Published on: 09/04/20
Coronavirus, A book for children, available to download free, has been written for primary school aged children but is ideal for anyone who would benefit from simple, accessible information and advice.
Written in an easy-to-understand question-and-answer format, with engaging illustrations, the book includes information about coronavirus, along with advice about what can be done to prevent its spread and on dealing with the effects it is having on our daily lives.
Along with illustrations by children’s favourite Axel Scheffler, the content of the book has been written with the expert consultation of Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, two headteachers and a child psychologist.
The book, published by Nosy Crow, is completely free of charge to download, although readers are encouraged to make a donation to help the NHS.
Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo, said: "I think it is extremely important for children and families to have access to good and reliable information in this unprecedented crisis."
Professor Graham Medley, Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: "This pandemic is changing children’s lives across the globe and will have a lasting impact on us all. Helping children understand what is going on is an important step in helping them cope and making them part of the story – this is something that we are all going through, not something being done to them.
This book puts children IN the picture rather just watching it happen, and in a way that makes the scary parts easier to cope with."
Axel Scheffler has also created a series of cartoons with Julia Donaldson for The Guardian, using popular characters such as the Gruffalo, Stick Man and the Highway Rat to help children understand the guidelines that have been imposed.
Meanwhile, to keep children busy at home, he has also released a selection of his illustrations for colouring in.
