An amateur author has written a free book for children to help them cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
Hyndland mum, Lorna Morrow has self-published a children’s book called ‘The Midges Keep Their Distance’ which tells children the story of the pandemic through a swarm of midges.
Lorna said: “It made sense to write about midges in this context because they are such social creatures that swarm in packs – social distancing is hard for us, but it would be hard for the midges too. .”
Illustrations by Heather Walley
Having never written poetry before, Lorna decided to give it a hand to curb the boredom that confinement was bringing and doodled parts of it in all her free time. She said, “It didn’t take me too long to write the book. I was just taking ten minutes to write before going to bed.
Lorna’s five-year-old son also gave her inspiration after asking many questions about the ongoing situation. Lorna added: “My son was asking a lot of questions at the time about the situation. Perhaps it could serve as a springboard for discussion between parents and children to help them become familiar with the frequently changing regulations and restrictions”
Illustrations by Heather Walley
Due to the time it took to find an illustrator and web designer, the book now tells the full story of the last year, from lockdown to the discovery of a vaccine.
Lorna hopes the book will help kids who might have a lot of questions about the pandemic. She said: “For younger and older children, I hope it might help them deal with the emotions of the situation they’ve been through – missing friends and family that we haven’t been able to see, hoping for different days. This might help them process everything, understand what they are being asked to do and why.
Illustrations by Heather Walley
Although the book is available as a free download, Lorna also invites those who enjoyed it to donate money to The Trussell Trust if they can afford it. So far she has raised £172 for the food bank charity. She said: “Food poverty has been an issue since before all of this, but food banks are even more important now, during the pandemic.”
Illustrations by Heather Walley
Although Lorna doesn’t have solid plans to write another book, she has written another story in which her son will appear as a character.
She also hopes to work with local schools and nurseries to use the book as a teaching aid.
Readers who wish to download a copy of the book can visit www.themidges.co.uk where they can also contribute to Lorna’s Trussell Trust fundraiser.
Illustrations by Heather Walley
The book also has a facebook page called “The Midges Keep Their Distance” which can be visited at www.facebook.comTheMidgesKeepTheirDistance/