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Inspiring a New Generation
Nurse Florence, What is Asthma? highlights the importance of using appropriate language when explaining medical conditions to children. Could you share your approach to finding the right balance between being informative and ensuring the language is age-appropriate?
In the Nurse Florence series, the company does not use slang terms to discuss human physiology. We want to inspire a whole new generation of kids to seek careers in the health science fields. There is a big shortage of nurses in the USA, and the need will continue to increase in the coming years.
In your story, Jean experiences symptoms of asthma during a physical education class, which is a common scenario for many children. What motivated you to choose this particular setting for the book?
Exercise-induced asthma is relatively common for people who struggle with the disease. We wanted to have a natural connection with a disease-triggering event to discuss the topic. We anticipate kids with asthma to have this book in their library or home so we wanted them to easily relate to the character.
Can you discuss the importance of using proper medical terminology in children’s literature and how you think it impacts a child’s understanding of their condition?
Masters of the arts usually start their art at a very young age. Our thinking is that if we can introduce kids to correct medical terminology at a young age, then we can help create a new generation that will understand their body better and have intelligent conversations with their medical providers.
What message do you hope children with asthma, or those who have a loved one with the condition, take away from reading Nurse Florence, What is Asthma? and what do you think makes it a “must-read” for these children?
We hope people affected by the disease will gain much insight into their condition so they can live healthier lives. We want to improve the health literacy of the world. We are translating the books into multiple languages. For more info about our project, please visit www.nurseflorence.org.
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Nurse Florence®, What is Asthma?
It’s important for children to understand what is happening to them. There are many children with medical conditions who may not truly understand what is going on with their bodies. This may be because parents aren’t sure how to explain it to them in age-appropriate terms. What is too advanced? What is not informal enough? Using improper wording can skew a child’s understanding of their own medical condition. In Nurse Florence, What is Asthma? Written by Michael Dow and illustrated by Iris Serrano, children will be given factual information surrounding the medical condition of asthma.
Taking place in a school during a physical education class, our readers follow along with Jean as she begins to experience her symptoms of asthma while engaging in exercise with her class. She makes her way to the school nurse, Nurse Florence, who takes the time to carefully explain to Jean using age-appropriate language and other information so that Jean can understand what asthma is, how it occurs, and how it can be treated.
It should be noted that in this book, Dow does not use childish names or phrases when describing the condition of asthma. It can often be a detrimental side effect when children do not understand the proper terminology for their conditions, which can lead to misunderstandings if the child requires aid and is unable to explain in a way others outside their family can understand.
Nurse Florence, What is Asthma? By Michael Dow and illustrated by Iris Serrano is a must-read for children who also experience asthma or have a loved one who does.
Pages: 79 | ISBN : 9781458306449
