The Day I Met The Nuts
The book is a great little story of a boy who has a reaction to nuts at a birthday party and comes to understand he will need to avoid nuts for the rest of his life. He goes through disappointment and anger on his way to understanding and acceptance, helped along by supportive friends and members of his community. I love that the boy gets to express all of his emotions and that message at the end is that the boy feels good. In my home, we eat a lot of nuts because we can. My son and I can't eat gluten, and I can't eat dairy (the jury is still out for my little one). The message of this book is less literal for us and more about the fact that everyone needs to do what is right for his or her body. The book can appeal to anyone with any food issue, health issue or challenge in general. I haven't yet read the book to my son but have given copies to two friends and will get a third in the mail soon to another friend. I don't think our time has come yet for needing the book, but I'm very glad to have it in our collection. home. I keep trying to convey what this book shows, that eating a certain way is not a sentence to a less-than life. It does require careful attention, but the goal is health and happiness. We all have different needs to be our best selves. I'm glad that we'll have this book to turn to address our own issues or to help him understand about other friends' allergies. Thanks to author Mary for a great contribution to our library! Jessica Claire Haney --Writer of Mama's Mouth blog and for The Washington Times CommunitiesThis is a tale of a youngster learning to live a full and healthy life in the absence of nuts. Director of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Hopkins Children s, Dr. Robert Wood is conducting numerous studies in the field of food allergy and predicts that we are 10-20 years away from a treatment for food allergies that would allow patients to eat the foods to which they are allergic. Earth Day Publishing's terrific investment in food allergy research at Hopkins Children s, via their book sales, he says, is another great example of a creative way to give. Jennifer Balzano and Dr. Wood --Johns Hopkins Children's CenterThis is a story about a young boy who discovers he is allergic to nuts while at a friend's birthday party. Being that birthday parties are top-notch events in a child's life, author Mary Rand Hess grabs her audience from page one. As an added treat, the illustrations in the book blend perfectly with the text, providing even more entertainment to the reader's delight. I read the story to my son and daughters ages 3, 4 and 6. They enjoyed it so much that they asked me to read it twice! My little ones couldn't wait to find out how the boy would survive such a huge change in his life and still be all right. Of course they knew he would be all right because Mary, a mother of two young boys herself, expertly places just the right amount of love and support in the the mother's character in the story. You hear the mom urging her son along, as he gradually takes his life back from the nuts. There is a comical tone in much of the book and my 6 year old didn't hesitate to chuckle throughout. My 4 year old loved the animal pictures and my 3 year old was totally in tune with the boy's feelings, as he had recently had an allergic reaction to skin cream. The book is a fun read and an inspiring tale. It captures the true essence of childhood emotion. Onjeinika Brooks --Polly and Meek blogA rash-spotted face isn't charming, particularly if it's your child. But cheeks inflamed with hives are the start of a charming children s book, The Day I Met the Nuts (Story Pie Press), by Mary Rand Hess with illustrations by Candice Hartsough McDonald. Here's the story of a little boy's first encounter with a nut allergy, from his initial reaction and the rush to the doctor's office to what happens at school and acceptance by the wider community. This easy-to-read book is a fun take on a serious topic from a writer who is, by the way, allergic to nuts. The Day I Met the Nuts helps little ones come to terms with a food allergy. --Living Without Magazine's Favorite Books: The First Time by Laurel Green...a captivating book about a boy and the day of his first nut reaction. --Allergic Living Magazine