What’s going on out there? This book helps children understand a crisis

It's tough to explain certain subjects to kids. Questions like, “Where do babies come from?” or, “Why do I have to wear a mask outside?” can leave parents speechless. When reality is too troublesome or complex for young minds, moms and dads often turn to storytellers for a solution. But there’s no enchanting tale to guide children through a pandemic. Splashing paint and words of hope onto this blank page, writer and illustrator Matthew Griffiths is helping families better understand the crisis.

During a lockdown to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Griffiths decided to do something meaningful in isolation. “Making information available to children has never been more important than it is right now,” he says. With schools closed and a shortage of age-appropriate resources available, many children were left in the dark about the current situation. “I noticed that there was a lot of information out there for adults and it was quite technical,” Griffiths says. “I wanted to translate that and create something new for children.” So, he wrote and illustrated 'The Inside Book'.

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