KING COVID XIX, The Invisible Monster

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  Book cover

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  Back cover

Inspiration

Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, two kids, Greg-Daniel Matsouaka and Elikya R. Matsouaka narrate the story of the disease’s outbreak to children.

What it does

This book helps parents explain to little ones why the schools, playgrounds, and libraries are closed, why everyone should stay home, and what is being done to end the pandemic.

The book “KING COVID XIX: The Invisible Monster” also forecasts that the pandemic will soon be behind us, thanks to everyone’s efforts and participation.

This is an excellent conversation starter and a great way to instill hope in the hearts of little kids.

How I built it

Right after the quarantine measures were decided, our kids, Elikya and Greg-Daniel Matsouaka were sharing their frustration about schools being closed and not being able to see their friends. They imagined how younger children could be bothering their parents, not understanding exactly what's happening. From these conversations came the idea to write a children's book to explain the current pandemic situation, why restrictive measures were put in place, how to stay healthy, and more importantly instill hope in the hearts of young children.

Challenges I ran into

Finding the right illustrator for the project.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Elikya Rachel is a 6th grader. She published her first book "WHO SAYS KIDS CAN'T COOK?" when she was 11 years old. She has a cooking show where she had the honor to host a few key guests, including the Mayor of Apex, NC. She believes education is the key to success.

Greg-Daniel is a 10th grader who is passionate about drawing, writing superhero stories, and is currently working on his first comic book. He loves mathematics, technology, and science. Like Elikya, Greg-Daniel is bilingual, being fluent in both French and English.

What I learned

The importance of collaboration.

What's next for KING COVID XIX, The Invisible Monster

As French and Eglish speakers, Greg-Daniel and Elikya would love to see their book published in both French and English and put in the hands of many parents (and young children) around the world.