UNDERHILL, Wis. (WFRV) – There is nothing quite like a grandparent’s love, and one Northwoods grandmother is separating herself from the rest.

Margaret Monn is not your typical grandmother. She recently published her second children’s book, You, Me and COVID-19, but all Monn really wants to do is see her grandchildren. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it tough for her to see them.

“When COVID-19 hit last year, and we had planned on going out to see all the kids like we usually do and of course we couldn’t. We haven’t seen them in two years, so it’s been quite a while,” says Monn.

She never aspired to be an author, but she decided to combine her interests in writing and drawing, and wrote and has since illustrated two children’s books. The idea to write a children’s book started in 2009 when Margaret and her husband Charles went to California to see her grandson.

“My husband said well you’re not going to see him much. It’ll be maybe 25-50 times in your lifetime that you’ll be able to see him. And that kind of hit me like, oh how’s he going to know me?” says Monn.

Her first book, Cause I Live Here, and her second book, You, Me, and COVID-19, are both about the distance between her and her grandchildren. While she lives in the Northwoods, they are spread out all over the country from Phoneix to Los Angeles. The characters in her latest children’s book are inspired by her own grandchildren, Emma, Kendra, Mateo, Vivienne, Marek, Henry, and Ryann. Monn says they’re enjoying seeing themselves come to life.

“They were very excited about them, and of course they’re in the book so that makes it extra special. They’ve been showing it to their friends,” says Monn.

Charles Monn, Margaret’s husband, thinks his wife’s children’s book can help families spend quality time together while they are socially distancing.

“It’s good for other grandma’s and grandpa’s because kids don’t stay in the same town anymore. People will relate that way. Maybe with zoom, they can read it over that way and maybe feel like they’re closer to their kids and grandkids,” says Charles.

You, Me, and COVID-19 was released in December by Dorrance Publishing.

For more information on You, Me, and COVID-19, click here.