Book paints a brave picture for children

It was during the Spring Festival holiday when Fujian resident Chen Xiarong had to leave for Wuhan, Hubei province, to provide medical assistance at the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Chen is a nurse at the No 2 Hospital affiliated to Fujian Medical University, and also a mother of a 6-year-old girl. Waiting for the outbound bus, Chen was hugged tightly by her daughter, whose eyes were welling up.

The farewell moment was captured by a local newspaper and then the photo was circulated online, touching millions across the country. Among them was Wu Shengwen, mother of a 4-year-old daughter.

My Mommy: The Virus Warrior, a picture book authored by Wu and her team, is a heart-warming letter to the thousands of children whose medical professional parents are in Hubei, supporting the fight against the epidemic.

The book was published by Beijing Science and Technology Press in February, and the e-book was translated into English by 21st Century English Education Media.

"The photo is so heart-wrenching, especially for mothers," says Wu about the original idea for the book. She lives in Beijing and runs a WeChat media account, Diguagua Planet, with five mothers, that features topics related to parenting and education.

"Seeing so many photos capture the farewell scenes happening across the country, as a mother I felt what they felt, I couldn't help but cry, and then I wanted to write something for those kids," Wu says.

More than 32,000 medical workers from across the country were working in Hubei as of Feb 17.

Wu notices that there are already some books on the shelf about what the novel coronavirus is and virus prevention measures, which answer people's need for facts.

"I want to console the heart of the children," she says, adding that her initiative was supported by her teammates Wen Xin and Tan Xian who have been working with her on the text of the book.

The book starts with a conversation between a girl and her mother. Girl: "Mommy, are you leaving home again?"

Mother: "Yes honey, mommy is going to fight a monster－a horrible virus has invaded a city that many people love dearly, and countless grandparents, aunts, uncles and children have become sick."

In plain language, the questions and answers go on, explaining the symptoms of the illness, and telling the stories of the people, doctors and nurses, couriers and cleaners, workers and scientists, fighting the virus on all fronts.

"They are all ordinary people, but now they are the bravest fighters!" it reads.

Besides providing "knowledge" and praising the heroes, the book intends to help children accept their emotions and cultivate a sense of responsibility for society.

"The mother in the book talks about being scared of the virus, because we want our children to know that it is okay to feel scared and frightened in this situation. Those emotions are natural for everyone," Wu says.

"But more importantly, we want them to know that even when someone is scared, they can still choose to do the right thing, to shoulder their responsibility, and this is true bravery."

Wu says she was so moved by the subject, that she finished the first draft of the book in just one night after putting her girl to sleep.

The text was then polished by Wu's team and editors at the publishing house, proofread by Zhang Silai, a pediatric expert with the previous ministry of health, and illustrated by Hu Yuran.

"Some medics working on the front line shared their experience with me, and I am so moved by their deeds and spirit," she says. "They told me about the tough work in a lighthearted tone."

"Tears ran down my face many times when I drew," says Hu who spent two days sketching and four days adjusting and coloring the book."I stayed up several days to work on the project because I wanted people to read the book as soon as possible."

The picture book was also adapted into an audio version, with the Chinese narration dubbed by Zhou Xuemei, a host at China Central Television, and Zhou's 4-year-old daughter. The English narration was done by Gu Qiubei, an associate professor at Shanghai International Studies University and 5-year-old Ye Zijun, who lives in Wuhan.

Shi Yu, marketing editor of the book, says the publishing house has printed 20,000 copies and the e-book and audio versions are available online for free.

Wu says her team and the publisher have decided to give 10,000 copies free-of-charge to children around the country, and the first batch of books have already been received by the children whose parents went to Hubei.

In the end of the book, the little girl asks,"Mommy, you'll come back for my birthday, right?"

"Yes, mom will come back!" she answers.