Categories: Allergies, Healthy Eating & Exercise

My Zoo Adventure (dairy free)

An appealing and positive book which teaches children about food allergies, and provides children who have an allergy with strategies to keep them safe and well.

Author: Hailey Phillips
Illustrator: Ivana Zorn
Publisher: Allergy Adventures

Didge and her magical lunchbox go on a dairy-free adventure to the zoo, meeting plenty of friends on the journey, including a a boogie-ing beetroot monkey, an ice-cube seal (who slides into smoothies), a thirsty elephant and a trampolining aubergine. Didge takes care to check whether or not it is safe to eat the foods she encounters, and the messages to ‘always check the label first’ and ‘tell people about your allergy’ are emphasised.

Things we liked: The book is delightfully illustrated; Ivana Zorn's quirky characters are drawn skilfully using interesting angles and varying perspectives and they really add to the adventure and excitement of the story.

Worth noting: The book focusses on the fun that can be had with food rather than the feeling of 'missing out'. It also encourages all children to feel positive about food and healthy eating, regardless of whether they have an allergy or not.

Review by: Claire Ward-Dutton