The Shots Book: A Little Brother's Superhero Tale

Make the back-to-school doctor visit easier for your child by empowering them with this delightful superhero tale that answers the question, "Why do I have to get a shot?"Sometimes it takes a kid to explain something to another kid. My name is Ethan, I am 17 years old and I wrote The Shots Book, to share what I wish I had known back when I was getting my kindergarten shots. In a superhero story that is easy for children to understand, and based on my real life experiences, I explain how vaccines work, how they protect our own health, and the health of others in our community to empower kids and help make the doctor’s visit easier. More information at TheShotsBook.comBook proceeds fund my pediatric health educational campaigns. My book is dedicated to kids fighting cancer, needing transplants, or battling other diseases who rely on community immunity.

My big sister is a student filmmaker who wrote the documentary, Invisible Threat; a peer-to-peer film that explores the science of vaccines and outbreaks. While she was making the film I was due to get a shot for school and she wanted to document my experience. Although my parents explained that kids needed shots to prevent us from getting sick that didn't convince me. However, after I learned about herd immunity and saw first hand what happens to the vulnerable when it breaks down, I gladly got my shot. It was surprising to me that kids aren't taught about community immunity and it wasn't in our school science textbooks. This inspired me to write a children's illustrated book about what I learned about shots, protecting my health, and the health of babies in my community. It is everything I wish I had known when I was getting my kindergarten shots in a story about how my puppy and I became community immunity superheroes but based on my real life experience. More information at TheShotsBook.com