This is a play on the COVID pandemic and how we had to all stay at home for a long time. I think kids will definitely enjoy this book.

“Staying Home” is a sweet story that gently explores COVID in a way for children to understand. It explains concepts like viruses and social distancing in a fantasy story with animals and kingdoms. It aligns with public health guidelines and ways for us to stay safe. The child narrator asks questions that many children are wondering, and validates the real-world emotional toll the virus is taking on children. I also appreciated the idea of children beings heroes too, and exploring how they can help.
The illustrations are very cute and comforting. This is a great read-aloud, definitely recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Joshua Burleson (author and illustrator) for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This serves as a simple explanation of how and why we social distance curing COVID, how keeping apart from our friends and staying home as much as possible even when we'd rather be doing something else protects and others from communicable disease. We see the kid characters bored and desperate to go out. We see how the world looks different when they exit quarantine. This isn't all rosy. It's more this idea that we work together for the greater good, both in quarantine and after.

This was a very cute book about how staying home and social distancing is worth the sacrifices that must be made. It helps put it in a frame of reference that young kids may understand. My daughter didn’t love the book, but she didn’t hate it either. I think overall, she didn’t love all the talk about battles, but she appreciated how the children helped and did their part.

I saw this come by on Netgalley and was curious on how children's fiction deals with the pandemic and social distancing. I read this purely out of curiosity, and I won't be publishing this review anywhere else.

First thing I want to mention is that I absolutely loved the drawing style! The cartoons were so fun and the drawing style fit the story amazingly.

The story itself is well written and a great example on how you can talk to your children about social distancing without making it overly complex and maybe even a little fun. Which kid doesn't want to read about a magical place which has the same problems as we do?

It was a great novel and I'm sure kids are gonna love it! 5 stars from me!

Engaging images. This book tackles the hard topic of needing to stay home to help defeat the virus. While the book does not come out and call it “COVID-19”, it is clear that that is what has come to the forest. Definitely a great conversation starter.

I think books that help explain the Covid Virus to Children are Terrific! This book speaks to children in a way they can easily understand and uses a Kingdom and Fairy Tale to tell the story. I think this would really appeal to children and their families. I would definitely recommend this book.

This book was extremely cute and adorable. I think it is relatable to kids and would be useful for them to understand the reason we need to stay home. The character names are a little weird.

This book is a fantastic way to inform children about social distancing and how they can play their part. It’s a simple way of explaining the current climate so that children are more informed. The characters are relatable for the audience.

In the Kingdom of Heartwood is a magical family of deer who keep it safe. One day the parents call in the children to explain that they have a new enemy to fight called a virus, and they cannot fight it with combat.

I applaud this effort to provide a positive message that attempts to soothe any fears children may have during a pandemic (any, it's not specific), as well as it's encouragement of social distancing. However, I felt that the way the sentences were constructed and worded was overly complex for the age being targeted.

The illustrations were attractive, and I also liked that this was in a magical kingdom rather than on 'Earth.'

‘Staying home’ by Joshua Burleson is a cute and relevant story about a family of deers who have to social distance and stay home to protect the kingdom from a virus. At the time of writing this, the UK has gone into its 3rd lockdown and so this book is very much still relevant. It’s a simple and fun way to explain to my little children what we need to do. Wonderful illustrations too.

Joshua Burleson's Staying Home: Guardians of Social Distancing tells the story of a deer family during a pandemic. At the base of an ancient mountain in the Kingdom of Heartwood, Willow and younger brother Branch are called away from their friends to hear urgent news from their warrior father and spell-casting mother. A new enemy threatens the kingdom, and Buckthorn and Hazel tell their two offspring that they must use new battle tactics. They must fight the enemy by staying home.

Without mentioning COVID-19 by name, Burleson explains how to prevent the spread of the virus by staying inside and going out only for essential supplies. Hazel models correct mask wearing and social distancing when she shops. Reenforcing the lesson, a bear illustrates what not to do when shopping. He wears his mask on the top of his head and and adds a touch of humor by arriving at the checkout counter with a cart overflowing with toilet paper.

Narrator Willow misses friends and wonders if the kingdom will be the same after the virus is gone but soon finds indoor activities to pass the time alone and with the family. Learning proper sanitation protocol and helping with chores, Willow takes pride in playing a role in keeping the kingdom safe.

Ideal for children approximately 4-8, Staying Home includes simple, colorful, and charming illustrations depicting the outdoor kingdom and the indoor family life while it teaches young readers or listeners how viruses spread and how to protect oneself and others while still enjoying life.

Willow and Branch are young deer, the children of defenders. They aspire to one day defend the kingdom like their parents do. When one day they are told of a new threat, they are surprised to learn that the way to defeat this new enemy is not going out to war, but to stay at home!

Staying home is a sweet book for young children, to help them with the concepts of staying home during a virus, as well keeping clean, helping out with chores and understanding sacrifice.
The illustrations are adorable. and the deer family are very sweet and likeable. I love the touch of magic tied into the little world of this story.
I think the real world virus advice etc maybe could have done with a tad more veiling - I appreciate that it is easier to understand this way, but it made the book a little less of a story. I think this book will be great during this pandemic, but will not last beyond that. However, if it was a little less specific about viruses and social distancing, it would have lasted a lot better.

However, as a current help book for kids in a confusing time, Staying Home is very sweet and helpful.

Staying Home by Joshua Burleson uses a magical forest and the animals that live there to discuss the importance of social distancing. This is done in a manner easily understood by young children.

I appreciated the creative way that can inform while not overwhelming or scaring kids. Unfortunately, the times we live in make this book a necessity currently.

The illustrations a whimsical and draw even the youngest reader in. My almost four year old did not have the attention span to sit still for the longer text included in each page. However, by paraphrasing and pointing to the excellent pictures the message was conveyed clearly. My older son liked the idea of being a super hero guardian for staying home!

As a mother of two children with Autism I appreciate this type of book. It falls in a category called social stories to help children who need a little extra exposure understand new situations. All children fall into this category, as we face the uncertainty of living in a world changed by COVID 19.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Books Go Social in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

I've read many covid-era books to help kids understand our current world. I love the unique perspective with this story making the kids superheroes for doing their part with social distancing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic book for discussing viruses and social distancing with children. Honestly if more adults read and understood this, we’d be in a much better place than we are now. I laughed and I shed a tear of hope with this one.

The illustrations were super cute and I loved the fantasy elements. The text is easily digestible and will work well to help explain what’s going on in the world right now. Like some other reviewers, I also appreciated that this book doesn’t use the COVID19 phrase. I appreciated the commentary on what to do while isolating and found the text conveyed hope.

Overall, I highly recommend it to everyone.

This was a very simple and cute way to help children understand the covid issues and give them a way to process it. I thought it was well written and illustrated beautifully.

This is a great book to read to/with your children to help them learn about the Pandemic in a way they will more relate to. Having animal heroes face a virus and learn to battle by staying home and social distancing could teach even some adults the importance of keeping people safe! The pictures were a great addition to set the mood of the book. One thing that could have been improved upon is making the fantasy aspect a little more real. Instead of going to the grocery store, the mom could have shopped at the forest market. I would recommend this to any parent who is having a hard time explaining to their little one's just why we have to stay home and stay safe!

Where to start with this gem of a book!
How cute and so relevant in 2020!
This is adorable the pictures are beautiful and the story resonates with everyone young, small , old any age.
This story about the family living in the pandemic is right on que if you want to explain the virus to younger kids who have all the questions this is perfect.
Broke down so you can understand it better and simplified so they will understand it’s important to keep doing what we doing.
I can’t wait for bed time to read to the kids who are always wanting to wash their hands when they come home so they don’t bring the virus here.
Thank you BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

If you need a book to help teach about social distancing, this book is a good start!

When a group of deers are faced with dealing with a deadly virus, they work together to learn how to social distance. They are also fierce warriors, wielding spells and weapons to battle scary creatures.

This book simplifies the scary situation going on in the world right now. The pandemic is scary, but this book makes explaining social distancing a little easier to your young ones. It has fantasy, animals and simplistic explanations if you don't want to make it scary.

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.