Go Away Big Invisible Monster!

This fall, parents will send their children out into an uncertain world. A world where a deadly virus can harm our children or use their small bodies as a weapon to infect others. How do we give our children enough knowledge to do the right thing but not live in fear?

I write fun, scary books for kids. This is not a story that even I can add a gleeful spin to. But I do believe we must have some tough conversations with our kids before they step inside a school building.

I have written this illustrated letter to help kids understand the months ahead.

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Dear virus-fighting kids around the world,

We have a monster in our midst. It’s not like the monsters I have written about in my past books. It’s far sneakier. We don’t even know how this monster virus was born. Some evil ogres have tried to blame it on one group of humans. But that is just the lie ogres tell kids so they won’t sleep at night. You won’t be fooled by that nonsense.

And the truth is this — there were mistakes made on all sides.

Viruses break free when humans and animals mingle together (usually when humans invade an animal’s habitat.) These diseases are zoonotic — diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people. Zoonotic diseases can be caused by bacteria, parasites, fungi, or viruses. These zoonotic diseases have one thing in common — they jump from animals to humans.

Here are the primary origins of some zoonotic diseases:

Artwork: © Carlyn Beccia | www.CarlynBeccia.com

Now here is where I need you to be brave, virus fighters. Because some of this might get scary.

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You might be familiar with the zombie virus? When someone turns into a zombie, their lips fall off, their eye dangles out of the socket, and they get that weird shuffle. You, of course, know to avoid zombies, because they are gross.

But what if you didn’t know who was infected with a virus? What if you hug a friend or share a glass of water, and don’t know they are sick? All viruses have a period when someone doesn’t look or act sick. This is called the incubation period.

During the incubation period, some people carry the virus inside of them and never get sick. These people are asymptomatic. That’s a fancy way of saying they have no signs of sickness, but they still might be contagious.

Artwork: © Carlyn Beccia | www.CarlynBeccia.com

Scientists are finding that most kids, like you, are asymptomatic. Asymptomatic people are fortunate. But the older people who they might infect are not. Your teachers, librarians, and yes, your parents might get really sick if they get this virus. Much sicker than you.

But how do you NOT spread something if you don’t even know you are sick? Seems kind of unfair, right?

Thankfully, you have a superpower. It might not seem powerful, but it is.

It’s a mask.

A mask is like Wonder Woman’s silver bracelets or Captain America’s shield. It is a protective forcefield that prevents the virus from getting inside people. It’s not 100% protection. But it is a mighty weapon.

And even if the virus gets past your mask, there will be less of the virus inside of you. This is called viral load — the amount of virus in an infected person’s blood. A large viral load could have you feeling like a zombie, while a small viral load will cause fewer symptoms.

But you are probably not going to want to wear your mask power shield. I get that. There might be times when it is hot and uncomfortable. I am sure Captain America’s shield gets pretty heavy too, but he still carries it with him.

Here are a few mask options so you can choose the right one:

Artwork: © Carlyn Beccia | www.CarlynBeccia.com

But there is good news. Some smart scientists are working on developing a vaccine. A vaccine is a substance that provides a level of immunity against a disease. You are probably familiar with vaccines by now. You already get them to prevent sicknesses like influenza, measles, mumps, and chickenpox.

We still don’t know when we will have this vaccine, but most scientists are predicting by the new year.

So you don’t have to fight this virus forever. We just need to hold off this invisible monster until scientists have a vaccine. We are in this together.

I never lie to you, kids. So here is the truth — humans will beat this monster. We have conquered far worse diseases by working together. Like I told you in my last book — “science is stronger than fear.” I meant that.

Until then…be brave virus fighters. We, adults, have really bungled this one. Now, we are relying on you to be smarter than us. Because you have the ultimate secret weapon now — knowledge.

Be strong…as strong as science,

Carlyn Beccia

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Previously published on “A Parent Is Born”, a Medium publication.

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