CALGARY -- Cat is Scared is the story of a cat that finds herself in a scary situation – but really, the cat could be any one of us, young or old.
The book is the work of Calgary children’s author Carolyn Neary, whose daughter works as a respiratory therapist at Foothills Medical Centre.
She says she wanted to give back to front line workers.
"I just didn’t know what I could do," Neary says. "I heard an interview that said, 'If you would like to help respiratory therapists and other front liners, do something for their children.'"
That's when Neary came up with the idea.
"I thought, "I can do that – I’ll write a children’s book.'"
The result is a wonderfully illustrated tale of how a frightened cat found hope and held on to it, getting herself out of trouble one step at a time.
"We came up with a sweet little children’s book that gently talks about managing emotions," says Neary.
She approached Blitzprint owner Kevin Lanuke, hoping to save a little money on publishing costs for a good cause. But Lanuke had other ideas.
"I said, 'You know, I think I can do more for you Carolyn,'" recalled Lanuke. "'What if we tried to sell this to a mass audience?'"
The book’s marketing plan now tries to give twice – the books are meant to be bought as gifts for the children of front line workers, but all the money goes to support Ronald McDonald House.
That was a week ago and, on Tuesday, eight boxes of books shipped out to buyers, including two that were ordered by someone in New York City.
The books range in price from about $9.50 to around $3 depending on how many are ordered.
Psychologist Dr. Nicole Racine says the story shows kids the importance of our friends and family.
"Kids and adults; we’re the same," Racine says. "We need to draw on the people around us and the supports around us to feel okay, even during a really difficult time."
Cat is Scared is available through Blitzprint.com.
