A lot has been written about the coronavirus in the last 15 months — and most of it is intimidating medical content. But Medical College of Georgia student Wesley Walters took it to a different level by writing a children’s book, The Virus That Came To Town.

Walters has been taught educating parents and children is just as important as healing them, thus the book. He got the idea just as the pandemic started. He was working with children at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and realized he had to reteach them some public health initiatives, like washing your hands and staying home when you’re not feeling well. He figured a book would be the best tool to do just that.

“I kind of came up with, hey, what about a children’s book?” said Walters. “We all remember random stuff from children’s books that we read.”

While the main focus of the book is on the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, and how to prevent it, there are underlying themes.

“Two of the things were the multiracial family and then the doctor being African-American. We want this to be a very inclusive thing that this book can go all across the nation and people could feel connected to it.”

Walters’ reaction to seeing kids read the book for the first time was emotional.

“I’ve had to fight back tears. I’m like, OK, this is too much, just because it’s the first thing I’ve done like this where you know people you’ve never met, and their lives can be changed.”

Walters doesn’t have a specialty yet at MCG, but pediatrics is an option. For now, he’s trying to keep an open mind.

READ Walters' full story.