A new children’s book by a Nanaimo author is teaching kids the importance of doing their part to fight COVID-19.
This weekend graphic designer Amy Pye from Nanaimo is holding an online book launch for her new book, Bruce the Silly Goose. The book follows Bruce, a Canada goose who doesn’t see the point in hand washing and wearing masks. It’s up to his friends, including a beaver and a moose, to teach him that his actions can help others.
“The goal is to educate kids about the importance of these steps without being scary, without being like, ‘Do this or you’re going to get sick,'” Pye said. “It’s more like, ‘Do this to help the people around you.'”
The book comes only three months after Pye’s debut children’s book, G is for Grizzly Bear. She said the quick release is due to the timelines of the issue and that children need resources to help them understand what’s going on. Pye herself is the mother of a toddler.
“It’s just such a weird time to be growing up,” she said. “My daughter, she sees masks as normal and it kind of blows my mind. Sometimes she’ll take my mask and put it on and play with it as a joke and on one hand it’s cute and on the other hand it’s a little bit heartbreaking.”
At the book launch, Pye will discuss her behind-the-scenes process and character development and will take questions. She said the book is aimed at children age two to six and it’s already being read at her daughter’s daycare.
“She washes her hands every time she goes to daycare – they have a little hand-washing station at the door – and she’s almost at the age where she’s going to be wearing a mask,” Pye said. “So I just figure the more tools that these kids have in their toolbox to deal with this, the better.”
Bruce the Silly Goose is available in Nanaimo at The Children’s Treehouse at Country Club Centre mall, Island-ish Lifestyle Boutique at 5299 Rutherford Rd. and online.
WHAT’S ON … Amy Pye presents a virtual book launch for Bruce the Silly Goose on her Facebook page on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 2 p.m.
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