A Wombat To Enjoy
I’m busy updating the website (do check out new pages for Wombat Underground; Brown Is Warm, Black Is Bright; and A Pandemic Is Worldwide), so no super-exciting post today…but do enjoy this picture of a wombat, which I hope will brighten your day.
SLJ Star for A Pandemic Is Worldwide
Utterly thrilled to say that School Library Journal has given A Pandemic is Worldwide a starred review! They say:
Read MoreIn simple terms and with lots of explanatory illustrations, this addition to the “Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out” series offers an objective view of a pandemic that is easy to understand…. Stating that a pandemic is caused by a bacteria or a virus, the book describes ways in which readers can actively inhibit the spread of the disease through handwashing, covering injuries, and staying away from sick people; it emphasizes the importance of isolation with a very helpful chart, and even includes directions for proper handwashing technique…. VERDICT: This slender volume may alleviate fears and help readers understand how illness spreads, while its underlying message is that those who wear masks, wash their hands, and stay home can help to end pandemics.
Kirkus Review for A Pandemic Is Worldwide
Kirkus Reviews has given A Pandemic Is Worldwide a thumbs up! I like the last line best: “A gently worded explainer for young readers looking for answers.”
Young readers gain insight into what pandemic means….Previous generations of youngsters may not have been familiar with the word pandemic, but today’s youngsters surely are….Opening with a digestible lesson on how pandemics develop and a brief historical overview of medical plagues of the past, the text then turns a microscope on the Covid-19 virus—its physical symptoms, social effects, and what people can do to curb its spread. The role of vaccine development and scientific advances in the field of immunology is highlighted throughout the book. The illustrations of earnest doctors administering vaccines to willing children will rub anti-vaxxers the wrong way, but the wholesome overarching message of “we’re all in this together” will play well to the intended audience….A gently worded explainer for young readers looking for answers.
Can’t say I particularly care about rubbing anti-vaxxers the wrong way, so this review makes me happy all through.
Read MoreCover Reveal!
And here it is: the cover for A Pandemic Is Worldwide, to be published in February 2022!
So much gratitude and respect for the illustrator, Taia Morley (do check out her website here), who managed to take on this sobering topic with such grace. The art conveys the seriousness of the situation without letting it get grim.
I have to confess to some sadness, as well. When I first proposed this to my editor, Tamar Mayes at HarperCollins in the summer of 2020, she had a little hesitation (which I shared). A trade book is not a quick undertaking. Even rushing it (which we did), it wouldn’t be on shelves for a year and a half. Would pandemics still be relevant, we wondered? Would the world have moved on?
I’m sad to say–I’m heartbroken to say–this book will be relevant and needed and timely in February of 2022.
Read MoreSarah L. Thomson
A children’s book author publishing award-winning nonfiction, poetry, picture books and novels including…
“Readers will treasure the blossoming friendship between opposites in this whimsically illustrated tale. Short chapters and plenty of action make for an accessible and appealing reading experience. . . . Touching and inspiring.”
—Kirkus Reviews