“Nurse Florence: What is Obesity?” by Michael Dow

Nurse Florence: What is Obesity?

Michael Dow
Dow Creative Enterprises, LLC, (2022)
ISBN: 978-1387938568
Reviewed by Lydia (age 9) for Reader Views Kids (5/23)

In the story, “Nurse Florence: What is Obesity?” by Michael Dow, you learn through the students Jean, Condi, and Sonia about obesity and why it is a bad thing. One day at school, the three girls go to lunch and see Nurse Florence sitting by herself, which makes them feel sad, so they ask to sit by her, and she agrees. Out of curiosity, they ask Nurse Florence about a health problem that affects people, that can also be prevented; she tells them about obesity. Obesity is when someone is overweight because they eat more than their bodies need. The girls learned from Nurse Florence what it is, how someone can become obese, how to prevent it, and how to make it better if someone is struggling with it.

Reading through “Nurse Florence: What is Obesity?” I enjoyed the story because I learned about something new and ways of keeping myself healthy. I noticed in the story that there were several words that I had to have explained to me, which then helped the story make more sense. I was warned by the author at the beginning of the book about this, so it didn’t surprise me too much. I learned that if you eat less, you will consume fewer calories, which will help you stay healthier. Another way to stay healthy is by exercising – the easiest way to do this is by choosing something you like and that you are more likely to do often. I learned that obesity could cause lots of problems for a person’s body and mind, some examples are that a person may have a harder time walking because of the extra weight put on their knees, also, that a person can develop diabetes because of the extra sugar and calories in their bodies that they don’t need. I am glad I read this book so that I can be healthier and do healthier things and be able to tell other people about it, too.

Note from Mom: Obesity is a potentially fatal problem. The facts spread throughout this book aren’t presented to sugarcoat the issue, yet they are explained in a straightforward manner where the facts are the facts. This topic can be sensitive, especially since there are several ways in which a person may find themselves categorized as obese, and the trend these days seems to be to let people be themselves and do what they want; however, when the act of overindulging in food for any reason isn’t addressed, there are major repercussions not only for the individual but also for those around them (i.e. family or community). I appreciated that not only are the physical causes of obesity mentioned, but also mental and/or emotional. I agreed with everything mentioned in the book and agree with and believe in all the benefits of the author’s intentions with this book and their “Nurse Florence” book series.