Covid-19. Shelter-in-place. Masks. The world has changed drastically since March. And for kids, not only has it changed drastically, but dealing with their new realty and feelings can be difficult and overwhelming.
So locals Drs. Lyn Ashley Gildar, Psy.D. and Linda Eller, DO., teamed up to author a children’s book that would explain what was happening in language specific to them.
“I saw a lot of children were having a hard time understanding COVID,” Eller, a family medicine physician, says.
“And I had a lot of reports of anxiety, both from the parents in regards to ‘how do I explain this to kids in their language,’ and then from the kids’ end, as well,” continues Gildar, a clinical psychologist.
So the pair—who say they had both always wanted to write a children’s book—began writing.
The result is Captain Quarantine: A Child’s Guide to Understanding COVID-19. It tells the story from the perspective of a character named Alex (a gender neutral name so that all children can relate). Alex has some feelings about Covid-19 and so their Aunt Lily suggests going to a medical doctor and a psychologist to talk about Covid. At the end, Alex feels empowered by the information received.
The book, which Gildar and Eller self-published in order to get it to market quickly, is 24 pages and is meant for children ages 3-12. The authors worked with Eller’s nephew, who does illustrations, graphic design, and works with a fashion design company, as their illustrator. It is available at Amazon.com.
“[It provides kids with] a better understanding of Covid and how to deal with the big feelings associated with it,” says Ellen. “[The book] is for public awareness, helping children through this, and to help parents relate to children and help them through [Covid] in an age-appropriate manner.”