It has been nearly three years since the country first went into a full lockdown.

We have all been through so much these past 33 months.

Though many believe the pandemic to now be over

The daily stats are desperately trying to tell us otherwise

Covid really is not over

But perhaps what is now a thing of the past

Is Lockdown

The hardships that lockdown brought for many people

And also the sense of community spirit that was so very strong

In the early days of the virus circulating here in the UK

I have just finished reading

Max Counts To A Million by Jeremy Williams

BLURB
“Do you like epic quests of amazing counting?
Do you dislike global pandemics, being stuck at home and the number 7?
Then I have a story for you. It’s about how I counted to a million during lockdown – with help from Mum and Dad, friends and neighbours and Grandad. And some birds. And a bucket of marbles. And an awesome TV reporter.”

This is the funny and poignant fictional story

Of one boy’s experience of that first ever lockdown

And how he coped with all the change by counting

Max is a brilliant character

Incredibly endearing

And you want his story to be a happy one from the start

Max is child hero

Just like all children who carried on carrying on

These past two years

All children who are still carrying on carrying on today

“Sometimes – just keeping on going makes you a hero.”

Through Max we learn what it was like for young children

In those early days of Covid

Trying to understand what the virus was

What it meant for them and the ones they love

Trying to get to grips with the concept of a global pandemic

We see Max talking to his friends and family

Watching the news

Jeremy William’s voices Max perfectly

Showing curiosity and anxiety with a a gentle sense of humour

And a huge amount of heart

We see Max trying to understand panic buying and food shortages

At the supermarket

We see his growing concern as people start to be missing from school

Some people are shielding

And some people are poorly with the virus

We see Max’s upset when he realises he will not be able to see his Grandad for a while

And at the same time see him and his friends playing Coronavirus Tag

On the playground

Not really understanding why some people might find it offensive

When lockdown begins

Max struggles with the concept

His Dad is a doctor and is working on the front lines

He moves out of the house to protect Max and his mum

Throughout the story we see messages and video calls

Between Max and his family

I found it hard reading about the family being separated

And thinking of all the people for whom this was their reality

Max Counts To A Million made me realise and appreciate

That we had a much gentler lockdown and experience of Covid

At the beginning than most

We were very lucky that in the first year

No one that we knew got sick

And our lives were not really disrupted all that much

I think as a family we, for the most part, loved staying home and exploring our local area

And having lots of time together without feeling we should be somewhere else

I know that we were / are blessed in that regard

Reading this story and reflecting on the last few years

Made me so grateful, again

We were the lucky ones x

Max was not so lucky

He missed his friends

He missed his Dad

And his Grandad got the virus and had to go to hospital

When Max is tearfuly painting his NHSrainbow

I cried for him and for all the others like him

This book is beautifully written and Max’s story is tenderly told

This book is important for children to read now and return to in the future

A reminder of the rainbows we painted

Thursday night clapping for the NHS

Daily walks

Cancelled parties, holidays and plans

Zoom calls and online learning

Daily press conferences

Captain Tom

This book made me smile as it touched on all the things so familiar

That already feel quite long ago

Even though for a short while they were a huge part of our lives

Max Counts To A Million

Is a brilliant book

This funny, uplifting story reflects the experiences shared by so many

During the Covid pandemic and celebrates how ordinary people accomplish epic things