Inspiration: My wife is a Pediatric Physiatrist at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. I am a Physical Therapist at Emory. We have two young girls. As the escalation of this virus has been ever growing, so many questions have been asked as to what is going on. I felt we were best to answer them as healthcare practitioners and parents.
What it does: This book sees the times of quarantine and social distancing from the eyes of a little girl. Why can't she go to her friend's birthday party? Why can't she go into her grandma's house and give her a hug? Is her school still there? How will she and her family stay safe? This is Olivia's journey to understand why her life has suddenly changed so dramatically.
How I built it: I have collaborated with the talented Michael Rausch on two previous picture books. When I saw this opportunity arise, I contacted Michael and we decided to tackle this awesome book to accomplish the above goals.
Challenges I ran into: When Michael and I collaborated on our first book together, it took one and a half years from when the first word was written to published copy. The second book took one year. For this book, we had two weeks.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of: I have been a physical therapist in sports medicine for 22 years, helping the weekend warrior to the professional athlete achieve their rehab goals. I have an amazing wife and we are raising two beautiful little girls. Michael and I have written two children's books together and Michael has also collaborated with a college professor of mine on a third.
What I learned: Kids have a lot of feelings they cannot express verbally. They need help to understand their emotions, and reassurance about the many changes they are experiencing. Many examples in this book are events that myself and my friends have experienced with our own children.
What's next for Together: Living Life During COVID-19: My hope is that this book is a message that all kids can use to take comfort. I am hoping to do readings to kids online and, when appropriate, in schools, libraries and bookstores. I want this book to be a message of peace, hope, and strength. We plan to publish this book, with some of the proceeds going to local charities.
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