DC couple’s picture book makes the facemask a super hero’s accessory

WASHINGTON (WDVM) — Their kids may be adults, but a D.C. couple is easing the stress for parents and teachers who are struggling to convince their children to wear face masks. 

Lisa Sirkis Thompson and John Thompson’s children’s book, Lucy’s Mask, has appeared on Amazon’s Best Seller Charts, with over 2,000 reviews. They published last spring using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing.

“So many teachers and librarians have reached out saying how much the book has helped them. It sort of normalized it and made it so it wasn’t such a crazy thing,” Lisa said. She wrote the book and John, a graphic designer, illustrated it. 

Lucy is a precocious, tough little girl with a big imagination. She asks her mom to play with her, but her mom can’t because she’s in the middle of sewing a mask for Lucy. Lucy, who pictures a superhero eye mask, comes up with different dress up games, like a detective and a pirate. When her mom finishes the face mask, Lucy discovers she can also be a superhero. 

John says he wanted to design a character that would be relatable to all kids. Her name was inspired by Lisa’s childhood. “It was kind of a nickname that my mom and some close friends called me when I was a kid because I was a little into mischief like Lucille Ball,” she said.

Lucy will soon be going on other adventures. In the second book, also set in the coronavirus pandemic, she’ll discover the outdoors. Lisa hopes it will inspire children to do the same. “Kids are very programmed now and they have kind of lost the ability to just spend time with themselves and really go out and explore the world around them.”