From the inside looking out
Eighteen months ago, we became aware of the pandemic that would change our lives. We all learned to worry about COVID-19, wash our hands, wear masks and practice social distancing. Inevitably, this new reality worked its way into children's literature.
Sunny Days Inside and Other Stories Caroline Adderson Groundwood Books
Brian Floca's Keeping the City Going, a picture book published by Atheneum, was the first volume I saw with a pandemic storyline, although the Brooklyn author-illustrator focused primarily on the celebrated role of essential workers. Now we have Sunny Days Inside and Other Stories, by Vancouver's Caroline Adderson. Aimed at middle-grade readers, it addresses the issue of sheltering in place — especially from the viewpoint of school-age children deprived of the chance to get together with friends and classmates. Adderson cleverly focuses on a single walk-up apartment building and its inhabitants, giving us various young characters and their family situations
— as well as the elderly occupant of a ground-floor apartment who ultimately ends up with COVID. There's humour in these stories (bad haircuts, hoarded toilet paper and a boy who rents his dog out to neighbours so they, too, can be allowed trips outside), but there's also pain and sadness. Parents and kids alike feel stressed and tearful; a couple of fathers lose their jobs and one, in particular, goes to pieces. Kids in the building get acquainted from their balconies; a dozen of them plan an escape in the final chapter, sneaking out one night to roam the quiet streets. Such friendships will see us through this time as well. For ages eight to 12.
The Longest Storm Dan Yaccarino mineditionUS
A spectacular picture book, aimed at ages four to eight, The Longest Storm never mentions a pandemic but effectively captures the fear and uncertainties we've experienced this past year and a half. Author-illustrator Dan Yaccarino gives us a single-parent family trapped by a raging storm — one that forces them to stay inside, “maybe for a long while.” Boredom sets in, then anger. “Completely sick of each other,” Dad and the three kids eventually decide they “just wanted to be alone.” But then comes a night with loud thunder and a massive flash of lightning. One by one, the kids make their way to Dad's room in search of comfort and safety. With a minimum of text and a maximum of boldly coloured art with a retro feel, Yaccarino depicts a family in turmoil that learns how to come together. The book is slated for release Aug. 31.