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MGH Doctor Writes Coronavirus Book To Make It Less Scary For Kids

BOSTON (CBS) – A doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital wants to make coronavirus a little less scary for kids, so she's written a book for them.

Dr. Taylor Purvis is the author of Jasper and Tabitha Play a Trick on The Coronas. She wrote it back in March to help her niece and nephew better understand the pandemic.

"My goal is to personify Mr. Corona," she told WBZ-TV. "A lot of the news about coronavirus is, rightly so, kind of terrifying and has been really geared towards adults primarily and it's really hard to explain to children both kind of scientifically but also based on the impact it has on their life, what this virus is."

Seeing how much it helped her own family she made the book available for free on her website.

"As far as I could, I wanted it to be available to kids. I wanted it to be in a platform that is without COVID risk, so online from your computer at home seemed pretty safe, and most importantly I wanted it to be free," she explained.

The book has been downloaded thousands of times, according to Purvis, and she's even the story into five different languages.

She also did the artwork.

"The illustrations are mine. You'll be able to tell. It's not my calling in life," she said.

What's important is the message.

"I really want to encourage kids and encourage parents to have really frank conversations about it. I think the more we can talk about it the less terrifying it is," Purvis said.

To learn more about the book, click here.

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