Children’s Books About the Pandemic

Malian is visiting her beloved grandparents on a Wabanaki reservation when suddenly all travel shuts down. Her parents aren’t able to pick her up, so Malian stays where she is. Everyone is worried about the pandemic, but Malian knows how to keep her family and community safe: She protects her grandparents, and they protect her. And when Malsum, one of the dogs living on the rez, shows up at their door, Malian’s family knows that he’ll protect them too. This is a gorgeous novel-in-verse that belongs in the hands of every middle grade reader.

When New York City abruptly shut down in March 2020, the normally bustling streets transformed overnight. Author Brian Floca observed these changes in the city landscape and started painting what he saw. The paintings eventually became this gorgeous picture book honoring all the essential workers who kept the essentials operating so the rest of the city could shelter in place during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the pandemic hits New York City, nobody expects a little virus to change the whole world in such a big way. But when school closes to keep everyone safe, Shayla, Liam, Ai, and Ben struggle to adjust to life in quarantine. As time goes by, they discover they are not alone: their apartment building is full of people who need their help. Working together, they begin to see that there is power in numbers. When they cooperate, they can ease each other’s challenges and help their neighbors through tough times.

Meticulously researched, author Kate Messner conducted interviews with Dr. Fauci himself and recounts his Brooklyn beginnings through medical school and his challenging role working with seven US presidents to tackle some of the biggest public health challenges of the past fifty years, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Extensive back matter rounds out Dr. Fauci’s story with a timeline, recommended reading, a full spread of facts about vaccines and how they work, and Dr. Fauci’s own tips for future scientists.

This sweet and hopeful picture book was inspired by the multitude of rainbows found in the windows of homes around the world following the COVID-19 lockdown. The rainbows are reminders that despite the fact that we are separated by distance and might feel alone, we are all just on one end of a rainbow—connected by all that color and light, there is always something, or someone, waiting for us on the other side.