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Doctor creates book to comfort children during pandemic

PIGGY-BUNNY.png
Posted at 6:26 AM, Apr 16, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-16 06:26:11-04

Holly Belgum, a third-year pediatric resident at the University of Minnesota Medical School created a book to help comfort children during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the university, Belgum was quarantined at home and wanted to find a way to reach out to the kids in her life.

“Here I was, reading updates on COVID-19 like everyone else and thinking about all the kids whose lives are changed because of this. I just wanted to do something to comfort them,” Dr. Belgum told the school.

She got the idea for the story, "Piggy & Bunny and the Stay-At-Home Plan," from two stuffed animals she found online at her favorite local shop. She sent them to her nieces.

Click here to download the book

Piggy & Bunny and the S... by wftsweb on Scribd

“Originally, I thought it would be cute if there was a drawing to go along with the stuffed animals. So, I found a bunch of yellow paper in my desk, a pen and really, really old water colors,” Dr. Belgum said. “Then I had the idea for a poem, and suddenly I was spending my whole weekend painting pictures, and the book, Piggy & Bunny, was born.”

In the story, Piggy and Bunny are best friends. But, they can't see each other because of social distancing. It shows how they're still able to talk to each other using video chatting and phone calls.

“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t be dealing with this. But COVID-19 is here, and I think Minnesotans are doing their best to do what’s right—staying home, making do. I would love the kids who are dealing with the consequences of COVID-19 to have something to comfort them,” Dr. Belgum said. “We’re in a time right now where we need to be flexible, give ourselves a lot of grace and do our best with what we can.”

Click here to read more about Belgum and her book.