12.12.2024

Storybook Characters Aim To Explain COVID To Colorado Children

Coronavirus restrictions and all the changes they bring can be hard to navigate. Some guidelines, like wearing masks, can take some getting used to, especially for children.

That’s why Denver-based author Morgan Duffy decided to write a couple of books to help kids have fun while learning about the pandemic and COVID-19 restrictions. She shared the inspiration behind “Peri The Awesome COVID Fairy” and “Why? You Ask, Do We Wear Masks?” in an interview on CBSN Denver.

“The inspiration for our first book, ‘Peri the Awesome COVID Fairy,’ came because my cousin and her kids up in Washington are sick,” Duffy said. “I handcrafted a book about a blue fairy that sprung from their potbelly stove and got into all sorts of mischief, to sort of lift their spirits. Then that took off, and from there we thought we’d write a second about the importance of wearing masks.”

Duffy explained she decided to write the books because COVID is so complex and it can be difficult to relay that message to children.

“I really wanted to provide a way to explain those things in a kid-like, easy to understand way, but also that had some of the elements that kids love like using your imagination and song and dance,” she told CBSN Denver’s Kelly Werthmann. “So really the message in these books came from me and our family talking about COVID and everything from schools changing to social distancing to wearing masks to not being able to see loved ones.”

Another goal of the book, Duffy added, is to bring joy and remind kids that even though times are hard there are ways to remain positive.

“I especially love in the mask book. We talk about different analogies of why wearing a mask is as easy as other daily routines,” she said. “Like wearing a seatbelt or washing your hands. I also love this imaginative side that encourages kids to think about masks as something that’s fun – it’s a disguise, it’s an accessory.”

Writing the books was a fun process for Duffy, made even more special because her mom illustrated them.

“She is an incredible illustrator,” Duffy said. “She’s a zoologist and biologist by training, but she raised me in Telluride, Colorado and was the editor-in-chief of a small publishing company down there before the digital age. She even was an illustrator for a cartoon strip for a while down there, so it’s been really an honor and incredible to work with her.”

“Peri the Awesome COVID Fairy” as well as “Why? You Ask, Do We Wear Masks?” can be purchased on Amazon as well as Duffy’s website.

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