I recently came across a very delightful book for me to share with my grandchildren. The book, "The Germbusters (The Incredible Adventures of a Wayward Boy)" written by David Newman King is so much fun and it presents essential lessons on washing hands during the COVID Pandemic. I have previously shared the book with you and now I want to introduce you to the creator in an author interview. First, take a look at the book.
ABOUT THE BOOK
“The Germbusters” provides practical safety tips through storytelling, cheerful characters and illustrations. Learning from incredible adventures of a wayward boy, and the lessons he absorbs in this story, inspires children to stay safe. The elementary school boy embarks on spectacular adventures. After being “knighted” as a germbuster through a special training, he saves his family members and neighbors by using the acquired knowledge.
Besides the story, humor and original expressions, the book includes important lessons. These lessons will make children stronger and wiser as they return to normal life. The first one is about importance of knowledge, discipline and personal hygiene. The second one is about overcoming the self-imposed hegemony of mankind over the other living species of our planet.
Get the paperback or the e-book and enjoy reading “The Germbusters” with your little ones today.
The book is also brilliantly illustrated making it fun and engaging.
Product details
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DAVID NEWMAN KING
Tell your readers a little about yourself,
where you grew up, where you live now, where you went to school etc. Let them
get to know the personal you.
I
am trained as an economist and social scientist, with the most recent degree
from the University of Cambridge. As I grew up in a family of an
astrophysicist, I have also been very much into natural science. "The
Germbusters (The Incredible Adventures of a Wayward Boy Book Series)" is
my début as a children's author following a twenty-year career in social
science, editing, and advising governments on different matters of state
institution-building and development. Each part of this book means to inspire
better behavior and outcomes for children, families, and society.
What inspired you to author this book?
"The Germbusters" is pretty much a product of or even
a counteraction to COVID-19 crisis. I had a lot of free time during the
lockdown and started to draw, even before the idea of the book came. Then I
realized that it would be great to come up with a book that can inspire kids
while giving them a few tips for the post-pandemic period. The rest happened
very quickly.
Where did you get the inspiration for your book's cover?
As I mentioned, I illustrated the book personally - from cover
to cover. All the pictures were first coming together in my mind while I was
writing the book. The cover was not an exception, but here I tried to be hard
on "Covie" (the nickname of the commander of virus troops). I wanted
to come up with something that describes the outcome of washing the hands. I
even coined certain expressions like "washups" and getting
"washed down" in this specific context. I also picked the blue
background cover, to have the same for the water on the front cover and the sky
on the back cover.
Who has been the most significant influence on you personally
and as a writer?
In the context of the children's book there are two people:
1) Lewis Carroll - who was a mathematician, Oxford alumnus (i.e.
Oxbridge), and also an illustrator, and
2) Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the author and illustrator of The
Little Prince.
What were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get
this book written?
Perhaps loneliness during the lockdown and struggle with
formatting. Not sure which one was the bigger one.
Tell your readers about your book.
It should be enjoyable for family reading for kids starting from
5 years old. I tried to write the book as a contrast of very simple and complex
things. The book is also somehow progressive, rolling out throughout the
chapters and covering the more advanced and perhaps philosophical questions
closer to the end, leaving food for further thought.
Who is your target audience, and why?
The primary audience is 5-12 years age group, the kids getting
ready for the school, be it for the first time or returning after the pandemic.
But I believe parents reading the book for their children may also enjoy it.
What do you consider your greatest success in life?
I suspect it is pretty much still in the future!
What one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your
genre?
It is perhaps the unique personal life experience - where I am
coming from. In my case, it is the exposure to various academic schools and
subjects, work in countries that 90% of people may never consider visiting,
working with the highest-ranked public officials in different countries. When
writing for children, it is also very important to have the inner child inside
of you, which I think I have not lost till now.
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