Reading Heart (COVID-19)

We love having book parties and handing out free books but we love everyone being healthy even more. Since our book parties are made up of kids getting together to celebrate reading and then picking out their very own free book, we're suspending our events until the risk of community transmission has abated.

While us kids are generally considered to be at low-risk of severe effects of coronavirus (COVID-19), we want to be mindful of the fact that many of our family members and supporters might be in a higher risk category.

To help kids know that the adults are here to protect them, remind them that doctors, nurses and scientists are working hard to keep everyone safe and that adults in their life are also there for protection. Us kids need to be reminded that it's not our job to stop the virus but that we can help by using proper hand washing techniques, by covering our noses and mouths if we sneeze or cough, and by not touching our faces.

We can remind kids that no person or group of people are responsible for being sick and that we can help them by being mindful of what they hear or see on the news, asking them how they're feeling about what they have seen and heard, and by helping them find answers to their questions from kid-friendly sources.

https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-kids-guide.html

https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/talking-with-children.html

https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-kids-guide.html

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/28/809580453/just-for-kids-a-comic-exploring-the-new-coronavirus

So because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) Reading Heart is going to pause on our events to make sure our friends and communities are safe. We still will be doing major work trying to get free books to kids, and staying home with a good book is a great thing to do right now!

Please take the time to learn more about our ongoing projects