“The global COVID-19 pandemic has turned children’s lives upside down”.
“In response to the current pandemic, leading health scientists and child psychologists have joined forces with writers, educators and artists to produce innovative communication materials. These range from children’s books and videos to infographics and comics. It’s a powerful collaboration: scientists provide the credibility and accuracy, while artists ensure this is communicated with creative flair and appealing design.”
And there’s science to back up their efforts. [CLICK HERE READ MORE]
UNICEF Communicating with Children: Principles and Practices to Nurture, Inspire, Excite, Educate and Heal
Skip to Page 59 – 74 to see examples from diverse cultures and contexts.
Here are some examples from around the world
My Hero is You, Storybook for Children on COVID-19 in 60+ languages including Thai [CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD].
From India, Vaayu is a superhero global citizen who lives in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains. This is a comic book issued by the Indian ministry of health and family welfare.
From Singapore, Baffled Bunny and Curious Cat seek advice and clarification from Doctor Duck.
From the UK, a free information book illustrated by Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler explaining the coronavirus to children.
From NPR: Print and fold a zine version of this comic here. Here are directions on how to fold it. Click here for Chinese and click here for Spanish text.
From South Africa, Wazi asks questions about the coronavirus and then shares advice.
Also from South Africa, Oaky and the Virus was written by author, poet and academic Athol Williams to help children understand why they have to stay at home and wash their hands regularly.
Jive Media Africa, from South Africa created a series of comic infographics. “Hay’khona” is a South African expression meaning “no, definitely not!”.
Many more examples can be found on the website Graphic Medicine where they have tried to include only comics with reliable information.