Doctor at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport explains coronavirus to children in new book

A doctor at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport has written a children's book to help parents explain coronavirus to their kids.

News 12 Staff

Apr 14, 2020, 7:20 PM

Updated 1,469 days ago

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A doctor at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport has written a children's book to help parents explain coronavirus to their kids.
Dr. Taylor Purvis is an internal medicine resident. She says she got the idea after FaceTiming at work with her nephew, Jasper.
Purvis noticed the 4-year-old was a little scared by her wearing a mask and a little confused about why he couldn't go to school or the playground.
She wrote "Jasper and Tabitha Play a Trick on the Coronas," which is a story about the antics of Mr. Corona and his virus family. In the book, the kids find ways to fight the coronas such as hand washing and staying in small groups, then share their tricks with the world to defeat the coronas.
Purvis uploaded the story with some simple illustrations to a PDF and then sent it to her sister, who suggested she make the book available to other children. She created a website where anyone can download the book for free. It includes a video of her reading the story aloud and translations in several languages.
The website also features a story time feature, where Purvis reads the book with her dog.
"She said that she was so touched by it and Jasper loved it so much, that she really wanted to make it available to other kids. She felt like Jasper's friends would really benefit from it as well," Purvis said.
Purvis says she hopes the story shows children that they have the power to fight this virus.
"Remind them and their parents that the things that they do at home and the sacrifices that they're making by staying at home really do save lives," she says. "They certainly keep me safe in the hospital and my colleagues safe."
The book is also available for purchase in paperback or Kindle edition, with all proceeds going to delivering free paperback copies to local clinics that care for pediatric patients.
More information on Purvis and "Jasper and Tabitha Play a Trick on the Coronas" can be found here.
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