Lenny and Lily: wordless stories for primary school children

Lenny and Lily in Lockdown and Lenny and Lily Return to School will help children make sense of their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic, communicate their feelings and prepare for more change as they go back to the classroom. As the stories are told in pictures alone, it is not necessary for children to be able to read words to enjoy them. They are appropriate for pupils in both mainstream and special education settings.

Supporting text at the end of each story gives teaching staff and parents guidance on how to use the stories with children.

Scroll down to download both stories for free.

"One boy in my class was upset as it was his birthday but he couldn't see his Nana. I reached for 'Lenny and Lily in Lockdown' and spent the next 2 hours looking at the story with him. He kept going back to the picture of the grandparents standing outside Lily's house and saying, 'It's ‘cos of the virus'. We read the story over and over again together, talking through how the characters felt and how he felt. The book opened up that conversation."

- Ms Sparnon, Primary school teacher

Lenny and Lily in Lockdown

By Prof Barry Carpenter, Ali Erskine and Jenny Hawkes
illustrated by Charlotte Firmin

Lenny and Lily live next door to each other. Every day they walk to school together and play with the same group of friends.

Then one day their teacher explains there is a pandemic. She tells them it means their school will be closing for some weeks and they will be learning at home. Lenny and Lily feel sad and abandoned.

The story explores Lenny and Lily’s experiences of loss and change in the days of the lockdown, how they develop ways of maintaining their friendship, the challenges of learning at home and the range of emotions they each experience.

Lenny and Lily Return to School

By Prof Barry Carpenter, Ali Erskine and Jenny Hawkes
illustrated by Charlotte Firmin

Lenny and Lily have had different experiences of the lockdown, but now it’s time for them to return to school. Lily is excited to go back and meet up with her friends again, but Lenny has enjoyed being at home with his family and feels more anxious.

When Lenny and Lily go back to school they both face different challenges. Lenny struggles to reconnect with his friends and find his place in the group. Lily has found home learning difficult and struggles to keep up with the pace of lessons in class.

The story explores the range of emotions Lenny and Lily experience as they come back into school and rebuild relationships with their teachers and friends.

Using Books Beyond Words in the classroom

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