More than fifty schools and nurseries on the Isle of Wight have taken up an offer by Medina Books and Publishing in Cowes to receive a free copy of their book about the importance of handwashing to get rid of germs.
A Germ’s Journey was written as part of a public health initiative being run by specialists at the School of Pharmacy, De Montfort University (DMU).
A gap in the market
The idea for A Germ’s Journey came about when microbiologist, Dr Katie Laird was trying to teach her young son about germs and hand-washing and realised that there were very little educational resources available for teaching young children about this topic.
Katie then discussed this idea with Education Innovation professor, Sarah Younie. The two worked together alongside a multidisciplinary team of experts from specialities including microbiology, education, art, design and technology to develop unique interactive learning resources for young children.
Medina Publishing worked with DMU specialists and took on publishing the title.
An Island-based business helping our community
Krissy Lloyd of Medina Books and Publishing says,
“We know that washing our hands is one of the most important things we all can do to help combat the spread of the Coronavirus, but sometimes it can be hard to get the message across to young children. This book helps them to understand it in a simple and fun way.
“As an Island-based business we wanted to help our community. Giving copies of the book free to schools and nurseries that are still open and supporting the children of key workers, is a great way to do this.
“We put a post out on Facebook about the free offer and were overwhelmed by the interest from local organisations. We have 100 copies in our shop to give away on the Island, the first 50 of which will be posted out in the next few days. We are grateful to De Montfort University for covering the cost of postage.
“Working with Katie and Sarah at De Montfort, we planned to expand the offer across the country, but our warehouse in London has had to close. We are now working with DMU to produce an updated electronic version which will specifically cover Covid-19.”
Outreach project
After the publication of the book, DMU carried out an outreach project and, working with them, Medina published and distributed culturally relevant editions for The State of Gujarat in India as well as a special edition for Sierra Leone.
The Gujarati language edition has been part of a DMU study in India and researchers report a dramatic improvement in the hand washing habits of the children in the area who had access to the book resulting in reduced illness in those children.
Helpful Website
As well as the book, the team at De Montfort have developed a Website which has lots of useful resources and downloads aimed at children of all ages that can be accessed for free by teachers and parents.
Medina is urging any schools, preschools or nurseries that have not already been in touch to contact them so they can be posted a copy. They should contact [email protected]
News shared by Krissy on behalf of Medina Publishing. Ed
