Doing your part to help stop the spread of COVID-19 might look different from person to person. For one woman in Lima, doing her part meant helping spread the word about keeping kids safe from the virus.
You may have passed one of the billboards around Lima with a little girl's face, seeming to smile under her bright pink mask. That’s Lil’ Nora, a 4-year-old character in the stories written by Juliet Johnson. Johnson was inspired to write a story about Lil’ Nora helping to stop the spread of germs between her classmates after having worked for a daycare for years.
“I don't know how far or how big this will go, but I feel comfortable in doing my part,” says Johnson. "I did what I felt I had to do.”
Johnson says that she noticed kids were more likely to listen to each other, rather than their parents or other adults, so it was important that the advice came from a kid just like them.
She says, “You can tell your child over and over, ‘wash your hands, sanitize,’ but to me, kids pay more attention to their peers.”
In the story, Lil’ Nora decides she wants to spend the money she had been saving on masks and hand sanitizer for her classmates. She also gives advice about being aware of what you touch, like the school hallways or bus railing, that they could have germs on them.
Johnson says, “But the most important thing of all, never ever share your mask. Regardless of how cute it is or if you want to see how it looks on you, never share your mask.”
Johnson continued to make stories with Lil’ Nora to educate kids on things like “if it’s under the sink, it’s not to drink,” and the struggles of learning from home. You can find the Lil’ Nora Children's stories on YouTube where Johnson reads along to each one.
