Kelley Donner

The Day the Lines Changed Kelley Donner

Without ever saying "Coronavirus" or "Pandemic," The Day the Lines Changed explains what it means to live through a viral outbreak and gives children a much needed, optimistic view of the future. Through the use of ripped paper and basic shapes, Kelley Donner takes a frightening and complicated pandemic and turns it into an uplifting, easily understandable story about the life of a green line. Featured in the Washington Times as one of the top ten books in 2020 about the pandemic, The Day the Lines Changed, a picture book for children between the ages of 2 and 6 should be a welcome resource for parents, teachers, and caregivers who are trying their best to explain the pandemic to worried children. All proceeds in March and April 2020 went to Covid-19 charities that support children's mental health.*

Carefree and happy, the green line lives together with her family, goes to school during the week, and on weekends visits the town square. Then one day some of the orange and purple lines begin to turn crooked and suddenly, everything is different for the green line and her family. Just as the green line begins to worry if her own family might turn crooked, one line makes a fantastic discovery which changes the lives of the lines forever.

While being self-quarantined with her family and already suffering from cabin fever, Kelley Donner got an idea that she couldn't push away. After wielding continual questions about the Coronavirus from her three boys, she felt compelled to write a story which explained what a pandemic is in a way that any child could understand. Kelley hopes that parents and educators will use The Day the Lines Changed as a platform for discussion about this difficult topic. Kelley's website KelleyDonner.com contains free lesson plans to go along with the book and a story-time video to be used in educational settings, either in school or remote.



Kelley Donner has worked as an educator for over twenty year sand is also the bestselling author of Ball! Ball Ball and A Very Corona Christmas. More info at KelleyDonner.com.