Year-ender: Books on COVID-19 that offered relief to young readers

Waiting for Dad to Come Home

Author: Chen Ying

Publisher: Changjiang Children's Press

The illustrator and his colleagues at the Wuhan-based publisher have been witnesses of, and impressed by, the contributions of doctors and nurses fighting to save lives at the front line of the epidemic. The idea of making the picture book came after the team was deeply moved by a news photo showing a mother in her army uniform wiping the tears off her girl's face, before leaving for Wuhan on Lunar New Year's Eve.

Completed in just 17 days, the 40-page picture book is narrated by a boy discussing his disappointments when his father has to leave to treat patients and is unable to keep his promise of playing with him during the holiday. The child's resentment wanes as he sees the empty streets. In his dream, behind a glass wall, he sees his father in medical protective clothing, saying sorry to him with a note on a slip of paper. With his written reply, the boy tells his father to take care and he will wait for his daddy's return, and will save his favorite candy as a homecoming gift.

From a child's perspective, the book combines basic knowledge of the virus in its plotline, and serves as a record of the heroes everybody could become.