This book won the first place at the 2018  Royal Dragonfly Book Award in the e-Book category on Health.

A little story that addresses in the mind of a child a subject that touches them during all their social activities. I really like the game of emotion that is totally similar to those where each child goes. a simple reading and easy to understand.

When my son was about ten, he cut his hand with a box cutter. I rushed him over to a doctor to assess and fix the damage. I don’t know who was more upset, but in this case I’m sure it was me, his mom. Once we got there and the doctor was looking at his hand, she had to keep asking him to move his head so she could see the cut to take care of it. He was fascinated with the cut, the stiches and everything she was doing. What I know is that not every child behaves in the same way he did. Many, if not most, are more like I was, traumatized by a doctor visit whatever the issue.
The Felix and Booboo stories can put both a parent and a child’s mind at ease about their visits to the doctor. It’s usually scary—a check-up, a vaccination, a broken arm. All of these seem to bring pain, and if you don’t know what’s happening and why, it’s even scarier.  The Felix and Booboo series, written by a teaching family doctor, help to alleviate some if not most of the fear.
I’d highly recommend reading the books together, parent and child, well before any doctor’s visit. The fun, easy to read, stories tell both parent and child what to expect, what a doctor is looking for, and why things work the way they do. Those of us who aren’t in the medical field often don’t have any idea what the tools of the trade are and why they are used. These books are colorful and make the tools into friends with names and characters. Everything, then, becomes more friendly and easier to understand. Enjoy Felix and Booboo and all their other friends. Make a trip to the doctor and enjoyable experience for both of you.
By the way, that son who cut his hand now runs a medical clinic for the Air Force. He really did become fascinated with what healers do.
         

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Special Food for Sam (ePub)" by Dr. Nicole.]

4 out of 4 stars Share This Review

I've been blessed in life. As a child I was allergic to peaches, and I have a very mild (if not nonexistent) allergy to bees, but otherwise I'm entirely allergy free! Woohoo! However, I have known people with allergies and seen first hand how they affect their lives. I've seen my ex sit for over an hour in immense pain every time she accidentally ingested the slightest amount of gluten, and my fiancé has dealt with allergies her entire life, from food allergens to scents. Allergies are awful, and coincidentally we recently had a conversation about how people with allergies are often mocked and told they're merely being sensitive.

That mindset makes books like Special Food for Sam: Allergies by Dr. Nicole Audet so important. Dr. Nicole is a family doctor and children's book author who focuses on various health concepts, illnesses and injuries. There are eight books in the Felix and Booboo series, and they feature young Felix and his magical doctor's bag that's full of various things a doctor would use, but they're all cute animate objects with names and personalities. Booboo is the stethoscope, but there are also others including Hot, the thermometer; Mr. Long, the measuring tape; and Toc, the reflex hammer.

In Special Food for Sam: Allergies, the focus is clearly allergies. Sam has won a gold medal in soccer, and Felix offers to bake him some cookies as a reward. That's when Sam springs his big surprise on him: he's allergic to eggs, nuts and cow milk. That's not going to make baking cookies very easy at all, but Felix doesn't want to let him down!

The writing in Special Food for Sam: Allergies walks that thin line between educational and still comprehendible for children. The various characters manage to discuss what allergies are, what happens when someone who's allergic to something comes in contact with their allergen and whether or not allergies are contagious. In Felix and Booboo's world, it seems like everything is alive, and the eggs, milk and nuts get upset as they watch cookies being made without them. They even go as far as to explain how nuts are full of Omega-3, how milk is rich in calcium and how eggs prevent cookies from being hard and flat. While all of that learning is happening, it's still very entertaining, and for those who enjoy doing voices while they read aloud they'll have plenty of fun opportunities here.

The illustrations are also lovely. Mylène Villeneuve did a fantastic job with the expressions on characters' faces: I could feel the rage on Milky's face when she learned she wouldn't be in the cookies, and I could see the concern on Felix's face when he asks if he can catch Sam's allergies by touching him. I reviewed a digital version of the book on my phone, so the images were all rather small, but even there I was easily able to read the words on the pages.

I really enjoyed Special Food for Sam: Allergies, and it's something I hope lots of kids read so they can learn how dangerous allergies can be. The recommended age on Amazon is 4-9, and I agree with that, especially if you're willing to help answer questions younger children might have. I do wish some things were explained a little more; Omega-3, lactose and calcium are all mentioned but not defined. Everything else is explained very well, and these can easily be looked up online if you don't have knowledge about them already. This is absolutely the only flaw I saw with the book, so I'm happy to give it 4 out of 4 stars. People who have kids with allergies probably won't need this book for their children, but if your kids have ever asked why they can't bring peanuts or peanut butter to school, this is a perfect way to explain it to them.

Special Food for Sam: Allergies (Felix and Booboo), by Dr. Nicole Audet, is about a boy named Felix who offers to bake cookies to share with his soccer team. One of his friends on the soccer team, Sam, is allergic to nuts, eggs and cow’s milk. This makes finding a suitable recipe a little more difficult, but he is able to get one from Sam's mother. Felix's friend, Booboo, and his magical doctor's bag help him to bake the cookies safely. The eggs, nuts, and cow's milk are confused and a little hurt that they are being excluded from the recipe, but Mr. Long explained about the allergies that Sam had and what could happen to him if he ate them. Mr. Long helped them understand why they were excluded from the recipe and made them feel better. Felix takes the cookies to his soccer team and shares them with everyone the next day. Sam was especially grateful for the cookies.

I chose this book to review because it touched on something in my life. My nephew is deathly allergic to nuts and he had a few very close calls because people in his school did not understand about allergies. This book does an excellent job of relating this important topic to youngsters in a way that is fun and engaging. The pictures in the book are beautifully done and partner with the written words perfectly. I also really liked the quiz provided at the end that summarizes the main points in the book. This will make it a good tool in the classroom for teachers as well as at home for parents. Well done!