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by Camelia Maria Kantor (Author)
This story is about and for children with food allergies, their colleagues, teachers, school administrators, parents of children with or without allergies, and the entire community of people who may not be aware of their challenges. The Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) researchers have estimated that 32 million Americans have food allergies, including 5.6 million children under age 18, or one in 13 children (two in every classroom). About 40 percent of these children are allergic to more than one food (FARE 2019). Despite important strides made in the medical and food industries to address some of these challenges, my 14 years of experience working in the educational field, coupled with my personal experience of having a child allergic to four of the most common foods (dairy, eggs, fish and soy milk) have taught me and my family that the society is still ill-prepared and little adjusted to provide a safe medical and social environment for these children. The story of Sophia, the mouse allergic to dairy, of Joe, the squirrel allergic to nuts, and of their friend's Hannah's's approach to solving their problem will hopefully teach our community empathy, respect, and responsibility. Hannah, the birthday girl who has no allergies gives a great, positive lesson of true friendship. Her character represents those children who help their friends with allergies by sharing responsibility in keeping their friends safe and happy. This story will also help children with allergies grow up more confident and able to cope with a society still learning about their challenges.
