Cape Coral mom turns pandemic struggles into interactive kids' books

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—A Southwest Florida mother created interactive children's books to help families cope after seeing how the COVID-19 pandemic affected her own child.

Mary Asaro watched as programs shut down and schools shifted to virtual learning. She noticed children struggling to understand why they were home and how to express their feelings.

"It was about five years ago, you know, like kids weren't really understanding why they were home," Asaro said.

The turning point came when she observed her own child during remote learning. She realized children needed a way to process their emotions beyond a computer screen.

"After I saw my child on the computer, I was like this. I mean, where are they going to be able to express their feelings and talk about things?" she said.

Asaro created interactive books with follow-up questions and activities designed to help children express their feelings. She wanted something more meaningful than typical children's activity books.

"I wanted to write something that was going to be impactful, because all the books that I've looked at have been just busy stuff like coloring or an activity. I wanted something that was going to be interactive," she said.

Her first book, "Shelley and Friends," features an anxious turtle and a mean crab. The second, "Otto's Adventure," is about meeting a character that is not so nice. Some bundles include 3D characters like turtles and snakes to accompany the stories.

Asaro self-publishes her books and has already sold a couple hundred copies. She is working to spread awareness because she believes the books can help families connect and bond.

"I just, you know, the way that our society is right now, it's if all these computers that are coming in front of them, I just also think there needs to be an outlet where they can, you know, have conversations and talk, because they're going to need that," she said.

Asaro shared her story with WINK News anchor Russ McCaskey at a WINK Listens event in Cape Coral. She will be at the Macaroni KID "School's Out" event at Bell Tower on Thursday, May 28.