A new children’s book about the Wuhan coronavirus whistleblower teaches courage

by

Police tried to silence Li, but he kept talking. In the book, May, a 7-year-old girl, learns of Dr. Li’s courage and takes steps to cultivate hope.

The picture book was written by New York Times best-selling author Francesca Cavallo. It was first made available for free as a short, downloadable book. The online version was downloaded more than 60,000 times in just a couple of weeks and was subsequently translated by volunteers into 38 languages.

Cavallo told CNN that he believes he has received so many requests from parents and educators for the printed version of this book because they wanted to give children a better explanation of the deeper events of the pandemic. So he chose not to wait to write a longer version of the book.

Dr. Li died on February 7, 2020 due to a coronavirus. Cavallo said that “it became a symbol of freedom, of the importance of science, so the fact that it appeared in a children’s book was a very important way to preserve his memory.”

Cavallo was also concerned about the rise of racism toward Asian Americans and thought many children would associate the virus forever with China and the Chinese.

“I didn’t want these kids to associate an Asian face with the virus,” Cavallo told CNN. “This is the kind of racism that is extremely difficult to eradicate when you grow up. I wanted them to associate Dr. Li’s face with the face of the first hero of this pandemic.”

After launching a crowdfunding campaign, Cavallo and his team were able to raise more than $ 52,000 in less than a month via Kickstarter and published the book in November. It sold over 15,000 worldwide with copies in English, Italian, Simplified Chinese and Pilipino.

Cavallo said the book inspires children to be brave in the face of adversity, adding that “it also celebrates empathy by showing children what this crisis means to everyone and what it will offer you and your children. [It provides] a space to explore their feelings about the pandemic and an opportunity to be inspired and make sense of what happened together. “

The book is sold directly online and some publishers around the world distribute it in the Philippines, Italy and Singapore.

Cavallo also recently closed a distribution deal. Starting in July 2021, Undercats’ books will be distributed in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, which could allow “Dr. Li and the Crown Virus” to reach millions of people worldwide the world.

.Source