Each May, Food Allergy Awareness Month provides an opportunity to promote awareness of food allergies and anaphylaxis. It is also a chance for individuals and families living with food allergies to celebrate their strength and inspire each other. Check out these books if you are looking for connection, to refresh your education or just for a new allergen-free recipe.
When Daniel Tiger tries peaches for the first time, he immediately develops a reaction. His pediatrician, Dr. Anna, helps him feel better and learn how to stay safe when you have a food allergy. Daniel Has an Allergy is a great book for introducing toddlers and preschoolers to the concept of food allergies.
Violet and the Crumbs is about a girl who feels different from her classmates after being diagnosed with celiac disease and adopting a strict gluten-free diet. Celiac disease is not an allergy to gluten. However, wheat is one of nine allergens that cause 90% of all food allergy reactions. Violet decides to share gluten-free snacks with her classmates at the Harvest Festival. Her friends have a lot of questions at first, but they eventually understand and outings get easier for Violet.
The main character in This Makes Me Happy is a little girl with a nut allergy who goes on a field trip to the County Fair. When all of her classmates buy treats at the bake sale and she can't, she feels left out. Her teacher, who also has allergies, helps her find other ways to get involved. Reflecting on her day, the little girl feels happy that she was able to do so many other fun things.
Piper Green is excited to be Pie Girl and serve pecan pie at the Peek-a-Boo Island potluck dinner. When she starts touching the pecans to make the pies look extra special, she has an allergic reaction. If that wasn’t bad enough, during the potluck she gets trapped in the pitch-black lower level of the boat. Could an eye patch left by fairies from the special tree in her front yard somehow help Piper get back to safety?
In the book Itch, sixth-grader Isaac “Itch” Fitch is trying hard to fit in, despite his idiopathic angioedema. He has a best friend, Sydney, but things get complicated when a sandwich trade at lunch causes Sydney to have an allergic reaction so severe she needs to be hospitalized. This book, based on the author and her family's experiences, is exceptional for featuring multiple characters with different food allergies who each demonstrate the importance of advocating themselves and their safety.
Fearless Food has over sixty kid and family-friendly recipes divided into breakfast, snack, side, main dish and dessert categories. Each recipe is accompanied by a full-color photo and a list of the major allergens that are avoided. This approachable, allergy-sensitive cookbook stands out because it is organized for recipe browsing and cooking together as a family.
Are there any books or resources you would recommend for children and families living with food allergies?
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