Portland, Ore. – Nov. 5, 2020 – The eloquent prose penned by emerging author, Kitty O’Meara, as a response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, is now available as a beautifully illustrated interactive, animated storybook on the family-safe, ad-free Vooks streaming service. Narrated by renowned English actor Kate Winslet, the poem’s soul-stirring words and beautiful animation promote the hopeful messages of the possibility of profound healing and growth that can be achieved during this time.
“I wrote ‘And the People Stayed Home’ in early March just as my husband and I were going into quarantine,” said O’Meara. “We were nervous and anxious and I wanted to create something that would provide us and our friends with a sense of comfort, hope and encouragement to be peaceful and heal.”
O’Meara’s timely and poignant message quickly resonated with audiences looking for meaning in today’s uncertain times. Since first publishing to Facebook in March, millions of people across the globe have shared her words with friends and loved ones.
“As parents and educators grapple with helping children understand the complexities of the current global climate, they are turning to friends, family members and other trusted sources for guidance,” said Marshall Bex, Co-Founder and CEO of Vooks. “O’Meara’s brilliantly simplistic and approachable language made her poem a perfect fit for our growing collection of family-friendly stories; our award-winning creative team worked closely with the talented illustrators to beautifully translate the author’s messages through an engaging combination of movement, colorful illustration and narration.”
Vooks subscribers can now access the interactive version of “And the People Stayed Home” at Vooks.com; through the Vooks app for iOS and Android; and on Roku, Amazon Fire and Google Chromecast devices. For only $4.99 per month, subscribers have unlimited online and offline access to a growing library of popular children’s titles and timeless classics, and new subscribers can trial the full service for 30 days at no charge.
Hardcover and e-book versions of the 32-page book illustrated by Stefano Di Cristofaro and Paul Pereda (Tra Publishing, distributed by Simon & Schuster) will be available online and through booksellers and specialty retailers across the nation on November 10. With support from independent booksellers, Barnes & Noble and through Amazon pre-sales the title is quickly gaining “Best Seller” status. Tra Publishing, with Vooks as a digital strategy partner, has moved the timeless poem swiftly up the charts.
