This book is written with a purpose. The primary audience is children, but parents and adults can relate to it all across the pages. The book is ingeniously created as an animal story, carefully capturing aspects of their inherent instincts toward circumstances beyond their control. Animals, like humans, get confused when something unnatural occurs in their natural world. The writer of the story calmly and gently walks the reader through what was, what is and what could be, without giving in to the temptation to bestow imaginary super power interventions upon the unpleasant situation. The cast is thoughtfully chosen to be diverse and visibly opposing to each other, which makes it easily relatable to human nature. The emphasis is predominantly on positive attitude, empathy, teamwork and patience. The subtitle could be, “we are in this together,” as the story is about a kindred spirit. The four leading characters in the story, Leo, Mio, Perry and Dido, are not just best friends, they are a family. But, they do not live in isolation, they are part of a community. More than that, they are active participants in a happy and healthy community, where disputes are sensitively resolved and resources are equally shared. When the coronas invaded their peaceful community life causing huge confusion and worry, they did what is right and waited patiently for it to end. They reached out to those in need and ensured that everyone in the community felt loved and cared for. They spread positive information about each other, and encouraged one another to stay strong and hopeful. When the coronas finally left, they reunited with their whole community in a spirit of celebration. The coronas taught the animals a great lesson, most important one being that Perry, the parrot had stopped spreading gossip and started sharing good messages about others. “As he spread the encouraging, loving, and positive words the animals spoke about each other, the forest became a better place, and a much happier place to live in.” Lockdown and other preventive measures imposed during the coronavirus crisis is causing huge amount of anxiety and fear, especially among little children. They are confused about not being able to visit or invite their friends, not seeing their grandparents, having no school, and needing to study through Zoom or other means and being confined in their tiny apartments most of the time. They can also sense anxiousness and worry in their parents. And perhaps they see increased agitation and frequent arguments at home, making them wish that everyone went back to their normal routine. Reading this book together can open a conversation about the many unpleasant feelings and all the nasty things they hear from endless corona news around them. The story will also help clarify in simple terms the conditions and reality brought about by the coronavirus situation. The illustrations are amusing and captivating. Children will turn the pages over and over again to revisit the sequences of the story. And just as the coronavirus crisis will imbibe in our memory for a long time, this story will be read and reread again and again, and the positive ending with lessons learned will stand out in the mind of the reader. This reassuring book will help many children get through these uncertain and challenging times. Keep it close to their reach. ■ The Day the Animals Triumphed over the Coronas Carmela Lev Ari Illustrations by Pepe Fainberg Gefen Publishing House, 2020 40 pages; 24 shekels
