DEARBORN, Mich. – Travis Furlow, a Metro Detroit father of three, wrote a book to help teach his children about what’s happening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have a senior in high school and he was struggling with what is it going to be like to virtually-graduate,” Furlow said. “I have a junior in high school and I have an eighth grade daughter.”
Read more: Kids at Home
The Dearborn-based writer and publisher has always used journaling as a personal way to meditate. He said he finds it therapeutic.
“It’s a way for me to clear my head and kind of clear my mind before the day. I usually journal in the morning and then COVID-19 hit,” Furlow said. “So I started to document what was it like in the world and what were some of the things that we’re experiencing.”
While trying to come up with answers for his own family, Furlow developed the idea for a new book, “They All Went Inside.”
“I started writing and developing the characters and it flowed pretty freely,” Furlow said. “It’s two characters -- Little One and Mom. I’ve positioned them as kind of spirit protectors of the planet and Mama is teaching Little One while all the people went inside.”
Furlow wrote the book in one night. He called it a children’s book for grown-ups.
“I thought it might be a way to send some relatively deep messages to adults but do it in a children’s book format so that it didn’t feel like someone was putting themselves on a pedestal and saying, ‘Let’s all behave this way,’ or ‘Let’s make the Earth clean again,’ or ‘Let’s take care of humans,’” Furlow said. “I thought the children’s book format would work really well.”
The book was inspired by his love for his own children and using words to words to life people’s spirits, both young and old.
Proceeds from the book support two Michigan nonprofits that help children and families in need -- the Amity Foundation of Dearborn and Manistee Co. Child Advocacy Center. For more information on Furlow’s books, to buy them or to donate, visit his official website here.