Books about coronavirus aim to ease children’s anxieties
- Help is at hand for parents with a range of pictures and stories explaining the pandemic in simple terms
- Social isolation and family worries are adding to the fears of young people in a time of uncertainty
The latest in the genre is The Big Thing , by Americans Angela Meng and Alexander Friedman, a former chief financial officer at the Gates Foundation. The book is available in English, Chinese and Spanish – with translators working on more language editions – and proceeds of e-book and print sales will go to Covid-19 charities.
The book tells the story of Bea, who is frightened by the news on television, misses her classmates and grandparents and hears her parents talking nervously about jobs, supplies and health. In her anxiety, she finds all colours have turned to grey, flowers are no longer attractive and cupcakes have lost their sweetness – until her teacher asks to look for silver linings.
Meng said she hoped to remind children growing up in unprecedented times that there was always a bright side in something dark, and to help them build resilience.
“Darkness doesn’t have to make us darker, it can make us deeper. Resilience is the antidote to fear,” she said.
