Charlie Barley Wises Up (Eventually) About COVID-19

Inspiration

We were inspired by the Coronavirus, the competitive nature of the competition, the suggestion by one of Drew's grandmothers to give it a try, and the idea of writing a book on a scary topic that would actually be fun for children.

What it does

This book introduces children to COVID-19 in a fun and funny way. The hero is a well-meaning, but bungling, clueless adult who has no idea whatsoever about what is going on. It takes children to explain it to him.

How I built it

First, we traded ideas. We came up with the concept of an adult who, somehow, had no idea at all about this major global event, because he was, literally, off in the woods, clueless and pant-less (despite the extreme weather of Canadian winters). We decided he was from New York City, and that our story could follow his return there and be full of silly, yet informative misadventures.

Challenges I ran into

There was a tight timeline. Also, when we were doing illustrations on the back porch, the wind kept blowing them over the side.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

We are proud of finishing this project in time to submit it.

What I learned

It is a good idea to put the illustrations under some sort of paperweight, so they don't blow away, while you're working on them.

What's next for Charlie Barley Wises Up (Eventually) About COVID-19

Only time will tell. Yet, we hope, publication, enjoyment by millions of children, and future misadventures that (accidentally) explain complex and potentially alarming phenomena.

Built With

• brains
• colored-pencils
• crayons
• english
• giggles
• goofiness
• google-docs
• google-photos
• ios
• paper
• paper-cutter