Read ‘My Mask,’ a picture book to help kids understand coronavirus
Image by Miriam and Carol Ungar
Like many grandmothers, I’ve been trying to find a way to connect with my grandkids in this pandemic. I penned a poem for my granddaughter Livia who lives in Hollywood, Florida — the other side of the globe from me in Israel; we now visit on Facetime. My daughter, Miriam, a self-taught painter, took it to the next level with her wonderful painted collage illustrations.
It wasn’t until I started wearing a mask myself to protect myself and others from coronavirus that I realized what a challenge it was. They do smell bad, they aren’t pretty and they squash the face and the air passages. I’ve ditched my pasty white N95 for an aqua blue surgical model which offers a bit of a chance at breathing.
Miriam and I both hope that the book will help kids and the grownups who love them adjust to mask wearing until a vaccine or cure, or a miracle occurs so that we too can safely “toss our masks to the sky.”
Image by Miriam and Carol Ungar
Image by Carol and Miriam Ungar
Image by Carol and Miriam Ungar
Image by Carol and Miriam Ungar
Image by Carol and Miriam Ungar
Image by Carol and Miriam Ungar
Image by Carol and Miriam Ungar
Image by Carol and Miriam Ungar
Image by Carol and Miriam Ungar
Carol Ungar is a freelance writer, Mom, and grandmother who lives and works in the Jerusalem suburbs. Her first kids book “the Surprise in the Desk” is slated for publication later this year.
Miriam Ungar lives with her husband and daughter in Hollywood, Florida. She is a real estate executive who loves to cook and make art.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
