Book Offers Hope To Children Coping With COVID-19 Craziness

RESTON, VA — Jillian Handman had one simple goal in writing "#Hope21." She wanted to help children understand the COVID-19 pandemic was an unusual occurrence and, despite 2020 being such a difficult year, there were reasons to hope 2021 was going to be better.

"Like everybody, I was thinking about how crazy 2020 was for everyone and some of the unique things that we've all experienced and endured in 2020," Handman said.

Thinking about all the anxiety everyone has had to live with, especially children who probably don't fully understand everything that's going on, Handman was inspired to write her first book.

"I've always enjoyed writing poems and silly songs, things like that," she said. "It just kind of came to me as a cute idea to write something about 2020 and also something that hopefully can provide some hope that this coming year was going to be better."

Handman started writing the book at the end of 2020, just as the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were being distributed across the country.

"The point was just to make light a little bit of the pandemic that we've been living through, but also offer some hope that now that there's a vaccine, things are going to get better," she said. "I just think it's a positive message for kids and something you can look back on one day, and sort of be a reminder of what we've all been through."

Although Handman used to be a graphic designer, she did not draw the illustrations for the book. Instead, she used her graphic design skills to write and layout the copy, and then manipulate the images she had purchased.

"Obviously, I didn't have a grand plan," she said. "I thought it through and wrote this. I thought this could make a cute book, and I started to see what I could come up with as far as laying it out and illustrations."

After receiving positive feedback from people she showed the book to, Handman decided to self-publish through Amazon, where the book is currently available for purchase in print or digital.

"So far, everyone who's seen it has thought it is fantastic — really positive feedback," Handman said. "I've had teachers tell me that they want to get it into the schools. I don't know what hurdles it would take to get to that point."

Others have told her that the book could be a useful resource to encourage children to get vaccinated.

"It's helping kids over the anxiety of getting the shots and/or the whole COVID issue, as well as a positive message about the vaccine being something that's going to bring us all out of this craziness," Handman said.

Writing the book has been a recent diversion for Handman, who has been working from home since last March as a web developer.

"For me, it's not too bad," she said. "I did work for 15 years as a freelance graphic designer and web developer, so I'm kind of used to working in my own space. But this past year has been definitely different for all of us. I have kids. My daughter has been doing school from home, so it's been a strange year for everybody."