Brave Bora turns the scary into fun with a hospital visit

WHILE a visit to the doctor can be scary, for a little boy named Bora, it turned into an adventure. At first, Bora is afraid of needles, but with his favourite friend by his side, he is brave enough to beat the pain and smile again.

Edna Gicovi, author of Brave Bora, used her daughter, 4, as inspiration for the book, and says hospitals are a scary experience for children. Her book not only aims to help children overcome their fear but also to give parents and health-care workers ways to reassure children in this often intimidating setting.

“Having Bora visit the hospital with his father was intentional to portray a man as a caregiver and nurturer, which I feel hasn’t been done enough. I was also keen to have the doctor as a woman.

“As I wrote the book, I was eager to make the main character a boy and also give him a Swahili name as I am from Kenya.

“I recently had a mum who got the book for her son mention she feels there are not enough African storybooks with boy characters. I’m sure how accurate this is, but she was excited to get Brave Bora because her son saw himself in Bora,” says Gicovi.

Gicovi adds the most exciting part of the writing process was building a story around the character and creating possibilities around just one story idea.

“The main message of the book is to sprinkle fun and positivity onto what could be a scary, painful, and possibly a boring, experience at the hospital, for both the child and the parent.

“Hopefully, the book will also speak to parents and health-care professionals, reminding them there are simple things we can say or do to give children an easier time in a hospital setting.”

For more bookworm adventures, visit the data-free website https://bookdash.org/ books/ from the South African non-profit publisher, Book Dash.

THE STORY of Bora’s visit to the doctor can help children get over their fear.