Compassion is part heartfelt emotion (at which children often excel) and part practical skills in action. This first-aid primer empowers children three-to-seven years old to know how to help in simple ways when a friend or family member suffers an injury or illness.
Author Vivian French makes the topic exciting by starting the book with Nikki and her friend Enzo playing "accidents". Each accident — like a toy dinosaur crashing into the train station and bumping his head — becomes an opportunity for Enzo's mom, a doctor, to gently dispense tips for helping.
Alongside the story line but in a different font, first-aid guidance is laid out clearly, often with suggestions about when to consult a grown-up. When the accident involves a doll falling into a castle moat, for instance, the guidance reads: "Always be very careful near water — and if it looks like a friend is in trouble, ALWAYS shout for help."
In this way, children learn about not only head bumps and water safety, but also treating minor cuts, stopping nosebleeds, dealing with an allergic reaction or nausea, and calling 911 if someone is really sick or badly hurt. Anna Simeone's illustrations keep everything colorful, funny, and lively: The orange cloth that Nikki uses to clean the miniature train driver's cut is bigger than he is; and Enzo's mom answers Nikki's 911 call on a banana held up to her ear.
At the end, two pages show children how to put together their own first-aid kit, describing some of the things that they might want to use — a thermometer, sticky bandages, antiseptic cream or spray, wet wipes, etc. — and reminding them that "you never know when an accident might happen, so it's always best to be prepared." We can imagine this book being one that in 20 years a doctor or nurse looks back upon and thinks, "Oh, right, that's how I got started on this journey!" But for all of us, it's useful to know how to help, heal, and skillfully care for ourselves and others.
