Food Allergy Author, Advocate and Friend: My Q & A with Nicole Smith

I am so happy today to be able to share an interview with Nicole Smith of the food allegy website, Allergic Child, as well as the author of wonderful kids' food allergy books like "Allie the Allergic Elephant."

I first learned about Nicole when my daughter was newly diagnosed with peanut and tree nut allergies after finding her book "Allie the Allergic Elephant" about an elephant allergic to peanuts. Of course my young daughter loved this book (especially because we used to call her Allie) and it was just a great, educational and positive book for us to read.

Last year at the spring FAAN conference in Chicago I got to meet Nicole and her wonderful teen son, Morgan. Nicole was the leader of the teen area of the conference that I attended and she did an amazing job leading the discussion.

With so many of you asking me for kids' books that deal with nut allergies, I thought of no better resource than Nicole. With the holidays upon us, any of her books would make great gifts! For those of you who aren't yet familiar with Nicole's work, it is my pleasure to introduce you.

Jenny: What is your food allergy background--i.e. how did you get involved in the food allergy community?

Nicole: I’m sure now that I had food allergies as a child, but back in the 1960’s there just wasn’t much awareness! As a new parent, I was aware of food allergies having gone through anaphylaxis myself as a teenager. Yet, we never figured out what the trigger was. So, when my son, Morgan, was diagnosed with peanut allergies at 9 months old in 1996, I wasn’t shocked, but was very concerned as any parent is!

Jenny: When did you write your first children's food allergy book and what was your inspiration?

Nicole: I first wrote “Allie the Allergic Elephant: A Children’s Story of Peanut Allergies” in 1999 for my son to take with him to preschool to explain his food allergies to his classmates. I had searched and searched for a children’s book about peanut allergies (or any food allergy for that matter!) to no avail. I wrote “Allie” and had it illustrated by a young, talented artist who was a neighbor of mine. My local newspaper wrote a story about a book signing I was planning, and the story got picked up by 30 other newspapers across the USA and Canada. Suddenly, I was receiving phone calls from faraway places asking how they could find a copy of “Allie.” It was exciting, and spawned me to create my website, www.AllergicChild.com, to begin selling “Allie” and subsequent books – “Cody the Allergic Cow: A Children’s Story of Milk Allergies” and “Chad the Allergic Chipmunk: A Children’s Story of Nut Allergies” - online.

Jenny: What message do you want your books to give to kids and adults dealing with life-threatening food allergies?

Nicole: I originally wrote “Allie” more for other children than for those children with food allergies. I later learned that outlining the signs of an allergic reaction was very helpful to a child with food allergies who may not have experienced an allergic reaction in the recent past. I wanted to let other children know that my son was not going to be eating the same foods that they were eating, and that they could help him by knowing the signs of an allergic reaction. I wrote the books in a fun, playful way to encourage discussion. I also wanted to impart the message that children with food allergies are ‘special’ not different or weird.

Jenny: What is the most important advice you can give to parents who are dealing with a new food allergy diagnosis?

Nicole: In 1996 when my son was diagnosed there was very little information on the Internet about food allergies. Now, there’s so much information it’s difficult to know what to believe! I would encourage parents to speak with their allergist regarding concerns and suggestions for safety for their individual child. An allergist understands the history of the child, and this is so important in making recommendations for the future. Reading about food allergies on the Internet is great – but run anything questionable by your allergist to see if it’s the right action for your family.

Jenny: How can we buy your books?

Nicole: All of my books are available on my website, www.AllergicChild.com, in addition to Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. I also have e-books for parents on the topics of : “How to Send your Food Allergic Child to School,” “How to Help Your Child Succeed with Food Allergy and Behavior Manifestations: Giftedness, Autism & Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,” “How Do I Keep My Food Allergic Child Safe?” and “Traveling and Eating Out with Food Allergies.”