Not Like Every Day: Finding Calm During School Lockdown Drills

For Henry, lockdown drills can be scary. Staying quiet and still is tough, but with the support of his teacher, he’s able to stay calm. This reassuring story explores the complex emotions surrounding school lockdown drills and includes helpful resources from a school psychologist and safety expert.

I wish today was like every other day.
But it isn’t.
Today my stomach is twisted in the middle
like a bunch of tissue paper butterflies.

During his school's lockdown drill, Henry tries to make himself as small, and still, and quiet as possible, but even though he knows it's just a drill and it's not real, he still doesn't like it. And even when the drill is over, it doesn't feel over for him.

Luckily, Henry's teacher is there to offer guidance and reassurance. Together, they practice breathing exercises and focus on what Henry can smell right now to help anchor him in the present. And, most importantly, they talk about his feelings until he feels safe—until the tissue paper butterflies in his stomach untwist and fly away.

With poetic prose and gentle artwork, this accessible picture book serves as an ideal starting point for discussions about lockdown drills and includes helpful resources for parents and teachers, such as discussion questions, a mindfulness exercise guide, and best practices for reducing the potential for trauma when conducting lockdown drills.

Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic writes books in the San Francisco Bay Area surrounded by a couple of cats, a couple of kids, and a husband. She has written multiple picture books, including Zombie & Brain Are Friends, Touch the Sky, and The End of Something Wonderful. She is also the author of the middle grade novels The League of Picky Eaters and Hummingbird Season. Stephanie grew up in Minneapolis where tornado drills were common but always scary for her.

Gabrielle Grimard has been drawing since she was a very young child. Born in Montreal, she studied Fine Arts at Concordia University. She began her career as a muralist, painting numerous walls in commercial buildings in the Montreal area. She is the critically acclaimed illustrator of Stolen Words, which was one of Kirkus Review’s “Best Picture Books to Give Strength.” Her debut author-illustrated picture book, Lila and the Crow, was called “an artful take on resilience” by Kirkus, and was named a Best Book for Kids & Teens by Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and a Toronto Public Library’s First & Best List book.