Michael Dow’s NURSE FLORENCE, HOW DO WE SMELL THINGS? is the latest entry in the ongoing, illustrated children’s book series fusing an academic take on medical facts with an illustrated grade school adventure. The story begins with a flashback to Ms. Smith’s classroom, where Jean and Condi are receiving a lesson on water. When Ms. Smith notices that Jean is looking a bit under the weather, she sends the student to see Nurse Florence. After reviewing her symptoms, Nurse Florence gives Jean some medicine and prepares to send her back to class. Before leaving the office, Jean admits that she’s having trouble smelling and wonders aloud how the sense of smell works. From there, Nurse Florence delivers a detailed lesson on all-things smell. From the olfactory bulb to the chemicals responsible for scent-induced memories, Nurse Florence guides Jean through a series of diagrams displaying the anatomy of the nose. The lesson leaves an indelible mark, as an inspired Jean decides she’d like to someday become a nurse, just like Nurse Florence.

A clever nod to the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, NURSE FLORENCE, HOW DO WE SMELL THINGS? is the rare example of a science-themed children’s book that refuses to water down the science. As Dow points out in his forward, introducing children to “correct terminology” at an early age is key to establishing health and science literacy. The general idea behind advocating health literacy among young readers is both noble and necessary, and in that regard, NURSE FLORENCE is a success. Dow delivers a thorough, science-backed lesson that is anything but watered down. Unfortunately, well-intentioned as Dow may be, there are a handful of words and phrases that are far too advanced for an ‘early-reader’ book geared toward preschool-aged children. A chapter book written for a grades one-to-three would perhaps serve as a more appropriate format for what is admittedly dry subject matter, regardless of the audience. As it stands, the lesson delivered in NURSE FLORENCE is ultimately short-changed by the limited word count.

Minor quibbles aside, NURSE FLORENCE, HOW DO WE SMELL THINGS? is an undeniably high-quality package. From the glossy, hard-cover binding to the heavyweight pages, Dow has spared no expense on a series that is clearly a labor of love. Even his choice to cast an RN as his series protagonist (as opposed to a doctor) is rooted in personal experience, as the author became a nurse following his sixteen-year military career. And the anime-adjacent illustrations (provided by the talented Iris Serrano) breathe a sense of life into the story. Dow’s decision to enlist different artists for each of his books, resulting in a myriad of ethnic depictions for NURSE FLORENCE, adds a progressive touch as well.

Michael Dow’s NURSE FLORENCE, HOW DO WE SMELL THINGS? delivers a fun, in-depth lesson on the science behind the sense of smell, despite some tongue-twisting jargon.

~James Weiskittel for IndieReader