I don’t know about you, but I love giving thoughtful gifts to family and friends. One of my favourite things to give is books. My children always get a book at Christmas and on their birthdays. Adults always seem to appreciate a beautifully illustrated cook book or gardening book. Here are 12 popular allergy books that would make perfect gifts for any family and friends with allergies.
Some of these allergy books are available for Kindle or as an ebook too.
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Allergy books for young children
Story books are a great gift idea for young children with allergies. Here are some very popular stories based around characters with allergies that children can relate to in a positive way.
Marty’s Nut Free Party
by Katrina Roe
Marty’s Nut Free Party is recommended for ages 4-7 years
Marty the monkey loves parties, but finds out that he has a peanut allergy. A story for younger children about keeping their friends with peanut allergies safe.
The BugaBees Friends with Food Allergies
by Amy Recob
The BugaBees is recommended for ages 7-8 years.
This delightful story about 8 bug friends with food allergies has a positive message about staying safe while still having fun.
Nutley the Nut Free Squirrel
by Stephanie Sorkin, illustrated by Dr Tim Warren
Nutley the Nut Free Squirrel is recommended for slightly older children aged 6-7 years.
This is another sweet and engaging story about nut allergies with a positive vibe, this time featuring Nutley the squirrel and his friends.
Bentley goes to School: A simple story about staying safe with food allergies
by Emily Sorenson, illustrated by Yuribelle
Recommended age – preschool.
This story is not only about food allergies, but also about some of the worries that come with starting school and being away from home. One of the great things about Bentley Goes to School is that it talks about food allergies generally, not any one type of food, so children with allergies to foods other than nuts can relate.
Books for older children
I find my older kids hard to buy for. And I sometimes it is hard to find books that pique their interest, or that they can relate to. These books are written specifically for older kids living with allergies. Of course, don’t forget about the cookbooks for your teen with food allergies too.
My Epic Year of Rock
by Andrea Pyros
Recommended age – 9-11 years.
Nina, who has a peanut allergy, is starting 7th grade, when her best friend dumps her to be friends with a popular new student instead. She ends up as the lead drummer in a band with new friends she meets at the “peanut-free table” at school. My Epic Year of Rock is a good read for tweens about friendships, with a strong female character who has allergies.
Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies
by Sloane Miller
Recommended age – teens.
Allergic Girl is a great resource for kids as they get older and start to advocate for themselves more and manage their allergies as adults. Sloane Miller writes about practical solutions to manage common concerns. A well written, humorous guide that covers lots of topics including dating and eating out with allergies.
Allergy friendly cooking books
As anyone with a food allergy knows, we do a lot of cooking. When you have to carefully avoid ingredients, home cooking is the safest way to go. I’m always on the look out for new recipes that I can make (or adapt) to suit our family’s food allergies. Allergy friendly cooking books are perfect for anyone who cooks for someone with food allergies.
The Allergy Friendly Family Cookbook
by Professor Mini Tang, Associate Professor Kirsten Perrett and Dr Vicki McWilliam
Published in 2023, the Allergy Friendly Family Cookbook is a fantastic resource for food allergy families. The first section of the book contains up to date advice on allergies from food allergy experts. Then there over 100 easy family friendly recipes, with great illustrations. Allergy Spot contributed to this recipe collection with our mixed berry pancake traybake recipe.
One Bowl Allergy Free Baking
by Linda Bosnic
This is my go to baking cookbook, even though it lacks the usual pretty photographs. One Bowl Allergy Free Baking is a collection of 100 quick, simple, easily adaptable allergy friendly baking recipes that use readily available ‘normal’ ingredients. You can read more about why I lhink this is a must have book for quick and simple baking in our review.
Allergy-free Cooking Recipe Book
by Dr Sue Shepherd
I have this in my collection as well. Dr Sue Shepherd is a well known Australian dietitian specialising in treatment of food intolerances and allergies. The Allergy-free Cooking Recipe book covers breakfast to dessert and everything in between I recently made her allergy-free passionfruit mousse and the rocky road is a favourite (and inspired our Christmas rocky road recipe).
Baked with Love
by Brittany Berlin
Baked with Love has recipes for over 100 vegan and allergy friendly desserts. With milk, egg and nut allergies in the family, what more could we want. These recipes are easy to follow and we love that they are allergy friendly as well as vegan. So often vegan dessert recipes aren’t suitable for us as they use nuts. Brittany is a food blogger and stylist so the pictures in her book are sumptuous.
Books about gardening with allergies
Lots of people love gardening. But lots of people also suffer from environmental allergies to grass and tree pollens, triggering hayfever (allergic rhinitis). Unfortunately I am one of them.
For the gardener in your life who also lives with allergies, these allergy friendly gardening books would be perfect.
Allergy-Free Gardening: The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping
by Thomas Leo Ogren
Thomas Ogren is a leading horticulturalist who is well known for his work in researching the role of male and female plants in pollen allergies. Allergy-Free Gardening contains extensive information about plants with planting guides, growing zones and allergy ratings. A must to reduce the level of allergens in your garden.
The Allergy Fighting Garden
by Thomas Leo Ogren
The Allergy Fighting Garden is another great book by Thomas Ogren helping people with allergies or asthma to avoid plants that trigger their allergies and create a garden that works to actually trap pollen and clear the air. Ogren has combined his previous works to create this wonderful full-colour planting guide.
Veterans Gardening Guide – Promoting Allergy-Friendly Gardening
by Peter Prakke
A helpful and positive book for gardeners of all levels to help them establish, prune and care for gardens that are friendly for people with allergies, asthma and COPD. The Veterans Gardening Guide uses Thomas Ogren’s plant allergy scale to give lists of plants that are suitable for people living with allergies.
More allergy friendly gifts and tips
Hopefully you’ve found a gift idea or two for the people in your life who live with allergies. Or maybe something to put on your own wish list? I know that I’ll be dropping hints about the Baked with Love book.
If you have any favourite allergy books, please let us know in the comments.
For more gift ideas, be sure to read our favourite allergy friendly gift ideas for all ages and occasions.
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love the list! I didnt know about allergy books everything looks good especially the gardening and vegan baking book. thanks for this
Thanks, Jeannie!
This is such a great idea and so needed with all the allergies going around. Thanks for sharing
So interesting! I didn’t know there was such a thing as allergy books for kids!
Added One Bowl Allergy Free Baking by Linda Bosnic to my reading list! Thank you for your recommendation!
I use this one all the time! Hope you enjoy the recipes 🙂