Coronavirus, A Book for Children

by Alisya Rashid

We are all deeply affected by the novel Coronavirus, especially when WHO declared the outbreak as a global pandemic. If you are someone who is still confused about the recent global crisis, and having trouble adjusting to the new norms, Coronavirus: A Book for Children is just the book for us. In light of the pandemic, Nosy Crow published a free e-book called Coronavirus: A Book for Children which is an excellent book to help explain the virus in an interesting manner. Although the title claims that it is a children’s

book, I would personally recommend this to people of all ages because of how simple yet informative it is.

Coronavirus: A Book for Children is written by Kate Wilson, Elizabeth Jenner, and Nia Roberts. These authors have a way with comforting words as they are experts in children’s books. The book is also illustrated by Axel Scheffler, with whom you might be familiar through his works of The Gruffalo and the Pip & Posy series.

Coronavirus: A Book for Children explains the virus by answering 10 questions, including ‘What is coronavirus?’, ‘What happens if you catch coronavirus?’ and ‘What can I do to help?’. The book explores the readers’ curiosity and guides them in understanding coronavirus and its effects from a health perspective and its consequences in a family’s daily routine using accessible words and appealing illustrations. Not to forget, the book is also consulted by expert Professor Graham Medley and child psychologists to keep it factual and practical.

Although the target audience for this book is children, feedback from readers of all ages concludes that it also helped them have a grasp on what the virus is when reading this book. The simple straight-forward language has helped readers digest the content without feeling anxious about the uncertainty of the potentially fatal virus.

What I like about this book, and why I think anyone from any age group will love it is because the reading experience feels like a sit-down discussion; a heart-to-heart chat with someone whom we go to for protection, making us feel like everything is going to be okay.

This book is very informative. It gives us facts and insights on the virus without a forceful tone. ‘Coronavirus: A Book for Children’ explores causes, symptoms, and treatments of the virus by describing situations in everyday lives. For example, it explains that when our friend sneezes, there will be tiny droplets that may infect us. In highlighting social distancing, the book describes a no-visitor rule with an illustration of a girl engaging in a video call with her grandmother. These instances give us a sense of familiarity and help them connect with the book.

It starts off with the sentence “There’s a new word you might have heard” which is very captivating especially for a person with lots of questions. This sentence, in my opinion, sparks interests in young children and even teenagers to read the book. To add in, it gives a preview of what it is about and convinces us that the situation is safe by relating it to something familiar to us.

What is comforting about ‘Coronavirus: A Book for Children’, is not just how it explains the virus in a reassuring way, but also how it highlights emotions that you may feel during this pandemic. One of the questions discussed in this book, “What’s it like to be at home all the time?” underlines the struggle we might feel trying to fit ourselves into a new sense of normalcy. I think that it is a very important reminder to everyone that to be in a spiral is normal and acceptable.

This brings us to the end of the book, where it shows a very simple yet powerful message to lift our spirits: “One day, this strange time will be over”. This last line emphasizes hope, motivation, and faith that everything will return to how it used to be soon, and this is what I think everyone needs right now. No matter the age, this book can help us understand what is happening, what to do with what is happening, and most importantly, comfort us with a warm message that everything is going to be okay.

It left me with knowledge, reassurance and protection altogether. I will conclude that this book is a must-read for everyone who is overwhelmed, anxious and confused; which I think most people are during these trying times.

Images via Nosy Crow