With her family’s spring break plans postponed, Yuxin Z. (Grade 4) found herself with some unanticipated free time, time which she happily filled with one of her favourite pastimes: drawing. Yuxin leafed through some nearby books, paper and pencils ready at her side, and waited for inspiration to strike.

Choosing a drawing of Timothy and Sarah, two mice from the beloved ‘Timothy and Sarah’ series, she picked up her pencil and got started. When she finished, she looked at the drawing and realized something she hadn’t at first. The two mice, lazing together on a fence, were a couple metres apart… they were practicing social distancing. Yuxin drew another picture of the pair the next day – this time, of them washing their hands – and things quickly fell into place. She decided to write and illustrate a book to keep her friends “healthy and safe” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q&A with the Author

What did you hope to teach readers of your book?
How to keep healthy and safe, because we don’t want the virus to spread. Also, to be thankful that the doctors, the delivery drivers and other people are working hard.

How long did the book take you?
It took about two or three weeks. I drew all the pictures first, then wrote the book. Afterwards, my mom sent it to her friends to proofread. They found some mistakes. I think when you write something, you might not find your mistakes.

What are you most proud of?
I think I’m proud of my drawings because I took time and I drew them much better than before. Sometimes, I’d have to restart. I’m happy if the characters look normal. That’s what I’m going for.

What’s your secret to drawing?
You have to take your time! If you rush, you might not get as good of a drawing. The project takes a lot of time, and it might be harder in the middle because the excitement from the beginning is over. It gets harder in the middle; it gets tiring. In the middle, I kind of rested for a bit, but I knew I shouldn’t give up because I did really good at the beginning. I didn’t want to leave my drawings and not do anything with them.

What’s your advice for other students hoping to write a book?
To not give up. You might not do as good as you first wanted, but don’t give up. Take your time.

What’s a funny thing that happened to you while drawing your book?
I was working on one picture and I wasn’t happy with the faces, so I erased it, but I couldn’t get it as good as the first time any time after that.

Why did you decide to show your friends your book?
It was for Show and Tell, something we do with the whole class. Ms. Hamaguchi asked us to show our talents, so I brought the book. Afterwards, she asked me if she could send it to the other teachers. The other teachers have said they really like it, and that I was taking action. I didn’t really think of it as ‘action’ at first!

How has at-home learning gone for you?
It has been good. I like when I can see all of my friends on Zoom.

Read about Timothy & Sarah's Tips for Living Under COVID-19