Where were all these cute and important children’s food allergy books when my son was in preschool? HumFree the Bee Has A Food Allergy, will soon be joining my collection of cherished children’s books. I placed my pre-order (they ship in September) last night and I can’t wait. I had the honor of previewing this rhythmic, bright and engaging food allergy awareness book that had me cheering on HumFree as he discovered life could be just as splendid with food allergies. Warning: HumFree’s Food Allergies A-E-I-O-U’s are adorable teaching moments and you’ll want to find a small child – any child- to teach.(NOTE: I’m having some sort of technical difficulty and my paragraph spacing is not working–please forgive–I’m getting help right now).
Gorgeous intricate illustrations, artfully craft by Brain Talbott who brought HumFree’s busy bee energy to life as he battled frustration, realized he was not alone and found solutions for keeping himself safe. I also enjoyed the honor of interviewing author Alison Grace Johansen, A.K.A.
MotherNova, food allergy and parenting blogger extraordinaire.IfollowMotherNova’s blog became a fan of Alison’s motivation andinspirationforHumFree. She shared, “I’ve thought a lot about inclusion. It has kept me up at night. If you keep it simple, at the heart of being included is a collective voice saying: “You belong. You’re important to us. We value you. We want you with us and will take care of you. We’re all in this together. You’re our friend.” Amen! This is what I still try to teach my children: you are important–we value you. I sometimes feel that food allergy children feel un-important and like burdens to classrooms. HumFree shows the world this isn’t true.
“Inclusion means acceptance. It shouldn’t be a privilege but a practice. It should be the norm. But it very often isn’t. So it isn’t going to happen without changing things behind the scenes with lots of planning ahead, preparation, perseverance, education and effective communication,” explained Alison. I couldn’t agree more.
HumFree is darling little bee that Alison said was buzzing through her head and seemed to fit her little super fast son’s energy and excitement. Although, her husband takes credit for finding illustrator, Brian Talbott, Alison created the story in her head and eventually put her pen to paper!
Our sweet hero HumFree is allergic to certain flowers and feared being excluded. Bright and detailed illustrations and delightful words help tell HumFree’s story as he works to find answers. The rhyming words left me wanting to sing out the book. Secret: I’m a super huge children’s book fan and probably have more picture books on my shelf than my children. Picture books are often simple and to the point – a theme I try to embrace.
Alison explained to me, “children’s books can start a dialogue in the most important place–the home. And children can go at their own pace, use their imagination, revisit a page as many times as they want, linger on a concept and dream”. The beauty of HumFree is that this book is an undercover teaching tool. As parents, we have opportunity to address inclusion and begin our teaching of including others. HumFree’s A-E-I-O-U’s provide factual teaching and awareness raising information and should not be skipped over!
I personally believe HumFree would make a great gift for a classroom or friend to be used as a tool to help others understand the exclusion that food allergies can create. Alison believes that far too often awareness is directed at adults and bypassing our littlest advocates. “Books engage children with pictures and ideas. They get them thinking. They can really relate. And that’s when the light bulbs go on. That’s when the magic happens. That’s the start of true awareness.”
I also believe HumFree teaches acceptance and supports the theme of be, (pun intended-I can’t help myself), who you are. I wish every food allergic child experiences that one special moment, where they accept and celebrate who they are–which is an exceptional child, who just happens to have life threatening food allergies, who might wear glasses, jumps high and is fully of energy.
If you have a few minutes, grab a cup of tea and check out HumFree the Bee Has a Food Allergy. It might be another great tool to add to your Life with Food Allergies Tool Box!
Disclaimer: MotherNova did not ask me to review her book, interview her or even gush about HumFree. I contacted her after I saw her previews and I also ordered my own hard copy since I’ve cleared off a spot on the book shelf.
Disclaimer: MotherNova did not ask me to review her book, interview her or even gush about HumFree. I contacted her after I saw her previews and I also ordered my own hard copy since I’ve cleared off a spot on the book shelf.
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
Caroline, like Alison, I believe we need more inclusion too, and who better suited than our youngest advocates. Our children can continue to make all the difference in the world while building character!