Inside by Lauren Loftus. Illus. by Lauren Gero

There’s a story in your bones
of how the world turned outside-in,
of how everything around you changed
and everything within.

This sensitive and deeply thoughtful book is one of a number of stories for children currently being shared about the time Australia and in fact the whole planet, went into Covid lockdown in 2020 and 2021. For many citizens all over the world this was a time of challenge and change. A time where staying at home and reinventing the way we lived and worked became the new normality.

Over the course of Inside, the striking and quite beautiful illustrations portray quiet streets, families at home separated by from loved ones, families entertaining each other, heroes going off to work, families gardening, loved ones grieving and rainbow images on windows. The poetic and poignant text shares these times with sensitivity and is a gentle reminder of what took place.

At the end there is hope for a new future and a hope for kindness from within for the younger generation.

The world has changed and so have you,
with courage as your guide,
you will lead us to the light…
Because you’re brave and kind inside.

This book feels very much like a picture book for older children, teenagers and adults to remember a time in our past when there was a global response to a situation beyond our control.

Themes: COVID-19, Quarantine, Epidemics.

Kathryn Beilby