"Elmer the Elephant" in the Zoom Room? Reflections on Parenting, Book Accessibility and Screen Time in a Pandemic

Norrick-Rühl, Corinna

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected children and their families. One of the many challenges families faced was limited or no access to age-appropriate reading material. On the one hand, sales data show that sales of children's books, in particular activity books, increased markedly during lockdowns. On the other hand, spaces which grant children and families free access to books such as daycare centers, schools and public libraries, were closed for weeks at a time. The chapter sketches out the central role of books and reading in families as a pathway to literacy, education, and general well-being, and draws on concepts such as book deserts and "book hunger" (Shaver 2019), before discussing the repercussions of limited book accessibility for families during the pandemic. Educational experts have hypothesized that children will experience a "COVID slide" in reading and that existing inequalities in reading progress will be exacerbated by prolonged shutdowns. The contribution also shows, however, how institutions and foundations, as well as individuals, have made books available to children and families in creative and pragmatic ways despite COVID-induced restrictions.