Michael Dow Revolutionises Children’s Science Education Through The Nurse Florence Series

Photo: Author Michael Dow, the creative force behind the award-winning Nurse Florence series.

From The Pandemic To The Printing Press

During the pandemic, Michael Dow launched the Nurse Florence series to teach primary-school children science. His military-inspired, standardised approach has expanded into a massive global collaboration of over 180 illustrators.

I t is a rare delight to encounter an author who manages to blend rigorous academic discipline with the whimsical heart of children’s literature. In this issue of Reader’s House, we are privileged to feature Michael Dow, the visionary mind behind the prolific and award-winning Nurse Florence® series. Born from the unique challenges of the global pandemic, Dow’s work is a masterclass in turning adversity into educational excellence. When the world retreated behind screens, Dow stepped forward to ensure that the spark of scientific curiosity would not be extinguished for the next generation. By translating complex medical concepts into accessible, engaging narratives for primary-school children, he has performed a vital service for both literacy and science education.

What makes Dow’s approach truly remarkable is the synthesis of his diverse background. Drawing on his time in the United States Air Force, he brings an extraordinary level of precision and “military-grade” clarity to his storytelling. This commitment to legacy and detail—ensuring every book maintains a high level of accuracy and quality—has allowed the series to flourish into a monumental project, now boasting a collaborative team of over 180 illustrators.

With a Nautilus Silver Book Award to his name, Michael Dow is not merely writing stories; he is building a comprehensive library of knowledge for young minds. His work is a testament to the power of concise communication and the enduring inspiration of the “Lady with the Lamp,” Florence Nightingale.

It is an honour to present this insight into his creative process and his unwavering mission to introduce “Medical Words to Kids in Every Book.”

What inspired you to create the Nurse Florence® children’s book series?

It was birthed out of the COVID pandemic.  My young kids had to transition to online learning like most kids around the world, and I was concerned about the quality of their education that they were going to get for the next couple of years.  I love science and want my kids to learn to love science too.  I thought, “What if I wrote a kids science book and my kids would have to read it since dad wrote it.”  I was finishing up nursing school and decided to title the series after the great Florence Nightingale.  I worked with my niece to have her draw the illustrations and Nurse Florence, Help I’m Bleeding was produced.  I thought it was a good book and deserved some recognition, so I submitted it for some book awards, and it won a Nautilus Silver Book Award.  I then realized I may have a skill to bring science information down to an elementary school level, so I began recruiting other illustrators to help me and now there are over 180 illustrators working on the project with a new book published about every 5 days.

“I love science and want my kids to learn to love science too.”
– Michael Dow

How did your experiences in the military influence your approach to writing and storytelling?

My time in the USAF helped me recognize the importance of standardization and attention to detail.  Most of the books have a similar scenario where the three girls meet with the nurse in the school cafeteria and the nurse uses her smartphone to show images of science from the internet.  The book covers are standardized too.  My time in the military also helped me learn concise speech from talking on military radio channels.  The information I present is short and simple, but still using complex words at times so that accurate science information is presented.  One of our trademark slogans for the books is “Introducing Some Medical Words to Kids in Every Books.”

“If society wants something we have never had, we’re going to have to do something that has never been done.”
– Michael Dow   

In what ways has your work as a psychiatric nurse shaped the themes or purpose of your books?

One of the basics a psychiatric nurse should be accomplished in is therapeutic communication.  I bring kindness into every Nurse Florence® book to empower kids to reach out to trusted health professionals, so they better understand their body.  Also, I started a second book series titled Nurse Dorothea® after Dorothea Dix, a champion for mental health patients in the 1800s.  This series explores mental illness as well as mental health topics such as coping skills and many more subjects.  More information can be found at www.nursedorothea.com.

“Well-written book for kids that teaches about how we hear things and communicate with others. It uses some technical terms and drawings of the inner ear, but presents the information in a way that kids and adults can both understand it. The book also does a good job of putting this into a narrative/story format that makes it interesting instead of just offering information. The drawings are also great, too.”
– Bentley,
Goodreads.com

Why do you believe it is important to introduce medical terminology and science concepts to children at an early age?

If people are taught the correct words and ideas from an early age, then they will grow in confidence in the subject matter and feel empowered in their understanding.  When I was a human anatomy lab assistant, one older student came through the class, and I asked if she was going back to school for another degree.  She said she was an elementary Physical Education teacher at one of the prestigious schools in the city.  She said that all of her students knew the scientific names of the muscles they were exercising and for her to teach at that school, she needed to become an expert on the human body.  This school was known to produce a lot of students that went on to become Physicians.  By introducing young kids to correct terminology and science concepts at an early age, we can help increase our children’s health literacy level as well as help to prepare them for courses and jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  We need more scientists so I hope that many children will enjoy Nurse Florence® and consider a job involving science.

How do you balance explaining complex medical ideas while keeping the language simple and engaging for young readers?

I try to keep a child-like perspective and think how I would have liked the concepts said to me when I was a child.

What message do you hope children take away after reading the Nurse Florence® books?

Science learning can be fun and knowing how the body works should be a human right.

How do the illustrations and collaborations with contributors help bring your educational ideas to life for children?

I would not be able to do this series without my illustrators.  They help bring the concepts to life and add richness to the characters.  Before I write the book, I look at the images that the illustrator created for my inspiration.  The illustrators create the drawings from vague drawing prompts so that they use their maximum creativity to create their own Nurse Florence® universe.  We allow any style and medium just as long as AI is not used.  Working with a team of illustrators has been rewarding and the collaboration is important in a project like this one.

Do your own children influence the stories or topics you choose to write about?

No.  We have a master list of topics to write about, and we just go down the list for ideas.

How do you hope your books might encourage children to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, or medicine?

We need more scientists and these books are meant to inspire a new generation of scientists.  Science is amazing and I hope to instill my awe of our accumulated knowledge into readers.

What future topics or medical concepts would you like to explore in upcoming books in the series?

Since are goal is producing about 700 books, we will be covering all the major diseases as well as many rare diseases.  We want to be thorough in our series just as we are thorough with each book.

What writing tips would you give to aspiring authors who want to write educational books for children?

Write something everyday to get into the habit and sharpen your writing skills.  Don’t focus on making a perfect book at first, but an engaging book instead.  Practice will make perfect.

What general advice would you offer to aspiring authors who are just beginning their writing journey?

Believe in yourself.  If you can’t believe that you can write a best-selling novel but feel you could write something useful, start with that.  Write a short story, poem, or even a long journal note about an idea.  Once you accomplish writing something you can believe in, go to the next level and write something a little more difficult that you can muster faith in yourself about.  A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.

What other projects do you have planned?

Our third series will publish in April about citizenship.  Our fourth series will focus on leadership and should publish by this summer.  What if we could have 18 year old adults that understood their body, could have competent conversations with their doctor, have developed mental well-being, had many healthy coping skills, were good citizens that promoted the good of society, and were knowledgeable in leadership traits to help lead the next generation to higher heights than we have gotten already in our civilization?  Onward and upward.

Interview Highlights

• Pandemic Inspiration: The series was conceived to combat the potential decline in educational quality during remote learning.
• Military Precision: Dow applies USAF-learned standards, such as consistent visual layouts and concise language, to his books.
• Collaborative Scale: A project that began with his niece has grown into a vast international network of 180+ illustrators.
• Rapid Publication: The team now manages an impressive output of one new book every five days.
• Educational Philosophy: A commitment to introducing complex medical terminology to young readers without sacrificing simplicity or accuracy.