New picture book aims to soothe children's isolation worries

‘Pete Stays Home’ follows the story of a soft and friendly grizzly bear who is forced to retreat from his forest to his cave for the winter. It follows his experience of staying at home with his mum until spring arrives and life gets back to normal.

The book, written by Karra McFarlane and illustrated by Kim Hankinson, aims to reassure children by relating to Pete’s situation and talking about their feelings and worries. It is inspired by the author’s three young sons who are finding isolation difficult and her concern that returning to nursery and school could lead to further apprehension.

The author and illustrator, who have worked in children's publishing for 15 years, decided to self-publish the book to make it available quickly in the current pandemic.

Ms McFarlane said, ‘There are plenty of great factual books out there to help children understand the current situation, but we wanted to write something which encourages them to open up about their emotions and anxieties around being at home and not able to see their friends and wider family.

‘Every child is different and will have their own way of dealing with things, the most important thing for a parent is to talk to them and to let them ask questions. ‘Pete Stays Home’ aims to be that conversation-starter - encouraging little ones to talk about their feelings and to feel reassured that life will return to normal again.’

While the book has been written in response to the current coronavirus outbreak, it is hoped that it will continue to support children who are feeling unsettled and anxious in other situations too.

• To order a print copy (£6.99), or download an eBook (£3.99) go to: www.petestayshome.com