Do you need to explain why vaccines are important for children to a little kid in your life? It can be quite the task. Even the idea of having to go the doctor and get a shot, is enough to send the bravest kids scurrying under the covers. That is until you introduce your child to a little girl named Anjali.
In the book Anjali the Brave: All About Vaccines, written by doctors Adjoa Smalls-Mantey and Maria Abraham, 6-year old Anjali is in the back seat of the car as her dad is driving her to a medical appointment to get a shot to protect her from COVID-19. She thinks it’s unfair she has to get yet another shot and not only wants to know why, she wants to know what’s inside the shot. So her dad suggests they ask her doctor.
Anjali’s doctor explains all about shots and how they keep you safe from germs that can cause bad infections. As the story continues, kids are introduced to terms they’ve likely heard before, but with more context. Words like infection, immunity, and antibodies are discussed. A condensed history of vaccines and contributions made by women scientists of different cultural backgrounds are also touched on.
My mommy liked this book, especially that many pages dealt with the COVID-19 virus, which has been a key topic in my life for several years. She mentioned she was hoping by the time I started school the pandemic would be behind us and masks would be gone. In all fairness, most kids at my school don’ t wear masks anymore but in my house we’re super careful and we still mask up.
I liked learning how shots have kept kids safe over the years. They’ve worked before and I believe they will work again. This book reminded me that while it’s okay to not like shots, it’s still important to get my shots. I also liked the illustrations.
At the very end the book has a link to information on children’s vaccines at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Click here to see a free coloring sheet we made about vaccines to use alongside the book. It’s a two-page PDF – one pages has an image of a brave girl who received her shot and the other has a picture of a brave boy.
USEFUL INFO FOR GROWN UPS:
- Book: Anjali the Brave: All About Vaccines
- Written by: Adjoa Smalls-Mantey and Maria Abraham
- Age Range: 3-8
- Board Book: 40 pages
- Publisher: Indies United Publishing House (February 23, 2022)
- ISBN-13: 978-1644564073
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We hope this book helps you answer questions on why vaccines are important for children.
