Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Written with the assistance of Professor in Infectious Disease Modeling Graham Medley, this UK-created overview of life under coronavirus has a solid and sensible clarity that many adult summaries lack. The book employs a direct address to young audiences and focuses on what matters to them—what’s changed for them, what may frighten them, what they can and should do—in honest and respectful terms. Q&A format provides plain-language coverage of germ theory, vaccination, social distancing, and vulnerable populations, all framed accessibly, and makes some excellent points about the challenging emotions for everyone and ways to deal with those (“Another important thing you can do is to be kind to the people that you live with”). Scheffler’s line and watercolor cast are dot-eyed and friendly and multiply diverse; though the paucity of masks may be a talking point, it’s otherwise a collection of characters that looks like most of our families and neighborhoods. This is an immensely useful tool that gives neither too much nor too little information, and it will help adults as much as youngsters. Lists of resource websites and places to help, both adapted for American audiences, are appended. The title is available to download for free from http://www.candlewick.com.