Books About Severe Food Allergies For Children of All Ages

Explaining severe food allergies to kids is a challenge; explaining to their peers is even harder. Whether you're a parent just trying to get a handle on your child's severe food allergies, or a teen learning to self-advocate, there are a ton of books out there for you. 

Here's a round-up of great books about severe allergies and anaphylaxis for kids of all ages (and parents) that can be purchased or borrowed from your local library:

Pre-School to Grade 3

Allie the Allergic Elephant by Nicole Smith

Allie teaches children and adults about allergic reactions, and helps people understand the severity of food allergies. This book discusses how peanuts can be hidden in foods, and how kids can say, “No, thank you” to foods offered to them by children and adults.

The BugaBees: Friends With Food Allergies by Amy Recob

A cute rhyming tale, and beautifully illustrated, this book is about eight little friends with different food allergies. It teaches young kids how to deal with their allergies at home, at school, and out and about.

The BugyBops: Friends for All Time by Amy Recob

I love that this book brings friends into the mix! It teaches kids how they can keep their allergic friends safe through things like hand-washing and reading labels. It covers severe food allergies to things like peanuts, shellfish, milk, eggs, soy and wheat, and even discusses cross-contamination, signs of allergic reactions, use of EpiPen and more! The website for this series is also entertaining.

Chad the Allergic Chipmunk by Nicole Smith

Chad teaches readers about tree nut allergies. The book discusses nut allergies in a very understandable, accessible way.

Cody the Allergic Cow by Nicole Smith

Cody helps kids understand milk allergies and how to recognize an allergic reaction. It’s a great addition to a classroom library.

Mommy, Is This Safe to Eat? A Guide for Preschoolers Allergic to Peanuts and Tree Nuts by Christina Black

Ricky is a three-year-old boy with a severe food allergy. This book shows kids how to stay safe when at the playground or birthday parties, and teaches them to always ask before they eat anything. It also has helpful tips for parents when searching for babysitters or preschools, and when eating at restaurants.

Starting School with a Food Allergy by Christina Black

This is a handy book for kids heading to elementary school. It primarily focuses on peanut allergies, but the gist of the information is the same for any severe food allergy.

Grade 1 to Grade 4

The No Biggie Bunch by Heather Mehra, Kerry McManama, and Michael Kline

This is a series of books that aims to help kids deal with their severe food allergies with “poise and panache.” They provide creative ways for kids to navigate life with food allergies.

No Lobster, Please!
 A Story of a Child with a Severe Seafood Allergy by Robyn Rogers

Adorably illustrated by a class of grade one kids, this book addresses severe seafood allergies, and the use of EpiPen.

One of the Gang: Nurturing the Souls of Children with Food Allergies by Gina Clowes

Clowes is one of the only authors to address the emotional impact of severe food allergies on kids. This book discusses how integral food is to our society’s celebrations, and how exclusion can impact kids. It’s a great way to teach other kids and adults how to be more inclusive.

The Peanut Butter Jam 
by Elizabeth Sussman Nassau

This is the story of Sam, a little boy who has a severe allergy to peanuts. He’s in a jam when his classmates use peanut butter for a project, and readers learn about anaphylactic reactions.

The Peanut Pickle 
by Jessica Jacbos

This book helps kids learn to explain their severe allergies to others, and how to deal with potentially awkward situations that may arise. It also has a guide for parents to help their kids deal with their severe allergies.

The Princess and the Peanut Allergy
 by Wendy McClure

This is the story of a little girl who is invited to a friend’s birthday party but can’t go anywhere near the cake because of her severe nut allergy. It’s a good story about how friends can help kids with severe allergies.

Grade 5 to Grade 9

Peanut Butter, Milk, and Other Deadly Threats: What You Should Know About
 Food Allergies 
by Sherri Mabry Gordon

This books goes into further detail about what severe food allergies are, how testing is done, and how the body reacts during an allergic reaction. It offers tips to older kids for living safely.

Teens

Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies by Sloane Miller

A great resource for teens, this guide helps them self-advocate and manage severe food allergies in everyday adult life. Miller covers everything from dining out to dating.

For Parents

Caring for Your Child With Severe Food Allergies: Emotional Support and Practical Advice from a Parent Who’s Been There by Lisa Cipriano Collins

Food allergies can be life-threatening, and parents are often completely overwhelmed when their child is diagnosed. This book, by another parent of an allergic child, covers all kinds of situations, experiences, and feelings parents may have when dealing with severe allergies. It covers everything from identifying allergies to developing community awareness. Very handy!

Feeding Eden: The Trials and Triumphs of a Food Allergy Family by Susan Weissman

Weissman has a written poignant memoir of her son’s potentially deadly food allergies and has captured everything a parent of an allergic child feels. From diagnosis through management, her story will definitely hit home with allergy parents.

Food Allergies for Dummies by Robert Wood, M.D.
and Joe Kraynak

A handy resource from an allergist with a peanut allergy.

How Food Allergies Affect the Family: How to Cope, Stay Safe and
 Enjoy Life! by Nicole Smith

This inexpensive download is a great intro to severe food allergies for parents. It’s such a daunting diagnosis that can have a huge impact on families, but severe food allergies are totally manageable, and Smith discusses finding the new “normal.”

Hope you find the books as informative and helpful as we have!