A Tale of the Times: When We Stayed Home by Judith A. Proffer

HI! It's me behind the polka dots.

When a scary virus traveled all over the world, we stayed home to help the helpers. That's me, a super-helper! Super heroes have to do a lot of things, like... wash their hands.

All. The. Time.

I wear a stuffy mask and have to have screen visits with friends and family They are glad to see me, but sometimes they have tears, too. But I get to show off my fancy moves when I dance on the phone with my aunt! I have to do my schoolwork on my tablet, but I get to have snacks if I do all my math! And when I do art, I paint myself on a roller coaster--which is where I would like to be. I even get to try out a silly hairdo with my hair standing straight up. My dog doesn't care.

We all read lots of books.

It is hard being a super hero when I miss my teachers and my friends from school, but I try to imagine playing with them.

When we stayed home I thought about everyone and everything I missed.

It's okay to feel sad. And then I think about the real super heroes taking care of all of us everywhere in the world, and I'm glad I can help. My dog does everything with me except wear a mask (but sometimes he steals mine!) Super heroes have to do what super heroes do, in Judith A. Proffer's sweet story of social distancing, When We Stayed Home (Huqua Press, 2020). With his faithful pooch, this young boy shows how it feels to stay close home, the good things he and his pet do,  and the things he misses about his usual life in a way that may help children talk about how they feel statubg home to contain the pandemic. The author's text is straightforward, encouraging children to appreciate what they must do and can do to help. With charming illustrations of the boy in the polka dot mask and his dog (who clearly loves having him home), this is a story just made for these times. Other books on ways to protect yourself during a pandemic are If You Can't Bear Hug, Air Hug: A Book Inspired by Social Distancing,  the humorous look at distance learning, Good Morning Zoom, and Andy Andowski's timely parody Goodnight Zoom.