Iris Has a Virus - Hardcover

Arlene Alda is an award-winning photographer and writer whose work has appeared in numerous galleries, as well as Life, Vogue, and People magazines. She is the author of thirteen children’s books, including Here a Face, There a Face, Did You Say Pears, The Book of ZZZs, and Morning Glory Monday, illustrated by Maryann Kovalski. Her photographs are featured in 97 Orchard Street, New York, written by Linda Granfield. A native New Yorker, Arlene Alda is the proud grandmother of eight. She lives on Long Island with her husband, actor Alan Alda.

Lisa Desimini is a graduate from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Since then she has written and illustrated over thirty books for children. Her award-winning books include My House, which was deemed a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, I Am Running Away, a Bologna Book Fair honor book, and Love Letters, a Publishers Weekly Best Picture Book of the Year, BCCB Blue Ribbon Book, and School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Lisa Desimini and her husband divide their time between NYC and Northport.

Home sick with a stomach virus, Iris feels especially bad after her brother Doug seems less worried about her and more worried about missing their Grandpa’s upcoming weekend birthday. After resting through the week, Iris is finally better on Saturday, but on the way to visit Grandpa, the family has to turn back toward home: Doug has the bug now. Alda sensitively captures a kid’s viewpoint on illness, from the frustration of missing potential fun to the misery of doctor’s visits and dealing with a not-so-sympathetic sibling. The straightforward text is enlivened with occasional, if somewhat erratic, rhyming couplets (Her head was hot. / She threw up in pot), as well as a fancifully rendered dream spread that explores the meaning of bug. The colorful paper-collage illustrations incorporate whimsical perspectives and scenarios. Along with a basic description of what happens when a child suffers an illness, the story also includes elements such as a teacher’s discussion about hand-washing and Dad’s explanation of viruses, all of which can provide starting points to discuss precautions to avoid illness. Grades K-3. --Shelle Rosenfeld