Gov. Cuomo inspires children’s mask tale
Dr. Jen Welter’s coronavirus-inspired children’s book, “Wearing a Mask Says I Love You,” got its name from one of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s COVID-19 briefings.
“You wear the mask not for yourself; you wear the mask for me. It’s a sign of respect to other people,” Gov. Cuomo said during a press briefing on May 3. “You know how you show love? By wearing a mask, please.”
On the other side of the country, Cuomo’s words resonated with a new Los Angeles resident who had coincidentally moved cross-country on March 19, the same day a statewide shelter-inplace order was issued.
“Timing is everything, right?” Welter joked.
Welter – who runs “Grrridiron Girls” camps for children and was the first female coach in the National Football League – said Cuomo’s “informative and human” approach to “troubling times” inspired her to find a “positive, proactive way” for kids to see masks as “part of the solution and not a punishment.”
“The mask needed its hero story,” Welter told USA TODAY. “As coaches, we’re always looking for ways to reach people, because if you can’t reach them, you can’t teach them.”
That idea led to the creation of her children’s book, “Wearing a Mask Says I Love You,” published in June and available for purchase on Amazon, with the help of illustrator Brooke Foley.
Welter uses animals, which she calls critters, to break down COVID-19, quarantining, social distancing, frontline workers and asymptomatic transmission to children trying to wrap their heads around our new reality.
“Critter Fritter, which is what we call the (series of) kids books, was using animals to help kids move through motion and emotion to a fitter state of mind,” Welter said, “to make the kids understand.”
Welter’s children’s book is one of the first to weigh in on the polarizing face mask, which has been slammed by critics as an infringement on rights and hailed by supporters (and medical professionals) as a lifesaving barrier that stops the spread of COVID-19.
The ongoing debate can be complex for children to comprehend.
“The principles are really pretty clear, but to put it in a way that kids would understand and enjoy learning, that’s the trick,” Welter said. “It’s not about you, it’s about the person you are protecting.”
An excerpt from “Wearing a Mask Says I Love You”: Seeing you in masks warms my heart.
Welter said she hopes parents, educators and coaches will use her book as a “tool” to “enter into a tough conversation” about the pandemic. She added, “This is what’s going on and it’s not up for interpretation.”
Last week, Gov. Cuomo launched “Mask Up America,” a star-studded campaign urging Americans to wear face masks in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
“COVID-19 can be spread by people who do not have symptoms and do not know that they are infected,” the CDC states on its website. “That’s why it’s important for everyone to wear cloth face coverings in public settings and practice social distancing.”