When Kitty O’Meara penned her poem about the coronavirus pandemic back in March 2020, she had no idea her words would resonate around the world. After catching the attention of Oprah and Deepak Chopra, And the People Stayed Home solidified its place in the COVID zeitgeist. The world isolated for safety and people found ways to pass the time—reading, gardening, dancing, reflecting. Now, with the help of beautiful illustrations, O’Meara’s words come to life for future generations to remember what happened and encourage everyone to find silver linings, think differently and never lose hope.
*2021 FAPA President's Book Awards Silver Medalist
*Smithsonian Magazine’s Ten Best Children’s Books of 2020
“Kitty O'Meara is the poet laureate of the pandemic”—O, The Oprah Magazine
“Kitty O’Meara... is challenging us to grow.”—Deepak Chopra, MD, author, Metahuman
“It captured the kind of optimism people need right now.”—Esquire (UK)
“A communal beacon of hope.”––Washington Post
“An eloquent, heartwarming reflection that will resonate with generations to come.”—Kate Winslet
From the popular, globally viral prose poem comes a beautifully produced picture book that encourages us to look within, listen deeply, and connect with ourselves and nature in order to heal.
And the People Stayed Home features Kitty O’Meara’s hopeful message about the possibility of profound healing for people and the planet. In these pages the thoughtful words are richly illustrated, and words and images together communicate an optimism for our shared experience and our future that will resonate with readers of all ages.
Kitty O’Meara lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, Phillip Hagedorn, their five rescue dogs, two cats, gardens, and books. Formerly a middle school writing and literature teacher and hospital and hospice chaplain, she is currently a spiritual director and has been a lifelong writer and artist. She has been called “the poet laureate of the pandemic” based on her wildly popular, widely circulated, and hopeful poem about the Covid-19 pandemic. That poem is illustrated and presented in book form in the bestselling And the People Stayed Home, published by Tra Publishing. She is also the author of The Rare, Tiny Flower (Tra Publishing, 2021).
PRAISE FOR KITTY O’MEARA
“Kitty O’Meara is the poet laureate of the pandemic. . . . The poem has become shorthand for a silver-linings perspective during the coronavirus outbreak.”—O, The Oprah Magazine
“A communal beacon of hope.”—The Washington Post
“She is challenging us to grow—to look inside, to listen deeply, to allow ourselves to think differently, and ultimately, to create new ways of living on the planet.”—Deepak Chopra, MD, author, Metahuman
“A stunning and peaceful offering of introspection and hope...”—The Children’s Book Review
“O’Meara’s words come to life for future generations to...encourage everyone to find silver linings, think differently and never lose hope.”—B&N Reads
“She has given the world a small piece of joy.”—BookTrib
