Teach your preschooler about the Covid-19 pandemic through this free e-book

One of the positive effects of Covid-19 we have witnessed is a surge in creativity from our local community. And one such creative output is the publication of 'I Wonder': a children's book on coronavirus and the response of the world, to the pandemic.

The picture book, which is suitable for even the youngest readers, views the effects Covid-19 has unleashed on home soil through the questioning eyes of a child.

Children's book on coronavirus

The idea for the picturebook was born when the family was watching a circuit breaker update on TV at home and Lynn expressed frustration about being "confined indoors for days", to which her daughter exclaimed: "What's so bad about staying at home? I think I quite like it!"

"Our child, RaeAnne is the source of inspiration and joint illustrator for the book. She has taught us to look at this Covid-19 pandemic with optimism and hope," notes Lynn who is an educator by profession.

"Our daughter's perspective about the pandemic shed new light on the challenges of having to manage working from home and home-based learning. We decided to make an effort to find joy and delight in our family time together, cooking meals, playing games, taking outdoor walks, cuddling in bed and creating memories with one another," the author further notes.

With RaeAnne's views on the Singaporean response to the pandemic, Lynn went about writing the book and asked her 10-year-old daughter who has been a student of art at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) since she was four years old, to sketch pictures to accompany the story.

All the colourful illustrations in the book are done by RaeAnne, with a little help from her father.

The concentrated family effort has since been turned into an ebook that is free to download in PDF format and is available here.

Children's book on coronavirus: Mini details for mini minds

The book comprises short sentences and colourful pictures that detail the new changes that have become visible after the enforcement of circuit breaker measures.

This includes depictions of playgrounds that have been cordoned off, empty supermarket shelves, and people wearing masks.

"While there have been a few publications on social responsibility and safety, this picture book depicts the child's perspective on the pandemic in Singapore and the meaningful journey we took as a family during the circuit breaker," says Lynn.

"Some preschools have started using this as an e-book for home-based learning. We have also received encouraging reviews from parents," Lynn adds.

The book is dedicated to healthcare workers "who show our children who true heroes are, as they risk their lives to protect ours in the midst of the pandemic."

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

This article was first published in theAsianparent.