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Pandemic Reading: Books to Help Your Child Navigate A Pandemic

1. The Day the Lines Changed by Kelley Donner, who explains the pandemic without using the word 'pandemic', using lines who change shapes as a metaphor for change that the pandemic brings, reminding us that even if the lines change shape as long as they look out for each other hope remains.
The Day the Lines Changed by Kelly Donner
2. The Invisible String by Patrice Karst which helps children cope with a whole host of difficult emotions from loss, anxiety, separation and grief, the theme being that an invisible string made of love binds us all; and that we are always connected even if we cannot physically see these connections.
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
3. If You Can't Bear Hug, Air Hug by Katie Sedmak, which is a comforting book about alternative ways for children to share love and affection, without taking all the goodness (hugs, cuddles and kisses) that children thrive on away using gorgeous illustrations.
if you can't bear hug air hug by katie sedmak
4. When the World Stays Inside by Mikey Woz and Sara Panchaud - a wonderful examination of savouring the time that we have with the people most precious to us through creativity and positivity.
when the world stays inside by mikey woz
5. Lucy's Mask by Lisa Sirkis Thompson about why we wear masks and how we combat germs - the messages are ingrained in a story plot with a cast of colourful characters.
lucy's mask by lisa sirkis
All of these books provide mental space and capacity for children to learn about Covid-19 in a non-threatening way, allow them to clarify their thoughts and process some of the feeling and emotional overwhelm they may be experiencing.

A big hello and thank you for reading! Passionate about literature, psychology, and life I launched Book Therapy as an alternative form of therapy using the power of literature. I train mental health professionals, librarians, teachers as well as readers on using bibliotherapy in their own work through our online Bibliotherapy, Literature and Mental Health course. We also curate reading lists/personalised book prescriptions for clients based on their individual needs. This is our signature personalised reading service.

You can also check out Book Therapy’s other free reading lists and A- Z of book prescriptions (covering both fiction and non-fiction). These suggest books based on your existing life situation (e.g. anxiety, job change, relationship heartache) as well as interests (e.g memoir, historical fiction, non-fiction, crime etc). There’s also a Children’s A — Z of Book Prescriptions. Feel free to check out the blog for more literary gems. There’s also a post on my personal story of how I entered the world of bibliotherapy and book curation.

In this role, I have had the opportunity to publish a book called The Happiness Mindset, and write various literary essays and pieces for newspapers and magazines. I have undertaken bibliotherapy workshops for The United Nations, various libraries in New York and corporate organisations in the UK and US. My book recommendations have featured in the Guardian, Marie Claire, NBC News, Asian Voice, New York Observer, Sydney Telegraph and various other publications. If you are a parent you might enjoy a podcast I’ve recorded with speech and language therapist Sunita Shah on Raising A Reader & Storyteller. And if you’d like to connect, email me at bijal@booktherapy.io or www.booktherapy.io.