It’s important to be aware of whether children are aware of or feeling stress about frightening things in the news, said Aryeh Sova, a Chicago psychologist who works with children who attended the July 4 parade in suburban Highland Park, Illinois, where seven people were killed in a shooting. Parents should make sure books addressing trauma are age-appropriate and backed by psychologists, experts say. “It was one of many books that was of comfort to them and gave them a little bit of confidence to just face one more day, one more minute, because we can do it together,” said Gay, who advocates for improved security in schools through a nonprofit she co-founded, Safe and Sound Schools. One picture book she read to them was “The Ant Hill Disaster,” about a boy ant who is afraid to go back to school after it is destroyed. Michele Gay, whose 7-year-old daughter Josephine was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, turned to children’s books herself to help her two surviving daughters. Sales of books for young readers on violence, grief, and emotions have increased for nine straight years, according to NPD BookScan, which tracks U.S. This is what young people have experienced,” Colvin said.Ĭhildren read as author Ian Ellis James leads a first-grade class in a book reading on urban gun violence prevention at the Drexel Avenue School, Monday, Oct. “I had to remember that, yes, this is what our stories are like now. Initially, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers editorial director Andrea Colvin said she was shocked when Keely pitched the idea. In “Numb to This,” a graphic novel released this month, author Kindra Neely details the 2015 Umpqua Community College shooting in Oregon, which she survived, and the aftermath as she tries to heal amid repeated shootings elsewhere. Some newer titles engage directly with real-world gun violence. The story, first published in 2014, features a teacher who shows children what to do when a “dangerous someone” is in their school.īookstores around the country see interest in titles from the genre rise and fall depending on local and national headlines, according to bookseller Barnes & Noble. One book, “I’m Not Scared … I’m Prepared,” was reprinted several times to meet demand after the massacre at Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School in May, according to the National Center for Youth Issues, the nonprofit group that published the book. Ian Ellis James, an Emmy award-winning Sesame Street writer known by his stage name William Electric Black, leads a first-grade class in a book reading on urban gun violence prevention at the Drexel Avenue School, Monday, Oct. “Kids face these issues and challenges in their day-to-day life.” “While it might be second nature to try to shield kids from the harsher realities of life and scary news, it’s proving difficult to avoid big society issues,” said Kristine Enderle, editorial director at Magination Press, the children’s book publishing arm of the American Psychological Association. retail sales of print books.Īs anxiety and depression rates have soared among young Americans, educators and advocates say children’s books can play a role in helping them cope. Sales of books for young readers on violence, grief, and emotions have increased for nine straight years, with nearly six million copies sold in 2021 - more than double the amount in 2012, according to NPD BookScan, which tracks U.S. (AP) - As the new school year swings into gear, some students carry heavier worries than keeping up with homework: Demand has been growing steadily for children’s books that address traumatic events such as school shootings.
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