Blog Archives
Human Physiology is Beautiful
Nurse Florence®, What is Plasma? follows curious students as Nurse Florence uses simple, accurate explanations to reveal how plasma keeps the body balanced, nourished, and healthy. How did you decide which plasma functions were essential to include while still keeping the material accessible for children?
I used the medical reference sheet by Cleveland Clinic to guide my writing. I trust kids are smart and can learn complex things if it’s broken down enough.
Were Jean, Condi, and Sonia inspired by real students or experiences from your own medical background?
No. Jean was named after Dr. Jean Watson, Condi after Condoleezza Rice, and Sonia after Sonia Sotomayor.
What challenges did you face in balancing scientific accuracy with age-appropriate language and illustrations?
Every page is a challenge and sometimes I have to trust my instinct, but the books are reviewed by the family prior to publication.
How do you hope this book will influence children’s curiosity about their own health and bodies?
Human physiology is beautiful, and I hope to inspire a whole generation into the health science careers.
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Awe and Wonder
Nurse Florence: What are Regulatory T-Cells or Tregs? introduces kids to the immune system’s guardians through an inviting schoolyard conversation that transforms complex biology into confidence-building learning. What inspired you to choose a lunchroom setting as the entry point for explaining immune science?
Lunch time at school can be a fun time with friends so I wanted to help bring fun into science learning.
How do you decide which scientific terms are appropriate to introduce without overwhelming children?
We only try to introduce a handful of new medical terms in each book so that we don’t overwhelm the reader. If my family is confused when we read the proof, then I know it needs to be reworded or ideas removed.
What do you find most fascinating about Tregs, and how did you translate that fascination into a narrative for kids?
The immune system is amazingly complicated and wonderfully made. I want others to feel the awe and wonder I have for the human body to help inspire lifelong learning.
What do you hope young readers take away from this book that will influence their curiosity about health and STEM in the future?
There’s always more to learn.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Essay Contest | YouTube | Dow Creative Enterprises® | Nurse Florence Project | LinkedIn | Amazon
Getting In the Zone
Nurse Florence®, What Are Memory B Cells? follows three curious girls as they join Nurse Florence in the cafeteria to learn what memory B cells are and why they matter. What was the inspiration for your story?
The plan is to have 700+ books in the series (there are 264 as of April 2026), so we’ll need to cover every human physiology topic to get there. It was time to cover Memory B cells and the illustrator was motivated to do the topic.
Can you share a bit about your writing process? Do you have any rituals or routines when working on your books?
I actually have a ritual which is to listen to a Beethoven symphony as I write. It helps get me in the zone so that the words just flow through me.
Have you considered turning the Nurse Florence series into an interactive application for children to continue their learning about how the human body works?
The priority right now is to have the books in children’s hands to help promote community and family togetherness since these are family books to read together. Grandparents will find they will learn too.
What topic are you most excited to work on next in the series?
We are producing a third series titled Citizen George to help people have a conversation on civility and common decency as promoted by George Washington.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Essay Contest | YouTube | Dow Creative Enterprises® | Nurse Florence Project | LinkedIn | Amazon
What Would A Child Want To Know?
Nurse Florence®, Tell Me About the Skin invites young readers on a friendly, science-packed journey into how their skin works and how to care for it, guided by a compassionate nurse and lively classroom characters. How did you balance scientific accuracy with the need to keep concepts accessible for young readers ages 6–9?
One way I do this is by trying to have a mindset of a child and think about what they would want to learn as well as how they could learn the material.
The book uses analogies, like comparing skin to the ozone layer. How do you develop these kid-friendly explanations?
Keeping an open-mind about new information helps.
What role do themes of compassion, such as the dedication to Florence Nightingale and Dr. Jean Watson, play in shaping the book’s message?
Nursing compassion is an art, and it is something that can be learned and improved upon. A person doesn’t either have compassion or no compassion. The amount of compassion a person has can be seen as a spectrum, and they may have more compassion at different times in their lives as well as different amounts for different people. Let us learn to exercise compassion and alleviate misery when able to our civilization can reach its potential.
How do you collaborate with illustrator Madrid Rosario to ensure the visuals reinforce both the science and the emotional tone of the story?
I give my illustrators vague drawing requests and expect them to use their maximum creativity to produce outstanding results.
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Live a Healthy Life
Nurse Florence®, What Are Eosinophils? follows students and a knowledgeable nurse as they explore what eosinophils are, how they work, and why understanding them helps kids make healthy choices. What inspired you to focus an entire children’s book on a lesser-known type of white blood cell?
Since we plan to publish over 700 Nurse Florence® books, we will need to explore the lesser-known things about the body to get to that number.
How did you approach balancing scientific accuracy with accessibility for young readers?
I have both as coequal goals or objectives, so I do my best to make both happen with each page.
Were there particular health topics that you found especially challenging to simplify without losing nuance?
Trying to explain what doctors may want to do if the cell count is too high or too low.
How do you decide which practical health habits to include when connecting science to everyday life?
I try to promote eating a healthy and balanced diet, exercising regularly, and sleeping well into every book if possible, as well as not smoking cigarettes. These are things that show up in the literature over and over again to help people live a healthy life.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Essay Contest | YouTube | Dow Creative Enterprises® | Nurse Florence Project | LinkedIn | Amazon
Focused on the Science
Nurse Florence®, What is Acne? follows three curious friends as Nurse Florence transforms a simple question about pimples into an empowering, science-based journey through the causes, types, and treatments of acne. What inspired you to create the Nurse Florence® series as a way to teach health concepts to children?
During the COVID pandemic, I wanted to help supplement my children’s science education and thought that if I wrote a kids’ book series, then that would help. “The kids would have to read it since Dad wrote it.”
How did you determine which scientific terms were appropriate and accessible for elementary-age readers?
I use the concept of intellectual stimulation with my readers, which is borrowed from transformational leadership. I choose to believe that my readers can understand complex ideas as long as they are broken down a bit.
Acne can be an emotional topic. How did you balance scientific detail with empathy in your storytelling?
I tried not to focus on the emotions teenagers may have with acne and instead stayed focused on the science about the condition.
Are there other health topics you’re excited to explore with Nurse Florence® in future books?
I love writing all Nurse Florence® books and love this journey I am on of lifelong learning as I research topics and generate material to teach young people about their bodies.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Essay Contest | YouTube | Dow Creative Enterprises® | Nurse Florence Project | LinkedIn | Amazon
Teaching Kids About Chronic Diseases
Nurse Florence: What Is Sickle Cell Disease or Sickle Cell Anemia? is a clear and structured introduction to a complex medical condition, covering genetics, symptoms, complications, diagnostic methods, and potential treatments. Why is this an important topic for children to learn more about?
Unfortunately, this disease affects some children in the world and it is important that all kids learn about their body and how to manage chronic diseases.
What is your process for taking the medical information and developing a way to present it so that it does not overwhelm children but still gives them enough knowledge to understand this complex condition?
I try to simplify concept to one main idea per page.
Do you offer any additional resources for families who want to learn more about the topics you cover in the Nurse Florence books?
I use medical resource documents and research for the source of my book information and highly recommend Mayo Clinic information at www.mayoclinic.org.
What is your goal in creating this series, and how do you see it growing in the future?
I would like to see a global health movement for health promotion and literacy sparked and the whole world be able to have competent conversations with their doctors. The series should end at around 700 books in the series. As of April 2026, there are currently 261.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Essay Contest | YouTube | Dow Creative Enterprises® | Nurse Florence Project | LinkedIn | Amazon
Nurse Florence®, What are Memory B Cells?
Nurse Florence®, What Are Memory B Cells? is a warm and easygoing picture book that follows three curious girls, Jean, Condi, and Sonia, as they join Nurse Florence in the cafeteria to learn what memory B cells are and why they matter. The story blends kid-friendly dialogue with simple explanations, showing where these cells come from, how they help the immune system remember past invaders, and how healthy habits keep the body strong. It feels like a gentle science lesson tucked inside a casual lunchtime chat.
The girls wander over to Nurse Florence with the kind of natural excitement you’d see in a real school cafeteria, and that relaxed tone carries through the whole story. The explanations build step by step, first what B cells look like, then that they’re made in bone marrow, then how they “remember” infections and transform into plasma cells when needed. The pacing is slow enough for kids to follow but fast enough that it never drags. It reminded me of a friendly teacher who always knows when to pause and when to move on.
I also appreciated how the book doesn’t shy away from big ideas. The parts about abnormal B cells leading to autoimmune issues or cancers are handled simply and calmly, making the information clear without being frightening. It’s refreshing to see a children’s book trust young readers with real science instead of watering everything down. The drawings help too, they give the concepts a visual anchor without overwhelming the pages.
My favorite section comes near the end, when the girls start brainstorming ways to keep the immune system healthy. They take turns suggesting things like eating fruits and veggies, exercising, sleeping well, washing hands, managing stress, avoiding smoking or vaping, and staying up-to-date on vaccines. It feels lively and almost playful, like a little health pep talk disguised as a conversation between friends. It also helps kids connect the science to their real lives, which gives the book a nice sense of purpose.
Nurse Florence®, What Are Memory B Cells? is a warm, engaging introduction to immune science. I’d recommend it to kids who enjoy learning how the body works, to parents who want clear and friendly explanations, and to teachers looking for accessible science material. It’s upbeat, informative, and surprisingly charming, a great pick for sparking curiosity.
Page: 72 | ISBN : 1300914262
