Hold the Cheese Please!

Hold the presses, please! The very first book on lactose intolerance aimed at children has finally arrived. (I was holding this good news until the official publication date, which I then missed. Apologies.)

Hold the Cheese Please! A Story for Children About Lactose Intolerance is by Dr. Frank Sileo and illustrated by Martha Gradisher.

Product Description
Danny is tired of feeling different because he is lactose intolerant. After being teased by a classmate at lunch, Danny reacts by eating ice cream and drinking milk during a class party even though he knows he will have tummy troubles. With the help of the school nurse, Danny is able to teach others about lactose intolerance. Hold the Cheese Please! explains lactose intolerance to children between the ages of six through twelve years. The book contains an introduction to parents, a glossary, a list of non-dairy calcium rich foods and resources for more information. As Danny says, ...when you learn to accept things in your life they seem less scary... This book offers a great message for children dealing with bullying and being different due to lactose intolerance.

Hold the Cheese, Please! was published by Health Press, a publishing house that puts out a great many books for children and for parents on unusual health issues.

Sileo and Gradisher are the creators of an earlier book they published that might be of interest to readers. It's Toilet Paper Flowers: A Story for Children About Crohn's Disease:

Julia, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, explains living with this chronic and sometimes debilitating illness to her new friend. Because she uses the bathroom so often, Julia creates flowers using toilet paper. By sharing her flower creations, Julia gains support and understanding from her friend. Toilet Paper Flowers has an introduction for parents, web resources, explanations of the disease and treatments, glossary, and instructions for making the flowers. This book offers hope and validates feelings of children struggling with Crohn’s disease, as well as educating siblings and friends unfamiliar with this chronic illness.

I've both books to the Kids and Parenting page in my Milk-Free Bookstore. I also put Hold the Cheese, Please! to my Milk- and Lactose-Free Books page to make sure everybody spots it.