Emily Eases Her Wheezes (Katrina Roe, illus by Leigh Hedstrom, Wombat Books)

Emily is a baby elephant who’s normally full of energy. She skips, rides her scooter to the park, trampoline bounces and twirls like a ballerina, as active as any exuberant toddler. But then, sometimes Emily is incapacitated by her asthma. Her chest feels tight and she wheezes and coughs. All the daily activities have to be curtailed and her friends are afraid to go near her, even though she tells them plaintively that it’s not infectious. This picture book is a reassuring guide for kids suffering from asthma (and any other health problems) as it lets them know that it’s okay to sit on the sidelines for a while instead of participating when they’re not feeling well. Fortunately Emily does find an activity that ‘eases her wheezes’. She and her friends decide to go swimming every day. To her delight, Emily is in her element underwater, and decked out in black-and-white polka dot swimsuit, bathing cap and goggles, she excels in the swimming carnival. While careful to outline the symptoms and effects of asthma, Katrina Roe’s text is nonetheless encouraging of the need to manage the condition and not let it take over a child’s life. Leigh Hedstrom’s illustrations depict a happy-go-lucky Emily who, like other lively youngsters, just wants to have fun.

Thuy On is a Melbourne-based reviewer and the books editor of the Big Issue