Janice McKay had been minding two of her grandchildren a couple of days a week for almost a decade.
When COVID arrived, the kids were kept away from Janice's home due to the fear of transmission.
"I was distraught at first," said Janice, a clinical psychologist at Toronto.
The kids, too, were struggling with the separation.
When they spoke on the phone, they'd ask when they could go to her house again.
"It was very difficult to answer, so I wrote the book," Janice said.
The book, titled Villony Virus Comes to Town, has been a best seller on Amazon.
"It worked well for our family and, when I saw others around me also struggling, I decided to publish the book in the hope of helping others," she said.
The book is aimed at primary school children aged around five to 11.
"I wrote it with the intention that it would be read to children. The story introduces the family and then explains that one day Villony Virus came to town," she said.
It tells the story of how the smart people in the town "work out how to fight off Villony and his virus army".
"It then describes some of the changes that had to occur while the battle was on - including not being able to go to Nanna and Pa's house."
The book gives some simple strategies to help manage "some of the feelings that can occur over such an unsettled time".
It gives hope for the future, describing scientists working on a vaccine and reinforcing that "we are safe and able to cope".
"Some parents feel that it is best not to mention topics to children that may be upsetting," Janice said.
"In fact, this is rarely the best strategy as children are often imagining or worrying about things that may be worse than reality.
"While children don't need to be involved with adult problems, it is best to open the channels of communication about the pandemic in age-appropriate ways and reassure children that they will be OK."
The book features a town with wise people who, when they have problems, share their ideas and work on solutions.
"The book normalises some of the feelings that children might be having so that they realise they are not the only ones feeling as they do," she said.
It reassures children that the community is winning the battle against Villony.
"The book reminds children that they are safe, that they can still have lots of fun and that they can manage to adapt to life's new patterns."
Janice said children tune in to their parents' moods and "suffer when the household is suffering".
"If people are concerned about their children during the pandemic, they should see their doctor.
"I think it is good for parents to read my book to children and use it to start a conversation about how the children might be feeling."
Comic Conan
This from comedian Conan O'Brien on Twitter after President Trump was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre: "Good luck getting paid, Walter Reed."
Non-Viral Jokes
A man gets a text message from his wife as a footy final approaches at 6pm: "Me or footy?" Man replies at 9pm: "You of course."
What do you call a pig that does karate? A pork chop.
