Customer Reviews

Eating Gluten-Free with Emily: A Story for Children with Celiac Disease

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4 star:		(2)
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Eating Gluten-Free with Emily is a children's book that not only explains a gluten-free diet, but also details Emily's digestive symptoms and the route from doctor to blood draw to scope to get the diagnosis. The illustrations are colorful and cute. The story, which is told from Emily's perspective, explains celiac disease in a way that children understand, and gives examples of what foods contain gluten and which ones do not. Emily also explains how she deals with real-life situations, like camp and birthday parties. My favorite line in the book comes from Emily and her mom when they question restaurant staff: "We say, 'We are gluten detectives. Answer the questions, please.'" This book has been helpful to my family in two ways. My five year old daughter is autistic, and has been on a gluten free/casein free diet for four years, and it has given her twin brother and older sister a perspective of what a special diet is like for their sister. Additionally, my elder daughter is about to see a pediatric gastroenterologist, to rule out (or in?) celiac disease. This book has given us a wonderful opportunity to talk about the process of going to the doctor and making dietary changes. Seven year old Mikalea tells me she thinks this book is good because it shows that Emily is just a regular kid who needs to eat special food. Bridges4Kids Review by Penny Ray

This book does a wonderful job of educating the youngest & oldest about Celiac's. It takes you through pre-diagnosis to living & managing the diet. My 2 year old loves to read about a little girl like herself who meets a little boy who also has Celiac's. She feels special everytime that we read it.

I think this is a WONDERFUL book, appropriate for any child with food issues. My kids do not have gluten sensitivity/Celiac's disease, but they do have food intolerances.

This is the first book I've found that is perfect for both of their levels (4 and 8) and embraces that a way of eating is just one of many, many things that make you special. It shows Emily feeling sad because she's left out, or "different" and it shows her triumphing "Eating gluten free is healthy for me!" Rather than focusing on one small aspect (diagnosis, or trouble at school) or trying to explain the disease, this book just tells about a normal little girl, leading a normal life and the few things she has to do different because she has to be "Gluten Free".

One note, it does mention "diarrhea" which may make some kids giggle, or others embarressed to read in a group setting. This is only one page, attention is not drawn to it. The tests that Emily goes through for diagnosis are not described in detail.

We borrowed it from the library, have read it over and over and will be purchasing it. Thank you to the author for filling a much needed void in children's literature.

I am a preschool teacher and have a student with Celiac in my class as well as 3 other students with food allergies. I read this book and all of my students loved it! They have asked to hear it again and again. My gluten-free student actually had tears in his eyes the first time I read it and hugged me afterwards. All 15 of my students are aware of their classmates food allergies and this has been a springboard for discussion of all aspects of restricted eating. I highly reccomend this book for classroom use.

I am a dietitian and I will recommend this book to parents of newly diagnosed celiac children. I think it would help them to feel not so alone with their illness.

Eating Gluten-Free With Emily: A Story for Children With Celiac Disease is a charming picturebook that uses simple words by author Bonnie J. Kruszak and Richard S. Cihlar's friendly color illustrations to tell the story of a young girl who learned at age five that her body couldn't properly digest foods with gluten in them. Since gluten is commonly found in wheat, barley, rye, and various foods made from these products, Emily must restrict her eating to special foods such as fruit, yogurt, chicken, and gluten-free breads and pastas. Emily learns to carry gluten-free snacks to enjoy when her fellow schoolmates are served a treat, and how to be a "gluten detective" at restaurants. "Celiac disease is only part of who I am, and eating like me, gluten-free, makes me special. What makes you special?" The friendly tone of Eating Gluten-Free With Emily will help adults answer the questions young people may have about Celiac disease or the need to avoid gluten products. Highly recommended for library collections as well as for families looking for a way to inform their children about this health condition. A list of resources for more information on Celiac disease and gluten-free diets is presented on the inside back cover of Eating Gluten-Free With Emily.

My daugher absolutely loved this book. She is six years old and in kindergarten. She related wholeheartedly to the book and shared it with her kindergarten class the day after I gave it to her. Her teacher was good enough to read it to the class and had my daughter share one of her gluten-free snacks with the class. It was a wonderful way to share with her classmates the world of gluten-free eating. What a great idea to create a book for children after being diagnosed with celiac disease.

When my son was diagnosed with Celiac at the age of 4 years, I sought out all the information I could. I especially wanted to find something for my son so he could understand about Celiac and that he wasn't alone. This has been a terrific book in both regards. It is one of his favourite books and he has taken it to school to share with his classmates each year. It is very well received and goes a long way to educate on a child's level and to make others aware of the difficulties a child with Celiac faces in everyday life. Many of the classmates will go home and tell their parents about gluten which in turn has meant several families bringing in gluten-free cupcakes and snacks to the classroom for special events. I've fielded several phone calls and emails over the years from parents wanting to know more about Celiac and how they can include my son. Definitely a great purchase!

I bought the book for my grandson, Connor. He is 9 (4 when he was diagnosed with celiac) He loved the book. A book that was written for kids with celiac was just what he needed to read. He has decided to donate it to the school library. I thought this was a good choice. A book others could read that had celiac or just to read to understand about the celiac person and how he copes with the celiac.

This book is perfect for anyone who has a young child with Celiac Disease. Highly recommend for kids, teachers, classmates, etc. My son loved the idea that a book was written about "him"!