Follow Here To Purchase Fabulous Me, Piper Lee And The Peanut Butter Itch

Author: Tolya L. Thompson
Illustrator: Terence Gaylor
Publisher: Savor Publishing House
ISBN: 978-0-9708296-7-2

“Peanuts prepared in any way I cannot eat no how no way! Why, even just one tiny lick can make me oh so very sick!!! I wear this bracelet so all can see peanuts are not good for me,” Piper Lee exclaims in Tolya L. Thompson’s children’s book, Fabulous Me, Piper Lee and the Peanut Butter Itch.

First in the A Smarties Book series, his unnumbered thirty-two-page hardbound targets two to eight-year-old children who enjoy stories regarding their health. With no scary or violent scenes except the main character has an allergic reaction, it would best be read out loud to beginner readers due to some complicated wording. The illustrations are in full color, covering the entire page, and easy to decipher. At the end of the story, there is a special note to parents, an online cook-off contest, and advertisements for more books.

In this short story told in rhyme, mischievous Piper Lee sees a jar of peanut butter on her kitchen counter and wants to try it. Knowing she is allergic to peanuts, the young child rationalizes that it is butter not nuts so believes there would be no harm in a little taste.

She eats a finger full and exclaims how yummy it is. Proudly she says she has no reaction to the creamy mixture, but a few minutes later, she begins to itch. Her itches increase from her head to her toes. When her lip starts to swell, and she wheezes to breathe, she looks in the mirror, noticing she has hives.

After telling her mother about her eating mistake, she is taken to the hospital to get a shot. The doctor reminds her of her allergy to any prepared peanut. She is given an allergy warning bracelet. Due to the medicine, the swelling and hives go away. At the end, the special note to parents is a reminder of what symptoms, reactions, treatments, and prevention to take that involve being allergic to peanuts.

With its vivid, expressive designs, this book is an excellent resource for children and adults to be careful when eating, especially if they are allergic to a particular food item such as this common nut.

As a physician’s assistant in an emergency room in California, author Thompson promotes her Famous Me Campaign to increase health literacy among children. Illustrator Gaylor has over thirty years’ experience as an artist and currently lives in London.

Thanks to Bookpleasures and the publicist for furnishing this complimentary book in exchange for a review based on the reader’s honest opinions.