[.ca] The Lion Who Had Asthma (ISBN 0807545600)

Very Cute:
This is a cute story. My son was recently diagnosed with asthma. While he doesn't have to be on an inhaler nebulizer at this time, he does hate what asthma does to him. He has to stop running and wait until his medicine starts to work. We are able to read this book and talk a little about asthma (He's 2) and about what it means for him. This book is a great one for reassuring little kids that they are ok, that others have this, and that soon they can play again. The only reason I rated this a four instead of a five is that I think the text is a little stilted at times.

Using humor to treat asthma:
Our five year old son was diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease at two years of age. Since then he has needed treatments with a nebulizer almost every day. Putting the required mask on his face had become quite a battle and made taking his treatments that much worse. Then we discovered The Lion Who Had Asthma. Our little boy responded instantly to Sean who is the main character in this book. The idea to treat the mask from his machine as the mask to a jet fighter plane was ingenious. Now we read this book during his treatments and using the nebulizer has become less of a struggle. Now to get the author to write a book about taking medicine............

The Lion who had Asthma:
This is a great book to help kids with Asthma realize that breathing treatments with a nebulizer are not always fun -- but they can turn it into fun just like the boy in the book. My daughter had a different view of the required breathing treatments after reading this book. We were lucky enough to come across it at our local library but Santa might just have to bring it for Christmas this year!

Sean is a roaring lion until he has an asthma attack..:
The book is, however, based upon the circumstances of a real boy, Sean, who has asthma. In the story Sean pretends to be a Lion going about normal stalking activities in the jungle. When he suffers an asthma attack and becomes weakened he is no longer able to perform his boyish and lionlike activities with a lion's strength. The coughing and wheezing frighten Sean and the courage of the Lion vanishes as Sean lies down and is confined to his nebulizer. Sean's mother offers him a new avenue to explore with his imagination when she suggests he be a jet pilot. The whirring of the machine and the gas mask on his face provide realistic props for Sean's visualization. This simple story shows how sick children can use creative visualization and employ vivid imaginary settings as a basis for coping with their disease or disability. As Sean's bronchial tubes dilate and more oxygen is able to enter his lungs, the Lion in Sean returns and once again Sean's imagination takes him away to his jungle adventures. This book would be particularly valuable to read to junior children. They would understand and identify with Sean making believe he is a lion or a hippo in the jungle and then as a jet pilot. The text introduces the language of the special illness that Sean has. Words like asthma, breathe, cough and wheeze. The language also addresses the emotions that Sean goes through like fear, hurt, and the use of a lion obviously demonstrates the courage that Sean displays. The language is simple enough too for older children to read independently and introduces text challenges like the sound effects of the machine (nebulizer) and the lion - Rroooarrr, Zooom, Grrrrrrrroww.

Grrr-eat!:
I was so happy to find this book to read to my 2 year old! He doesn't like the nebulizer mask and any picture with a child wearing one helps. A story of a little boy just like him is the icing on the cake! The simple facial expressions help my son relate to the feelings he has.