Yorkshire teacher 'blown away' as free children's book about lockdown goes viral

How to NOT go to School: Parsley Mimblewood Saves the World was originally written for his class of Year 3 and 4 pupils at Ingleton Primary in North Yorkshire.

However, after 28-year-old Mike Forde posted the book online for parents and teachers to download free, it became a surprise hit.

The book is about Parsley Mimblewood, a homeschooled child who sees herself as something of an expert on "How to NOT go to School". The story follows her daily whimsical adventures along with her 11 animals and 7 imaginary friends.

Each chapter explores a different issue children may be experiencing during lockdown, interwoven with Parsley’s adventures with her brother Bo, their nanny goats and an eclectic group of imaginary friends.

After sharing the story on Facebook, Mike connected first with Sarah Beswick, an early fan and art hobbyist, and then professional illustrator Rebecca Sampson who collaborated to create the illustrations for the story book, now free to download online.

Mr Forde, originally from Northern Ireland, said the reaction has been “incredible”.

He said: “I’ve just been utterly blown away. Over 50,000 people have now read the little story book that I wrote for the 28 kids in my class.

“I never would have imagined it could go this far but I think it’s been so popular because it’s not about coronavirus. It’s a funny little story about a kid who doesn’t go to school. And people seem to have really enjoyed that.”

The teacher’s initial intent was to entertain his class and help them through a difficult time.

Mr Forde said: “The school shutdown has been an enormous upheaval in our children's lives. I wanted to give them a fun whimsical story that could also be a tool to help them discuss their well-being and mental health at this time.”

He said the book has begun to spread around the world as more people hear about it.

He added: “It’s now being translated into Spanish, German, Dutch and British Sign Language as well as Italian. So many people are really keen to help share it with as many people as possible which is incredible. We’re in this bewildering moment right now where families across the world are in the same boat facing this. And maybe what we all need is a whimsical little story about imaginary friends and badly behaved nanny goats.”

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