New book tells story of earthquake from child’s point of view

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Nelsonian Carol McKeever has turned her wish to do something for Christchurch families into a moving children’s book entitled “The Butterfly and the Earthquake”.
She started writing the story a week after the February quake and teamed  up with Nelson born Ned Barraud who works at Weta Studios.
The book is now published and all proceeds will go to Save the Children NZ to support their work with children in Christchurch and throughout NZ.
The Earthquake and the Butterfly tells the story of Tom and his family on the day of the February quake. The beautiful illustrations give a sensitive portrayal of a child’s experiences of an earthquake and lead the reader from fear and surprise to comfort and calm.
”I wanted to tell the story from a child’s point of view and I wanted give parents and children everywhere the opportunity to talk about the earthquake,” she said. “I also wanted to acknowledge the incredibly important role that parents play in rebuilding children’s trust and confidence following a major disaster.”
Ms McKeever and the Publishers, First Edition Publishing, have donated a copy of the book to all Christchurch primary schools  in the hope that it will bring comfort to children and adults alike.
The book is likely to be of interest to all NZ families, not only those directly affected by the earthquakes.
The book can be ordered directly from the website www.thebutterflyandtheearthquake.com