West Sussex author offers Boris and The Corona Dragon

Boris and The Corona Dragon has been published independently and is available on Kindle at 99p and paperback at £3.25 from Amazon.

Author Annie Turner, aged 49, said: “I usually write adult novels, but I was very concerned when a friend of mine told me her young children were very worried about the coronavirus pandemic especially when the lockdown was imposed.

“So, in an effort to explain what was happening, I thought I could tell them some kind of story in a way they would understand.

“I was concerned to make them see the threat was real, but also, and more importantly, stress the point, if we all work together, we can win in the end.

“Having sent them the story as a Word document and hearing they enjoyed it, I did think perhaps it might help other younger children.

“The idea of a fierce dragon is much more familiar than the words pandemic or COVID-19, so hopefully the story does make the current situation a bit more accessible.

“Owing to the current situation, I obviously couldn’t involve a professional illustrator, so I did the drawings myself which run throughout the story and hopefully, they do add to the enjoyment.

“I think the book is suitable for children of around seven to eight upwards to read on their own and obviously suitable for younger kids, if parents need a bedtime story to read.

“On a personal note, I wanted to contribute something towards helping all the key workers, especially those working in the supermarkets and obviously all the NHS staff.

“I used to work at Waitrose in Worthing and I know how tough these times have been for the staff and I wanted them and all the other companies to know, their efforts have been really appreciated.