Room to Read's COVID-19 Book Collection

Read "Vy's Special Gift"

Room to Read is thrilled to announce our newest collection of books, the COVID-19 Book Collection. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, our global community of thought leaders, authors, and illustrators have not given up on creating books for children. The global pandemic has made children feel displaced and isolated, and it is amidst these challenges that they need social and emotional support. Now, more than ever, books take on new meaning and become especially valuable to children whose support systems have become limited due to school closures and increased pressures at home.

These 20 books mirror the feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and isolation that this period has evoked. They provide children with a channel to process their emotions, connect them to others who are feeling the same, and encourage their resilience.

With schools closed and children confined to their homes, our books feature diverse themes grounded in children’s current unique realities, as they see their friendships and families tested by sickness and loss in overwhelming ways. We hope that these books are able to offer solace and consolation to children during these stressful times. Through reading, they learn about courage, kindness, and empathy. Introducing these sensibilities to children, sensibilities that are critical to our shared humanity, is a distinct quality of Room to Read’s book publishing approach.

Thank you to our book publishing teams across the globe, who mobilized 20 authors and 20 illustrators from 10 countries to create these 20 storybooks remotely. We invite you to learn more about the collection in the video below and visit Literacy Cloud to read “Vy’s Special Gift”, the first book from the collection available in English.