Story book released to help children cope with COVID-19

A new story book aimed at helping children better cope with COVID-19 has been produced by a collaboration of more than 50 organizations working in the humanitarian sector, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Thursday.

With the help of a fantasy creature, Ario, "My Hero is You, How kids can fight COVID-19!" explains how children can protect themselves, their families and friends from the novel coronavirus and how to manage difficult emotions when confronted with a new and rapidly changing reality, UNICEF said in a press release.

The book, aimed primarily at children aged 6 to 11 years old, is a project involving a unique collaboration of UN agencies, national and international nongovernmental organizations and international agencies providing mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings, it said.

During the early stages of the project, more than 1,700 children, parents, caregivers and teachers around the world shared how they coped with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The input was invaluable to script writer and illustrator Helen Patuck and the project team in making sure that the story and its messages resonated with children from different backgrounds and continents," it said.

In order to reach as many children as possible, the book will be widely translated, with six language versions released Thursday and more than 30 others in the pipeline. It is being released both online and as an audio book.

The World Health Organization, UNICEF, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Save the Children were involved in the project.