Puslinch sisters create book to give kids power in COVID conversation
PUSLINCH — There’s nothing tentative about the pair of Puslinch sisters who conceived, created and produced an interactive COVID-19 children’s book to raise money for long-term care protective gear. They knew what they wanted to do, and in the span of two short weeks, they did it.
“We were sitting here doing nothing,” notes Sydney Holmes, who created “This BUG!” with younger sister Alyssa while self-isolating at their parents home. “We’re not good at that.” Their grandparents are in their 90s, the most at-risk demographic for the dreaded coronavirus, their mom is a social worker, dealing with distraught clients in the wake of the worst social catastrophe in generations, and their own jobs in the travel and tourism industry were temporarily shut down when COVID hit hard in March.
Some people would give in to cynicism, apathy, fear.
But the 20-something sibs — who grew up in a supportive rural community and want to give back — decided
to embark on a creative project to tackle these issues head on.
“This bug wants us home all alone by ourselves, with toilet paper filling up all of our shelves,” reads their uplifting book for kids, which encourages self-expression through drawing.
“What this bug doesn’t know is we’re smarter than that. We can make our homes fun at the drop of a hat.”
In this incarnation, the bug isn’t the deadly stalker depicted in media, but a mischievous splotch trying to create havoc, something most kids can identify with.
“This bug he’s so famous, he won’t go away,” continues the book’s amusing narrative.
“The grown-ups they speak of him day after day. On TV, at dinner, on FaceTime with friends. When will the talk of this bug ever end?”
“We’re not medical professionals or scientists,” concedes Alyssa, who’s 18 months younger than her sister but says their personalities are virtually interchangeable.
“But we do know kids quite well. It’s not us trying to teach. It’s a lighthearted way for kids to express what their experience has been through this unprecedented time.”
It’s a book that — drawing on Sydney’s work with special needs kids and Alyssa’s talent as a singer-songwriter — takes a serious subject, turns the media narrative on its head and encourages readers to view the pandemic through a different lens.
“It’s not just about knowing there are germs, but that there are a lot of feelings around that,” insists Sydney, noting the book has sold 500 copies since its May 1 release.
“It’s empowering to give children a role in a big life event: ‘You’re part of this. You can stay home and, by doing that, you’re helping!’”
Their earnestness is helped by the fact this project wasn’t conceived by corporate bean-counters in suits, but in their parents living room at 3 a.m. when the sibling night owls’ creative juices — and altruistic instincts — kicked into high gear.
“We wanted to capture this moment in time,” notes Alyssa, adding that until May 31 all the book’s proceeds will be donated to personal protective equipment for long-term care homes. “And we wanted the money to go somewhere useful.”
If there’s one element that helped turn this project around with such ruthless efficiency, it’s a function of the sisters’ personalities that, in other circumstances, might be considered a drawback: ADHD.
“Our whole lives are based on our ADHD,” notes Alyssa of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder both sisters agree inspired them.
“We’re forgetful and can never find our car keys,” agrees Sydney. “But our energetic, highly creative, fun-loving, compassionate traits are all definitely because of it.”
Properly harnessed, of course.
“It’s like a race car,” continues Sydney. “If you don’t learn how to drive it, you could crash and burn. But if you do, you can win the race.”
She laughs: “One of the superpowers of ADHD — hyperfocus!”
It gives them insight into issues such as emotional regulation, they say, which is the book’s entire subtext.
“I think we felt we could shine a light for little people,” notes Sydney.
“I’m a big believer in finding ways to connect emotionally, not just with facts and figures. So often children don’t have the language to express themselves.
“I think the beauty of this book is that it’s accessible.”
“This BUG!” is sold on amazon.ca and available through www.thisbugthebook.com