Brianna Breathes Easy: A Story About Asthma - Hardcover

Grade 1-4-When Brianna gets the lead in the Thanksgiving play, she already has a troublesome cough. Then, during dress rehearsal, she can't catch her breath and the school nurse calls an ambulance. At the hospital, a friendly doctor explains that she has asthma and clearly outlines the symptoms, "triggers," and treatments of the illness. This is accomplished in an engagingly upbeat and not overly technical manner. The plot is neatly tied up along with some more important details about asthma. Kroll has done a good job of integrating essential facts about an increasingly common and potentially life-threatening ailment into the narrative. However, the focus seems to be on conveying information, and characterization and plot take a back seat. Still, Cho's sweet, folksy illustrations, which depict a lively African-American girl and her loving family, do much to develop the personalities and simplify some of the medical concepts. A useful addition to school and public libraries as well as medical offices.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY
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Gr. 1-3. The impetus behind this story about an African American girl who discovers she has asthma is succinctly set forth in a foreword, written by asthmatic Kroll's own doctor: "Asthma in children is on the rise worldwide, and in the United States it is the leading chronic illness of childhood." Newcomers to the condition will feel less alone as they learn, along with Brianna and her family, how to avoid scary episodes of wheezing and coughing. Although the fictional conflict feels a bit forced (Brianna's ability to sing and dance in a school musical is in question, though not for long), the explanations are clear and specific, and Cho's cheerful, stylized gouache paintings counteract the text's clinical, potentially intimidating discussions of bronchial tubes, nebulizers, and peak flow meters. Brianna's ethnicity reflects the disproportionate occurrence of asthma among African Americans; however, with the concluding appearance of supportive, multiethnic classmates who compare asthma notes, this will prove useful with a broad audience. Jennifer Mattson
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