Mid-Columbia children’s book author uses Terry the T-Rex to tackle coronavirus

Any parent knows the sudden change to life because of the coronavirus pandemic has been difficult for young children to understand — even tougher for children with Tourette Syndrome.

Don Hoiland of Benton City has had to confront the condition since he was diagnosed when he was 9.

Tourette is a neurological disorder that involves unwanted sounds and repetitive movements. People with the disorder often have co-existing conditions such as anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders, deficits in social functions or sleep disorders.

Hoiland, a ironworker by trade, has used that lifelong experience to write a book to help parents talk their children through the COVID-19 pandemic. He says its for all children, but particularly for those with Tourette.

“I wanted to write something that was accessible — without actually mentioning it,” Hoiland said.

Terry the T Rex is a dinosaur that has a problem that makes him different from other dinosaurs. He makes strange movements and sounds.

Hoiland has built on his own experience along with experience of others to craft Terry’s character in previous children’s books.

His latest in the series, “Terry & Friends: Safe at Home,” and the forthcoming “Terry & Friends: Back to Normal?” — available on Aug. 1 — tackle the pandemic in a disguised and digestible story for kids. It coincides with Tourette Awareness Month that ends June 15.

In “Safe at Home,” a cataclysmic event abruptly forces all the dinosaurs in Terry’s village to stay home. The pent-up anxiety and worry causes Terry’s behavior and tics to amplify. The book continues with coping options and a lesson.

“(Tourette) actually can be quite a debilitating condition — especially when out of routine,” Hoiland said. “Kids don’t know how to respond and process the extra stimula. The anxiety, unknown and changing of routine is causing a lot of parents to say their kids are acting up to increased levels they haven’t seen before.”

Hoiland says that a lot of people he’s encountered believe that the syndrome goes away after childhood, but that is not true.

“As I grew up, I learned to manage it and hide it from people,” he said. “Out in public, most people don’t realize I have it until they catch me ‘ticking’.”

Illustrator Kody Flannery has known Hoiland for over a decade. However, the owner of Monarch Tattoo in Kennewick said had no idea that Hoiland has Tourette Syndrome.

“I interact with all manner of characters,” Flannery said. “So maybe some of his ticks just didn’t seem so out of place.”

When the state’s stay home orders caused Flannery to temporarily close his tattoo shop, Hoiland reached out to see if he could use the work.

“I’ve been fortunate enough (at work) to stay busy — it takes up most of my creative juices,” Flannery said. “Before the stay home order, I would usually decline commissions because I was too busy.”

This was an opportunity for a project outside Flannery’s normal work.

“I have always been into art and thought it was really cool to have it in a book that will last longer than myself,” Flannery said.

“Terry & Friends” books can be purchase on Amazon as a Kindle edition or a print on demand.

This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 2:29 PM.