THE granddaughter of Watership Down author Richard Adams has written a children’s story set in the time of coronavirus.
Lucy Moonen, who lives in Jericho, has written Simon and Rosie as a gentle introduction to conversations with very young children about Covid-19.
With its familiar park setting, humour and relatable characters it complements the more detailed books on thre virus available for older children.
Mother-of-two Ms Moonen, lives with her husband Tim, and their two daughters.
READ AGAIN: Watership Down author's family wins rights battle
The 33-year-old, a history teacher and assistant director of teaching and learning at Abingdon School, linked up with renowned illustrator Gillian Johnson to create the story which can be downloaded for free.
She said: “This is the first book I have worked on but I think it is Gillian’s 36th as an illustrator.
“Children can spark an idea and the idea for the story was prompted by the lockdown.
“At the moment the main aim is to get the story out to parents and teachers, and children who need occupying.
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“It’s completely free - all we are asking for is a voluntary donation to the NHS.”
Ms Moonen said Simon and Rosie is ‘a tale of friendship, loneliness, imagination and self-acceptance set against the current backdrop of coronavirus’.
It is aimed at children aged three to seven years old.
The setting is a local park where Simon is a lonely park bench.
Everything changes when Rosie arrives, however, and sees Simon’s true character. Their friendship blossoms as Simon is transformed through Rosie’s imagination.
With a baby and a toddler, Ms Moonen is aware of the challenges of parenting during lockdown and the story has been written in the gaps around meals, naps and constant tidying up.
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It is available at SimonandRosie.com as a free download, along with colouring sheets and Key Stage 1 PSHE curriculum links, to help parents and teachers engage with the emotions of very young children at a difficult time.
A voluntary donation to the NHS is suggested via NHScharitiestogether.co.uk, in recognition of the heroic work of its medics to combat the epidemic.
Ms Johnson also has strong ties to Oxford having previously lived in Jericho for seven years while her now grown-up children attended nearby schools.
Ms Moonen’s family spoke of its relief last week after winning a court battle to regain all the rights to Mr Adams’ Watership Down story.
Watership Down Enterprises, the estate and family of the author, won the High Court lawsuit against California-based producer Martin Rosen, who wrote and directed the 1978 animated film of Adams’ novel.
Ms Moonen’s mother Juliet Johnson, who also lives in Oxford, is the managing director of Watership Down Enterprises, and said earlier that the family had an obligation to ‘protect the publishing and other rights for Watership Down and to preserve the essence of our father’s creation’.
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Following the lengthy battle, the family is now looking forward to developing new projects to honour the messages of Watership Down.
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