A picture book recently released by Orca Book Publishers will be a useful addition to your collection of teaching resources at this time when issues pertaining to the pandemic are so relevant in our lives today. We Wear Masks by Marla Lesage presents many instances in today’s world when wearing a mask is common and useful for keeping people safe. Each two-page spread contains a rhyming couplet and a charming illustration depicting people with masked faces in an environment that warrants such protection. We see an artist spray painting a mural on an exterior wall, ranchers on horseback wearing bandannas to keep the flies away, people playing in the snow with face warmers covering everything but their eyes, scuba divers whose masks are an important part of their diving gear, a scientist studying germs, and a welder surrounded by flying sparks. The book transitions to situations in which we are all now wearing masks to avoid the transmission of viruses and ends with When I wear a mask and you wear one too, we’re both really saying, “I care about you.” Talking openly about what is going on in the world can be an effective way to decrease anxiety or fears children may be feeling. This book could begin a conversation about wearing masks that may be reassuring to children who have not grown up in a society in which every day mask-wearing is a common practice.
Diana Mumford
Diana is the Editor at Canadian Teacher Magazine.
This article is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Spring 2021 issue.