This year everyone is told to stay home...
even Santa.
A hilarious, heartwarming new picture book for children between 3 and 8, A Very Corona Christmas: Santa Stays Home weaves together all of the craziness of 2020 into a delightful story about a little elf who saves Christmas from being cancelled.
What happens when world leaders cancel Christmas due to Covid19? Just as Santa decides he has no other choice but to furlough his elves until the pandemic is over, a bright, young elf brings him a letter from a little girl that changes everything…
Author and illustrator Kelley Donner understands that this year more than ever, children need Christmas. Full of beautiful watercolor illustrations, A Very Corona Christmas creatively shows the North Pole trying to function in the midst of a chaotic pandemic.
A Very Corona Christmas is the funniest book you’ll read this Christmas. A delight for children and adults of all ages, you’ll be reminded of just how crazy this year has been and laugh at all of the funny things that 2020 has brought to the table. This pandemic has been tiring and we are all in need of a good laugh. A Very Corona Christmas is just what the doctor ordered for everyone this Christmas.
Free Download - A Very Corona Christmas: Santa Stays Home - The Play/ The Play Zoom Edition
I worked as a teacher for many years and used to love to adapt books my students loved into plays. I have made two versions of this play. One for use on a stage and one which has been adapted to be used on Zoom or another similar application. The props are not hard to make, the play would be easy to create in person or remote, and the topic is very 2020. Just click on the button below for the free download.
If you use this play in your school, please drop me a line at kelley.donner@gmail.com and let me know how it goes. Thank you and good luck!
Free Download - A Very Corona Christmas: Santa Stays Home - Activities K-6
I have split these activities into two groups. Grades K-2, and 3-6. I have added discussion, writing, drawing, and vocabulary activities along with images that can be printed and used in a school setting. Just click on the button below for the free download. There are additional coloring pages below.
Free Download - A Very Corona Christmas: Santa Stays Home - Additional Coloring Pages
In addition to the activities above, this download is purely coloring pages. Enjoy!
Need a story to watch?
Watch the story-time video with your class.
Learn about the author
When I first had the idea for A Very Corona Christmas I realized I had little time to make it happen. I sat down with my boys and brainstormed some ideas and then wrote the entire story on the same day. I then began to think about how I could illustrate it and got to work. Over the course of 10 days, I edited, sketched, and painted until my hands began to cramp. Nevertheless, I finished it. All of the illustrations are first drawn, then painted with watercolors, and finally, finished off in Photoshop to make a white background. The illustration below is one of my favorites from the book. Here is also a photo of me working on the images. And, yes, I did them all at the same time to be more efficient. I painted all of the red, then the green, etc. As much as I love painting, the process was a bit exhausting with so many pictures in so little time. However, sometimes I feel deadlines make you more creative because you have to just work without thinking. Perfectionism can easily kill a good project. The best way to work is to just let go and let your ideas flow.
Media Coverage
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