Sam Is Still Sam By Phyllis Kimani

Author: Phyllis Kimani
Genre: Children's Book
Rating:

A picture book about epilepsy, seizure first aid and friendship, for children aged 5 to 9. Reviewed and approved by a UK consultant paediatric neurologist.

About the Book

Every Saturday, Ben and Sam play football with their friends. It is the best game, and nothing ever goes wrong.

Then one Saturday, mid-game, Sam stops running. A storm nobody expected arrives, and it is over in a few minutes — but his friends have no idea what has just happened, or what they are supposed to do.

Sam Is Still Sam is a picture book about what comes next. It gives children four things they can remember and actually use when a friend has a seizure: Stay. Safe. Side. Send for help. It also gives them the more important idea underneath — that a seizure changes nothing about who a friend is or how talented they can be.

Written by a pharmacist and caregiver, and reviewed by consultant pediatric neurologist in the United Kingdom, the story follows UK first aid guidance and treats epilepsy plainly, without fear or pity.

Part of the NeuroReach Friends Series. NeuroReach Africa is a non-profit community interest company; proceeds support brain-health research and education.

Website: https://www.neuroreachafrica.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neuroreachafrica/

Phyllis Kimani

Phyllis Kimani is a pharmacist, a family caregiver, and the author of the NeuroReach Friends series of children's books about epilepsy.

She began writing them for a simple reason. As a caregiver, she could not find a book that explained epilepsy to a child in a way that lowered fear rather than raising it, set somewhere the child would recognise. So she wrote one. Then another.

Her African titles are the first children's books about epilepsy written for sub-Saharan African settings, with African characters, in African languages, and include The Day the Purple Kite Flew, published in East African English and in Kiswahili as Siku Kishada cha Zambarau Kilipopaa, and My Friend Amani. She also writes for young readers in the United Kingdom. Every book is clinically reviewed by consultant paediatric neurologists before publication.

Phyllis holds an MPharm and is registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board in Kenya and the General Pharmaceutical Council in the United Kingdom. She is the founder of NeuroReach Africa a non-profit organisation, which works on epilepsy awareness, advancing epilepsy research and community impact.

She is a mother of four daughters and divides her time between Leeds and Nairobi.