking juice and having their safe snacks.
The other book in the series is Trade-or-Treat Halloween. My little girl took to that one right away. She really enjoys Halloween, trick or treating, costumes, pumpkins, spooky ghosts and all. So this book was right up her alley. The story starts off with the No Biggie Bunch going trick or treating together. It focuses on some of the individual allergies, but the main theme of the story is the fact that all the characters can trade their unsafe candy for safe treats. More unsafe candy means more safe treats and that's what the children are excited about, the possibilities of what they can get in return for trading. It teaches them that Halloween is still a fun event, even without candy.
Some of the other things I loved about the entire series and what I thought were quite creative and unique, are the questions in the back of the book after the story ends. Questions such as "How would you trade-or-treat your Halloween candy?" and "Which safe snacks and supplies would you pack for your dinosaur dig?" with a picture of three items and the No Biggie Bag underneath, allow children the opportunity to identify what they think is the correct answer for them. It gives them a measure of control over their allergy and the opportunity to choose from among a variety of options. After reading the stories, Maya was able to guess the correct answer for her, which was the dairy free snacks. I am so proud of her.
Another thing that I think is absolutely brilliant is the subtle but powerful image on the inside front flap which displays Nutritional Facts, and whimsically lists Ingredients and Contains warnings. It looks exactly like the label you would find on any food product, and it really gets kids familiar with the idea of reading labels and what they look like. In fact, I think that this should have been included in the actual book because sometimes the flap can be lost but the idea itself proves how much thought and care went into creating those books.
Last but not least, is the quality of the paper and the fact that the book is in hardcover. I love children's books that are in hardcover because it makes them more durable. The paper does not feel cheap and has a nice glossy look to it which makes the illustrations more appealing, not that they needed any help in that department. Even I thought the illustrations were great, and I'm an adult. Maya fell in love with the books from the moment she looked at the first picture.
The No Biggie Bunch series is a fantastic addition to any kid's library. For children with food allergies, I think it's essential. It teaches kids that anyone can have a food allergy, that it's not ethnicity or gender specific and most importantly, that they are not alone, that others suffer from food allergies as well. The books really put emphasis on the fact that although allergies make us different, they don't make us any less special, that although allergies are serious, it is possible to overcome the social challenges. What I like most about the series, is the inclusion of everyone, those who are allergic and those who aren't and the premise that food does not have to be the focus of any gathering, but that it is more important to focus on family, friends, and all the other good and fun things you can do.
In summary, the style of the books is very simple and direct with great illustrations. My 3 year old understood the stories as I read them to her. It teaches kids to take control of their allergies and promotes their creativity by displaying how the characters are able to handle their allergies in different social settings that involve food. At $14.99 US each, the books are invaluable and a worthy addition to your child's collection. I intend to buy the entire collection for my little girl, and there is already some talk within our local community about suggesting the series for school classrooms and daycare facilities. As far as I know, the books can be ordered through Amazon.com though the prices of shipping and customs make it quite expensive for Canadian consumers and that's the only complaint I have. I really would like to see the books sold through Canadian bookstores. Other than that, the books are perfect. The fact that Maya would not put them down and asked me to read them to her over and over again is typically a sure sign that they have become a big hit.
Note: In the spirit of full disclosure, the author has provided me with the entire series, free of charge, to review and pass along to the local allergy community as well as the AAIA.
Another thing that I think is absolutely brilliant is the subtle but powerful image on the inside front flap which displays Nutritional Facts, and whimsically lists Ingredients and Contains warnings. It looks exactly like the label you would find on any food product, and it really gets kids familiar with the idea of reading labels and what they look like. In fact, I think that this should have been included in the actual book because sometimes the flap can be lost but the idea itself proves how much thought and care went into creating those books.
Last but not least, is the quality of the paper and the fact that the book is in hardcover. I love children's books that are in hardcover because it makes them more durable. The paper does not feel cheap and has a nice glossy look to it which makes the illustrations more appealing, not that they needed any help in that department. Even I thought the illustrations were great, and I'm an adult. Maya fell in love with the books from the moment she looked at the first picture.
The No Biggie Bunch series is a fantastic addition to any kid's library. For children with food allergies, I think it's essential. It teaches kids that anyone can have a food allergy, that it's not ethnicity or gender specific and most importantly, that they are not alone, that others suffer from food allergies as well. The books really put emphasis on the fact that although allergies make us different, they don't make us any less special, that although allergies are serious, it is possible to overcome the social challenges. What I like most about the series, is the inclusion of everyone, those who are allergic and those who aren't and the premise that food does not have to be the focus of any gathering, but that it is more important to focus on family, friends, and all the other good and fun things you can do.
In summary, the style of the books is very simple and direct with great illustrations. My 3 year old understood the stories as I read them to her. It teaches kids to take control of their allergies and promotes their creativity by displaying how the characters are able to handle their allergies in different social settings that involve food. At $14.99 US each, the books are invaluable and a worthy addition to your child's collection. I intend to buy the entire collection for my little girl, and there is already some talk within our local community about suggesting the series for school classrooms and daycare facilities. As far as I know, the books can be ordered through Amazon.com though the prices of shipping and customs make it quite expensive for Canadian consumers and that's the only complaint I have. I really would like to see the books sold through Canadian bookstores. Other than that, the books are perfect. The fact that Maya would not put them down and asked me to read them to her over and over again is typically a sure sign that they have become a big hit.
Note: In the spirit of full disclosure, the author has provided me with the entire series, free of charge, to review and pass along to the local allergy community as well as the AAIA.
