Milton the rabbit is staying indoors in his cave. He knows this is the best thing to do under the circumstances. For company, he has Amanda the butterfly and Conrad the hedgehog. In the illustrated book Milton And The Invisible Coronavirus , brought out by Danish publisher Milton Around The World, the three characters take children on a journey at the end of which they will better understand the pandemic, and how best to deal with it. Jesper Strømfeldt, the CEO of the publishing house, tells us how the book came about. Edited excerpts from an email interview:
The rabbit and his world
Milton Around the World is an educational universe for children aged 5 to 8. Considering the sparse information about COVID-19, we decided to use Milton’s universe as a starting point to create comfort around the situation.
We felt that the children may not quite understand what is happening around them, but they notice huge changes in their everyday life and see the worry painted in the faces of the adults.
They do not understand why they cannot go to school or see their grandparents. And why do they have to wash their hands all the time?
Parents themselves feel challenged now and it is a considerable task to also have to explain in pedagogical and non-frightening terms what COVID-19 is and why we need to be so careful. It is something that the parents may not fully understand themselves.
From ‘Milton and the invisible coronavirus’
Power of words
We believe that the combination between Milton’s universe, the book’s illustrations and story is helping shed light on what the pandemic is all about, and how we can play our part in fighting it.
It can be used to alleviate concerns and explain the situation to young children, offering a way for parents, teachers and students to discuss some of the questions the pandemic has raised.
Show and tell
The hand-crafted watercolour illustrations are developed with children aged five to eight years in mind. With our colourful illustrations we believe the children are more encouraged to follow the curious rabbit Milton and his two best friends, as they navigate the various challenges in their daily lives as a result of the pandemic.
The illustrations visualise different complex topics — from social distancing to personal hygiene. They explain in a fact-based and safe way what COVID-19 is, how and why we should look out for each other.
The book can be downloaded from pump manufacturer Grundfos’ website, grundfos.com/in, that has sponsored and is distributing it.
