I don’t need to say how hard this year has been for most of us. Some have used the restrictions and difficulties as a source of “comedy gold” to help people laugh their way through this trying time. There’s certainly a place for that.

But I thought about children specifically when I conceived this book idea. Now, children are far more resilient to hard times than adults are; they maintain cheerful curiosity and continue to play in almost every situation. But they still want to know why things are the way they are and if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

Sadly, we can’t always give them definitive answers on when bad things are going to end, or when things will “go back to normal”, but we can help them understand one key thing that remains a constant in this often dark world: somehow, good things still come out of the bad things.

“Kay” is a little island in the middle of the deep, blue sea. One day, a major event fills Kay with fear and uncertainty. But the short story ends with a change for the better.

This simple story sprang out of one oft-quoted maxim: “No man is an island.” It was designed to help children who have been rattled by the earth-shaking weight of 2020 to keep hope and to look for good things to come. It also deals with the loneliness and isolation many of us have felt this year and focuses on the need for togetherness. So I dedicated “Kay” to The COVID Generation.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post and letting me share some illustrations with you! Here’s to better days ahead.

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