What a Cold Needs

by Barbara Bottner, Chris Sheban (Illustrator)

A girl learns that a cold needs a LOT of things, as she waits for a bad case of the sniffles to run its course.

What does a cold need? It needs a comfy bed by a window, warm socks, Grandma's chicken soup, and plenty of Dad's silly jokes. Sometimes, a cold just needs a little time.

In this warmly written and quietly humorous picture book about a girl sporting a red nose that just won't seem to go away while she waits for a bad case of the sniffles to run its course, she and her family learn an important lesson--a cold needs what a cold needs.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Health, Storytime, Illness, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 12, 2019

About the author

Barbara Bottner, New York Times best-selling author, is a screenwriter, TV writer, and writing coach, who began her multi-hyphenate career as an artist and actor. Designing off-Broadway sets in the ’60s led her to performance and following her career in theatre, she began writing and illustrating books for children. In total, she has written over 40 books in all areas of children’s literature including Young Adult, Middle Grade, chapter, and "I Can Reads". Several of her award-winning picture books have been animated and translated into multiple languages.

Reviews

[Bethany]

A perfect, buttery-warm encapsulation of the perfect sick day: a reminder that the world is beautiful, that people love you, and that good health will return.

I realize with a heartbroken pang that not everyone can have a sick day--or any day--like that.

[Shaye Miller]

This book would be a perfect gift for so many in our community who are currently under the weather with the flu. What sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch do YOU like when you have a cold? Perhaps warm socks, a kiss on the forehead, soft music, and a nice book would help any reader feel some comfort. The story will bring up many ideas to consider. And the ending has a slight twist that might bring a few giggles from young readers, too! The artwork was created using watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite.

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!

[Erin]

Picture book illustrated with watercolor, graphite and colored pencil. The story follows a red nosed girl who has a cold. The child learns different techniques that help soothe you while you let a cold runs its course. At the end of the story, we see that she has passed the cold to a family member.

[Sarah]

Decent little book about the various remedies to help alleviate the effects of a cold. Would make for a good read aloud for a child dealing with a case of the sniffles.

[Edward Sullivan]

Being sick never looked so pleasant.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*]

What a Cold Needs by Barbara Bottner, pictures by Chris Sheban. PICTURE BOOK. Neal Porter Books (Holiday House), 2019. $18. 9780823441723

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Barbara]

As is the case for just about everyone who's ever been sick, a young girl finds that having a cold makes her miserable. The entire book describes all the things that those around her do to make her feel better. The watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite illustrations feature a young girl with a red nose in all the pictures, the telltale sign of a bad cold and much nose-blowing. Of course, colds need to run their course, and with a little time, they disappear, leaving the sufferer feeling much better for having said goodbye. I liked everything about this gently reassuring story except the idea that "a cold needs what a cold needs" (unpaged). That struck me as just odd even though I understand the sentiment. This picture book would be great for sharing with someone who is feeling under the weather as a reminder that things will get better. But I have to say that this father and daughter look a lot better than I ever do when I have a cold.

[Gretchen]

I really like how the narrator of this book, a young girl, shares with us what a cold needs - which really means what she needs when she has a cold. She's telling us what she needs by saying that the cold needs these things. I remember when I first went off to college and got a very bad cold. I could take care of all the things like soup, tissues, extra rest, etc. but I remember needing to call my grandmother to feel sorry for me and to tell me how much she loved me and hoped that I felt better soon. That was truly what my "cold" needed. The little girls has some similar needs and the book took me back to those days when I was young and having a cold meant getting the love and attention you needed to feel better.

[Jana]

Having a cold can be a miserable experience for anyone, and if you're young it can seem like it takes forever to feel well again. This sweet picture book shows a young girl that has a cold and all of the loving gestures the members of her family provide - goofy jokes from dad, chicken soup from grandma, even the dog is a loving companion. The softly colored illustrations are warm and comforting and the book has some good suggestions for quiet activities for the one who is sick. This book, along with Bob, Not Bob! by Audrey Vernick, would be great to share with one who is home from school with a cold as well as anyone else who knows what it feels like to be sick.

[Cambrie]

This realistic fiction children's book talks about being sick, help from family and patience with recovery as the main character gets over a cold. My favorite part was when the siblings were concerned over their sister and were nice to her, letting her rest. I would use this in my future classroom if I did a lesson on sickness and how to get better. This book would show different methods of getting over a cold, which I would then tie in to personal experiences with sicknesses and how my students got over their sicknesses. "Have you done anything to get better that was similar to what this character did?"

[Michelle]

"The text uses the cold as its protagonist ("It likes music and a long, deep afternoon nap"), but the art, watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite illustrations focus on the shaggy-haired, red-nosed child who is the recipient of all the attention, cure-alls, and love." Booklist (February 15, 2019 (Vol. 115, No. 12))

I love that the child is gender non-specific. All children can see themselves with ease in this story about being sick. (Let's just hope it's not Corona!)

Curriculum connections: read-aloud, colds, healthy choices, perspective, illustration details, being sick, feelings

Audience: EC-2

[Lisa]

There are many things you need when you have a cold. A long nap, an open window so you can hear the birds, soft tissues, a good book, grandma's famous chicken soup and so much more.

There's a lot of waiting to get better when you have a cold, but with people around who love you, lots of rest and some time, you can feel better soon. Chris Sheban's illustrations perfectly represent a really nice sick day, and Bottner's list of what you need is spot on.

For this and more of my reviews, visit Kiss the Book at https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Teresa Bateman]

With illustrations by Chris Sheban in the muted tones in which we tend to view the world, when sick, this book sympathizes with those who have a cold. What does a cold need, after all? Warm socks, family love, chicken soup, rest, sympathy, and time. But most of all, a cold needs love. Readers will appreciate the misery of a cold, the accompanying attention, and the gradual but inevitable recovery. Bring this out in cold and flu season.

[Triston Dutschke]

This book is about a child who has a cold. It talks about the many things you may need when you're sick. Such as rest or love. Being sick can be depressing as you don't see your friends and lay in bed all day. This book can help students to realize why they may have to lay around all day. However, it also teaches them to look forward to their return to health and their many friends.

[Kari]

This book is to serve the purpose of helping a person take care of themselves while sick and to create empathy for others. Good job of creating illustrative interest through color choice and mixing pages of full-bleed and vignettes.

[Barbara]

When a child catches a cold everyone in the familyt pitches in to help them feel better. From chicken soup to a long afternoon nap, What a Cold Needes by Barbara Bottner will give kids and parents a lot of great ideas to help that cold move along. For ages 2 - 8.

[pati]

Beautifully illustrated..., and excellent advice! .

[Elisabeth]

A superb choice for an "Ick I'm Sick" storytime theme.

[Beth]

I don’t know how, but Barbara Bottner and Chris Sheban found a way for me to wish I could be a sick kid again and spend all day reading, sleeping, and snuggling with pets and parents.

[Syntha Green]

A sweet read

[Kelly]

I loved the idea of this book...what a cold needs, along with the person who has it.

[Lynn]

The perfect picture book for a sick day! I loved the soft illustrations and that red little nose on the small sufferer. Sweet story everyone can relate to.

[Rhonda K]

Lovely story with simple text that any child or parent can relate to about having a cold. A keeper for repeat readings.

[Paige Y.]

I loved this picture book that show a little girl being taken care of when she has a cold.

[Miss Sarah]

A child details all the things they need in this toddler and up book. Like the twist ending.

[Connie Heneghan]

Talks about the tender loving care that one needs when one is sick. Nice ending.

[Jillian]

A really sweet read for a kid who's stuck inside with the sniffles.

A slightly tear-inducing read for a mom who knows she'll never get the royal treatment for a cold again.

[Rebecca]

Sweet book about how you deal with having a cold. Great to share with those little and not so little cold sufferers.

[Matthew Noe]

Received an advance copy at Midwinter 2020 I think? It's cute and I love the art style, though I wonder if the family specifics might limit audience too much.

[Michele Knott]

I saw this on a fellow blogger's post and thought it would be appropriate to read during cold and flu season. I picked this book up from the library on Feb. 15th. Now I'm reading it under a stay-at-home order and I can't help but read it with the Covid19 warnings... on the page where the Grandpa gives the sick boy a kiss on the cheek - no, no!! Elderly need to stay away from the sick!! On the page where the boy's tissues are all over the floor - no, no!! Make sure used tissues go right into the garbage can! I wonder when we'll be able to read books without thinking about these things??