Axel Scheffler, the award-winning illustrator of The Gruffalo series, has illustrated a free digital book for primary school age children about the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it. Coronavirus: A Book for Children was first published by Nosy Crow in the UK, and now Gill Books is publishing an Irish-specific version, free for anyone to read on screen or print out. The book is available here.
The book has had expert input from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, teachers and a child psychologist. Prof Luke O’Neill, head of immunology at Trinity College Dublin, said: “This book is a fantastic resource for children, and explains the coronavirus in a colourful and calming way. Adults will learn a thing or two, too.”
The book answers key questions in simple language appropriate for five- to nine-year-olds:
- What is coronavirus?
- How do you catch coronavirus?
- What happens if you catch coronavirus?
- Why are people worried about catching coronavirus?
- Is there a cure for coronavirus?
- Why are some places we normally go to closed?
- What can I do to help?
- What's going to happen next?
At the back of the book is a list of trusted resources for children, along with further reading for parents, guardians and carers.
Nicki Howard, director of Gill Books, said: “The last few months have been an extremely challenging time for everyone in Irish society. When it comes to our children, we find ourselves trying to convey calm when we mightn’t feel it and to give answers where we mightn’t have them. That’s why when we saw this gorgeous, educational, and timely book from Nosy Crow, we were immediately keen to offer the same informational and reassuring resource to the children of Ireland.”
Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo, said: “I asked myself what I could do as a children’s illustrator to inform, as well as entertain, my readers here and abroad. So I was glad when my publisher, Nosy Crow, asked me to illustrate this question-and-answer book about the coronavirus.
“I think it is extremely important for children and families to have access to good and reliable information in this unprecedented crisis, and I hope that the popularity of the books I’ve done with Julia Donaldson will ensure that this digital book will reach many children who are now slightly older, but might still remember our picture books.”
