If you have kids, they probably have a lot of questions about why they’re stuck at home. A new book from publisher Candlewick Press aims to give them some answers about what the coronavirus is and why it’s forced families into quarantine.
Coronavirus: A Book for Children, written by Elizabeth Jenner, Kate Wilson and Nia Roberts and illustrated by Axel Scheffler (The Gruffalo) is available for download at no charge from the Massachusetts-based publisher. Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene Tropical Medicine served as consultant for the book.
“This informative and accessible guide for young readers defines the coronavirus, explains why everyday routines have been disrupted, and lays out how everyone can do their part to help,” the publisher says. “With child-appropriate answers and explanations, the book addresses several key questions.”
Questions answered by the book include “How do you catch coronavirus and what happens if you have it? Why are people so worried about it? Is there a cure? Why do we have to stay home? What can I do to help? And what happens next?”
The book strikes an optimistic tone in parts. “Sometimes being at home with the people you live with can be fun,” one section reads. “You can do things together that you wouldn’t normally do when you are at school or when the grown-ups are at work.”
The book concludes, “One day soon, though nobody knows exactly when, you’ll be able to visit people you love who don’t live with you, play with your friends, go to school again, and do lots of other things that you enjoy but that you can’t do now.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
