VIOLET AND THE CRUMBS

Though a medical diagnosis makes social situations tough for a young girl, she finds a way to cope.

After Violet learns she has celiac disease, birthday parties and school lunches are a drag. Her peers try to be understanding about how she can’t partake in cakes and cookies, but what they don’t understand is that gluten is everywhere—even the crumbs. “Safe” foods like fruit become off-limits as soon as someone handles them with fingers that previously touched gluten-filled snacks. Her protective measures leave her isolated at school, but Violet gradually becomes a bit of a superhero when she advocates for animals like ducks, who are often fed foods not suited to their digestive systems. But she still has to figure out a way to fit in with her classmates so she can make some friends. The protagonist is White, and the supporting cast is diverse in skin tone and ability. Accompanied by artwork rendered in a muted palette, the text balances Violet’s narrative with more scientific explanation without feeling preachy or didactic. Anyone who feeds other people would be well served by this tale. An illustrated glossary of gluten-full and gluten-free grains makes up the endpapers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Kids with celiac will feel seen.