The Boy Who Slayed Covid

by Ding-Ay Tadena

The Boy Who Slayed COVID

The COVID Pandemic has changed the way we lived our lives. In the months that we were cooped up inside our homes, we were given that rare opportunity in this modern times to learn more about our neighbors, go back to the basics of caring for our own families and being together, rather than spending endless time working and being away.

The Boy Who Slayed Covid is a historical fantasy about the COVID 19 Pandemic. It is about a five-year-old boy, Tadeo who has a younger sister named Ximena. Tadeo and Ximena, like all of us, experienced the lockdown. They were merely children and they had difficulty understanding the sudden change of life like schools shutting down, not being able to play outside and not seeing friends.

In the story, Tadeo was magically transformed into a mighty warrior king and trained him to defeat a virus-spitting, fire-breathing dragon named COVID. By slaying COVID Dragon, the boy made the world safer and saved many lives.

The book was written intending to help parents teach their children about the pandemic and how to avoid the contact and spread of the virus by staying home, properly washing hands, wearing protective gear and keeping a safe distance.

This project was a collaborative product of a mother and her children. Ding-ay Tadena, who wrote the story, is a public school Mathematics teacher. Her youngest son, Benjamin did the illustrations while Jaimee helped with its digital formatting. Her oldest son, Jayson, who lives in the Philippines, helped her tell the story.

The family consulted Erin and Roy Brown who coached them in blending the texts, illustrations and editing.

Part of the proceeds will be donated to Make A Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles and some other charities supporting families affected by COVID-19 especially in developing countries like the Philippines. The illustrator, Benjamin was a Wish Kid himself and hopes to inspire other children. This book is released in English, Spanish and Filipino and other Asian languages and region dialects.

(Disclaimer: This book is printed on demand, which is why the price might be comparatively high. I wanted to offer a printed version for parents who prefer to read a printed book to their children.)

The book comes in a booklet size of 5.5 x 8 inches and magazine size (classroom version) for classroom purposes sized 8.5x11 inches.