How Your Child Heals: An Inside Look at Common Childhood Ailments

Johnson (How to Talk to Your Child's Doctor), a former Director of Pediatric Critical Care Service at the Mayo Clinic and Professor of Pediatrics at Mayo Medical School, tackles a range of childhood injuries, illnesses, and common diseases in a fun and educational way. With chapters covering health issues both basic (ear infections; allergies) and severe (cancer), parents will find a wealth of useful information laid out in a clear, easy-to-follow format. Intent on sharing how "fascinating, complex events appear to me," Johnson begins with a very tight focus; in "Inflammation: A Visit to a Sore Finger" he asks parents to imagine a scenario wherein their 12-year-old comes to them midway through building a backyard fort complaining of a throbbing finger. The typical symptoms of inflammation are there—redness, swelling, heat, and pain. Using this simple scene, Johnson examines the understanding and ignorance of inflammation in Roman times and then delves into a wonderfully comprehensive and wildly entertaining eight-page examination of the process at a cellular level. His Fantastic Voyage approach makes incredibly elaborate processes read like the adventures he believes them to be. (July)