REDINGTON BEACH, Fla. — A Redington Beach woman’s quarantine passion project is turning into a lifesaver for families doing virtual learning across the country.

When Dr. Mindy Shaw retired from teaching in New York and moved to Florida, she never imagined she’d embark on a new role. “I have been retired for a year and I wrote all of these books, within, probably since the pandemic,” she said.

In the last few months, she’s written a series of picture books focusing on social and emotional learning in a time when social interaction is scarce across the country.

She got the inspiration from her granddaughter Olivia, who serves as the books’ main character.

“I thought what children are really missing in the public school setting, even if they were doing hybrid learning, was the social emotional skills,” she said.

Not only do the books teach kids about certain feelings and how to cope, it also gives parents prompts on how to talk with their kids about them.

The books have nationwide appeal – New York mom Heather Cohen says they have been a huge help to her daughter as they continue to stay home.

“Those topics are allowing me to have real conversations with her which may be because honestly I’m too busy right now, I’m not even thinking through how to have the appropriate conversations with my own three year old. And Dr. Shaw has actually made it easy for me,” Cohen said.

Dr. Shaw plans on writing more books and has even started a podcast with the hopes of making parents lives a little easier in such a crazy year.

“I just I want to be contributing to my community - I want children, when I’m teaching them and they’re learning I want them to use their knowledge for good. I want them to be the best citizens. I want them to be contributing members of society,” she said.

You can find Dr. Shaw’s books and podcast here: https://learnwithmeremotely.info/