“It’s Spring. Everyone can’t wait to go outside. But this Spring is different; everybody is quarantined because of the coronavirus. I am getting bored and more bored as every second passes by, so I go on a walk around our farm.
“There are puddles of water on the ground. I try to make sure I don’t step in them. It’s cloudy and it looks like a sad day. I can hear birds chirping from far away but I can’t see them. It’s also windy. I walk around and see all the mud and all the soaked plants.
“I normally hear our neighbours’ children, who are teenagers, revving their cars because they are expensive and they want to show them off. I usually see a lot of people coming to throw garbage at the compost area in front of our house, but not today. I usually see people come parachuting at the Skydive area near us, but not today.
“My parents went to the store to buy sanitizer, gloves and masks from the store and when they came back I asked, “Was there anybody even there?” They told me that there were no people at parks or walking outside but quite a few people at the store. There was barely any sanitizer left and there were no gloves or masks left. They had to go to five different stores to find everything we needed.” – Mehtej in grade six
More excerpts from journals
Journals become history.
History tells stories…
Liu, Na and Andrés Vera Martínez. Little White Duck: a Childhood in China. Minneapolis: Graphic Universe, 2012.
Da Qin and her younger sister live with their parents in the city of Wuhan, China. This thought-provoking graphic novel – composed of 8 short stories – describes the author’s childhood in the 1970s. Emotive illustrations by the author’s husband – Andrés Vera Martínez – help to create a powerful portrait of life for two little girls in a changing world. Recommended for competent readers 9 years old and up.
McMullan, James. Leaving China: An Artist Paints His World War II Childhood. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin, 2014.
Do you ever feel like you’re not quite good enough? That you can’t ever please your parents? That you don’t belong anywhere? Read this memoir about an artist who grew up moving from China to Canada to India to the U.S.A. where he became a highly acclaimed designer and illustrator. A 113-page autobiography – with full-page illustrations – recommended for readers 10 years old and up.
More stories based on the author’s memories
“Last night, I found out about something that for me, is the scariest thing so far. I live in a quiet neighbourhood, but the street in front of my house is one of the main streets in my city. On the busy street, there is a place where people who are retired or are old live. Then, last night, my family and I found out that some people were diagnosed with Covid-19.
“Everything is so strange. Who would ever think that on April 2, it would snow? I mean it is not snowing a lot, just small flurries. Just three days ago, it was sunny. A beautiful blue sky with some white clouds gently but swiftly moving across the sky. And now, today just a while ago, it was snowing.
“Same thing with Covid-19. Three months ago, everything was perfect; but now everything is the complete opposite. The only words that I hear on the news are Covid-19 and deaths. I really want to go outside and play or have a nice walk; but what do I do? It is cold out and it just snowed. I definitely do not want to get sick!
“I might play some games with my siblings or maybe help my mom in the kitchen. For now, all we can do is hope that doctors and scientists work together to find a cure and stop Covid-19!” – Esha in grade 6
