Kelantan floods to Covid-19: download this global disaster children's book series

What do you do when the monsoon season hits, the rain won’t let up and the flood waters rise?

In one of the books from the COPE Disaster series for children, young readers can journey to Kelantan (during a monsoon season December), where continuous heavy rain often results in floods in low-lying and flood-prone areas.

Through the eyes of the young and plucky COPE Squad members, children will learn about what to expect in such a situation and how to prepare for it.

In Floods, key instructional messages are conveyed through illustrations and text, as we follow our young cast as they assist people through an evacuation, safety precautions and post-flood reconstruction efforts.

From packing flood survival bags, evacuation drills, rendering assistance to vulnerable groups, saving pets and setting up tents, Floods offers concise information presented in easy-to-understand language and lively drawings.

'Covid-19' is one of the timely titles in the COPE Disaster series. Photo: COPE

The COPE Disaster series is designed to increase the disaster resilience of children. When disasters happen, children are one of the most affected vulnerable groups.

This book series zooms in on the activities of an international disaster management hub set up by Grand Mistress Fu in the Sichuan Province of China, comprising four teen orphans named Candy, Eddy, Ollie and Ping, who are trained to be disaster risk reduction agents.

Their mission? To educate children from all over the world to become COPE champions and act as role models in their community.

The COPE Squad might be fictional companions, but the natural hazards they navigate are certainly not!

Learn about 'Earthquakes!' in this COPE title for young children.

Floods, by Hong Kong-based children’s author Martha Keswick, Hong Kong-based children’s author Mariko Jesse and Singapore-based editor Timothy Sim, is written in collaboration with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.

In addition to Floods, other titles in this COPE Disaster Series include Covid-19, Landslides, Storm Surges, Cyclones, and Earthquakes. More titles will be rolled out in due time.

The COPE books are free to download here.