A Lurgan teaching assistant has created a children's book that helps explain the Coronavirus pandemic to his students.
Ryan Wilson, who works at the Carrick Primary School in the town has written and illustrated 'The Year the World Got Sick' a story about two children who are trying to come to terms with the global pandemic that has forced them to stay away from school and their friends.
The story is about Health Harry and Sneezy Suzy, two children that live next door to each other and can no longer go to school because of the virus.
Harry finds it easier to understand that pandemic than Suzy, due to watching the news and speaking with his parents, and tries to help his friend come to terms with what is going on.
They end up taking part in a huge range of different activities together during lockdown which includes baking cakes and drawing rainbows in support of health workers.
NHS fundraiser Captain Tom Moore even makes an appearance due to his amazing efforts raising more than £30m for the health service.
Ryan said that he was encouraged to write the book by his sister Carrie, after talking about wanting to write one for a number of years.
As the trainee teacher had time off away from the school, he took the opportunity to write something that would be of great benefit to the students who he misses.
Ryan said: "I have always wanted to write a book, but never really knew where I would start.
"During lockdown my sister Carrie started encouraging me to finally do it, so I decided that I would do something to help explain the coronavirus to my students at Carrick Primary School.
"I wasn't sure what it would be like writing it, but as soon as I got going with the introduction, everything just seemed to flow naturally.
"Most of my work involved doing the illustrations because even though I have drawn things for the children in school, I have never drawn anything like this.
"The story itself is about two children, Healthy Harry and Sneezy Suzy, who have been sent home from school due to the pandemic. Because of social distancing they have to speak to each other through the fence at their homes and help each other understand what they are going through.
"While doing that they make yummy cakes, paint rainbows like people have been doing for the NHS and there is even a mention of the amazing Captain Tom Moore who raised more than £30m for the NHS."
Ryan has read the book for his students on the Carrick Primary School Facebook page, with the video being viewed thousands of times in just a few days.
He added: "I really had no idea that so many people would watch me reading the book to the students.
"I had really just done it for them so I am amazed that it has caught on with so many different people.
"The book is self-published and I am looking at setting up a website for it in the next few weeks so that other people will be able to purchase a copy of their own."
