Caledonia nutritionist releases 1st children’s book about superfoods

Inspired by her two sons, Brooks and Briggs, the book follows a child superhero who gets superpowers from consuming different superfoods. Each page contains simple mantras to recite at breakfast, lunch and dinner, such as: cheese strengthens your teeth, carrots help your eyesight, and, of course, raisins help you poop.

“I really wanted to keep it basic and simple for that 1-to-6 age range,” said Boler. “I wanted it to be something families could read with their kids and say at meal times. … It’s really just teaching kids that superfoods give you superpowers."

Boler has dedicated her life to nutritional education and used her professional background as the basis for the book. She has a degree in dietetics, as well as a health coaching certification. She also has previous experience working as a school nutrition director.

The publication is considered a bucket list achievement for Boler, as she was first inspired to pursue writing for kids in high school, way back when, after winning a children’s book award. Boler additionally credits her mom as a driving force, stating “my mom gave me the extra little nudge.”

“I just think it’s a really good resource about nutrition,” said Boler. “It’s an important tool for kids to start learning about nutrition.”

Once the manuscript was put together, Boler realized she needed an illustrator to really make the text pop and appeal to its intended audience. While on this search, Boler stumbled upon Lori Ehlke in an online group for moms. Ehlke is an art teacher based in La Crosse who has previous experience in publishing. Knowing she’d be a perfect illustrator, Boler reached out to Ehlke and soon began working with her to finalize the book.

“[Ehlke], she’s been amazing and she’s actually written a couple of self-published books herself, so she helped me a lot with that process,” said Boler. “The illustrations really brought the book to life.”

Boler released the book in the beginning of March for nutrition month.

“I thought, what a great time to launch the book,” said Boler.

In the future, Boler hopes to continue to work with schools, not only to make the book more accessible, but also help young ones better understand the importance of superfood and the need to keep a balanced diet. Boler plans to read the book to her son’s kindergarten class in Caledonia, as well as donate a copy of the work to the local library.