On a mission to spread the message of good hygiene

This school nurse followed the noses to create a fun and instructive book, By Aimee Henkel Vernon — For 18 years, Jayne Morgan worked in public schools throughout Sussex County as a substitute teacher, watching children sneeze without covering their mouths. She watched them wipe their noses with their hands and then touch desks and door handles, not knowing about the germs they left behind. Finally, she thought, what better way to help children learn about how to handle sneezes than to write a children’s book about the subject? So last year, she published “What to do with Ahhh Chooo?” Morgan thought she could help children understand that they didn’t have to spread germs and viruses. “When I worked with kids, I saw they had terrible habits when it came to sneezes, so I thought, how can I make learning about reducing airborne pathogens fun? I decided to write a funny book about it, because in order for the kids to retain the information, they have to have a good time.” Finding fun ways to talk about covering a sneeze wasn’t as challenging as it might seem. Morgan and her illustrator, family friend Kristen O’Shea, spent time mimicking children’s sneezes to get just the right facial expressions. She found that people sneeze in a lot of different ways. “On my Web site, I ask kids and parents to go into a store and watch people sneeze,” Morgan said. “It’s a very harrowing experience, but I ask kids to do it because watching others helps them learn in a fun way.” More health topics to come Although she has been writing for most of her life, making a children’s book her first project was a calculated move. “I have a medical background as an EMT and certified medical assistant, so I thought why not use that knowledge in my writing?” Morgan is now working on a series of children’s books related to children’s health topics. As a first-time author, Morgan found that marketing her self-published book was her biggest challenge. “I’m just getting started in my publishing career, so I’m learning. I spend a lot of time sending my book to places where parents and kids will see it. I send it to libraries, hospitals, doctor’s offices. I guess it’s a compliment, because I hear my books go missing from doctor’s offices all the time!” Morgan’s book and project has become popular with librarians and teachers and she has been asked to read it to children at libraries and schools all over Sussex County. Included in the book is a special project that she and children do together at readings, after they hear her read the book. To help spread the message of good hygiene, Morgan created a Web site — www.ahhhchooo.com — that offers more ideas for teachers and parents.