Cope by Martha Keswick is a series of easy-to-understand disaster risk reduction books for children published in Hong Kong and available in 15 languages
Acclaimed children’s book author Martha Keswick is the brains behind the popular bilingual Max and Mei picture books series, the non-fiction Zhongguo Mingren series, and the action-packed Pangu comic series for children learning Chinese as a second language. Keswick’s philanthropic work for the Keswick Foundation on disaster-related projects in China also led her to create Cope, a children’s book series designed to enhance disaster resilience.
Covering natural hazards ranging from floods to earthquakes, wildfires and cyclones, Cope provides coping tools and relatable stories in an imaginative and simple way. The not-for-profit books are copyright-free for NGOs’ use. Keswick, who has four children of her own, speaks to Tatler about how her books are helping children around the world.
You are no stranger to children’s books. What was your inspiration for writing disaster management books?
In 2015, I attended a lunch at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to discuss building disasterresistant communities. I came away realising that there is a lack of vital disaster risk reduction information for children and I wondered how to teach them to be better prepared. I came up with concept of the Cope: Disaster series, a set of free, educational and child-friendly resources that teach children how to act before, during and after these weather-related hazards. The Cope squad is a team of DRR agents, trained by The Cope Academy in Sichuan. Their mission is to educate children from all over the world so that they can become Cope champions and act as role models in their own communities.
Did you always know this was your path?
I studied English literature at university and always enjoyed reading. However, I never dreamt of being an author. My first series of books was the bilingual series Max and Mei, which only came about because I was struggling to find fun and engaging bedtime books for my kids, who were all learning Chinese. I searched in bookshops in Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore for suitable materials for children learning Chinese as a foreign language, and then decided to write one myself. The stories are based on the real-life experiences of my eldest son and his Chinese best friend, and have captured the interest and imagination of children around the world ever since.
How do your books make a difference?
We all know that natural hazards such as droughts, storms, landslides and wildfires— many of which are the result of climate change— are intensifying. Because of this, children need to be informed and parents need to be able to explain to children what is happening in the world around them in an age-appropriate way.
