Willow's Story

When author Sylvia Buck heard about the daughter of a friend who had multiple allergies she wanted to help.

Willow, aged 5, has severe allergies to milk and egg which have been apparent from birth. She has also developed a soya allergy and has atopic eczema and asthma. Some of Willow’s allergies are airborne which is an added burden for her and her family.

Her mum, Rachel, read a book called The Adventures of Tommy Bones which was written by Sylvia and it gave her an idea of a way to help Willow and her friends understand allergies better. She asked her father to talk to Sylvia to see if she could do anything for allergies.

Sylvia was keen to help, met Willow and then wrote and published a book which is called Willow Come To Tea?  She says:

“The book is simple and aimed at helping children understand about allergies. I spent a lot of time researching allergies to make sure it was accurate as it was a new subject for me. I also met Willow to get an idea of what sort of a child she was as I was basing the book on her.

“Hopefully children will read the book, ask about allergies and learn what they can do to help their friends. I think it’s important that children learn that there’s nothing wrong with a child who has allergies, it just requires extra care.”