Peter, the Knight with Asthma

by Janna Matthies, Anthony Lewis (Illustrator)

Overview

Brave Peter, a young knight, stands on the lookout, protecting the castle. A ferocious dragon creeps out of the woods! Brave Peter charges after him—until wheeze, wheeze, sputter, sputter—it's time for My Lady, his mother, to bring the rescue inhaler. Soon a trip to the doctor follows, and Brave Peter learns how to manage his asthma and keep fit for fighting dragons. Kids with asthma—and their parents—will appreciate Janna Matthies's funny and informative story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807593134
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	09/01/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	24
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Janna Matthies has written stories and songs since early childhood. Now armed with a guitar and a computer, she teaches preschool music and writes fiction for kids. Janna lives in Indianapolis with her husband and three children, all of whom battle asthma with the same courage and wit as Peter.

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 2—Peter fancies himself a brave knight protecting his castle. As he prepares to charge a fierce dragon, he drops to the ground, wheezing with tightness in his chest. His Lady (Mom) gives him his rescue inhaler. In Peter's words, "the dragon got away…for the third time this week." During a visit to his doctor, his symptoms are evaluated and he answers questions about the frequency of his attacks. Peter is prescribed daily medicine so that he can fight the dragon more effectively. Using the dragon-slaying metaphor, the book introduces useful information, including some medical terms, such as "peak flow meter" and "nebulizer machine." A physician's note to parents provides more detailed facts. The helpful text is purposeful but not particularly energetic, and the watercolor illustrations are adequate. Additional.—Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME

School Library Journal

Fighting fire-breathing dragons is difficult even for a brave knight like Peter, but when he cannot breathe, it becomes next to impossible. My Lady (Mom) comes to his rescue with Puffy, his inhaler, but the two decide that a trip to the doctor is in order. Readers will get an accurate picture of what happens at the doctor's office, from using a peak flow meter and being examined to talking with the doctor about what seems to trigger the attacks. With the help of his new medicine, inhaled through a nebulizer, Peter can finally conquer that dragon . . . just in time to see a new monster arise from the moat. Backmatter includes a note from a pediatric pulmonologist giving parents the basic facts about asthma. Lewis's watercolor illustrations portray an ordinary boy with an active imagination who does not let asthma slow him down or keep him from his adventures. The inside peek at the medical appointment will reassure those readers facing similar office visits. Its mission is in plain view, but those kids and parents facing an asthma diagnosis will be grateful for it. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews