It’s hard to believe, but COVID is still with us almost two years later. It’s still impacting how we live and work, and it’s affecting children’s daily routines. We’ve found three books to read with your children to help process the effects of life during a pandemic.
When the World Turned Upside Down by K. Ibura.
Nobody expected a tiny little virus to change the whole world in such a big way, especially not Shayla, Liam, Ai, and Ben. But when school closes to keep everyone safe, their lives turn upside down. It is one thing to learn that the outside world isn’t safe, but why does it seem that the virus is causing trouble inside their homes too?
As they each struggle to adjust to life in quarantine, they discover they are not alone: their apartment building is full of people who need their help. Working together, they begin to see that there is power in numbers. When they cooperate, they can ease each other’s challenges and help their neighbors through tough times. It’s a lesson they’ll need when protests explode in the streets. Soon, each friend has to decide what it means to be part of a community―and how much they’re willing to do to make this world safer for everyone.
The Unwelcome Stranger: COVID 19 by Drew Edwards
Part of the COVID 19 Learning series. In this story, the narrator’s grandfather explains to her the nature of a virus and how children all around the world must collectively fight this one through preventative measures. This narrative intends to empower parents to discuss this subject with their children.
The Deadliest Diseases Then and Now by Deborah Hopkins
This book from Scholastic will help your children understand COVID in a historical context. Deadly pandemics have always been a part of life, from the Great Mortality of the Middle Ages, to the Spanish Influenza outbreak of 1918, to the eruption of COVID-19 in our own century. Many of these diseases might have seemed like things to read about in history books — until the unthinkable happened, and our own lives were turned upside down by the emergence of the novel coronavirus.
As we learn more about COVID-19, we may be curious about pandemics of the past. Knowing how humans fought diseases long ago may help us face those of today. This fast-paced, wide-ranging story is filled with facts, pictures, and diagrams about diseases.