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DKG Practice/Program

Reading in the Time of Pandemic

By Claire Smith

The meeting of Mu Chapter of Washington State Organization in May 2021
was dedicated to a book share. Members described their reading choices, and
the group discussed the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic had changed
reading habits. Several themes emerged. This summary analyzes the ways the
COVID-19 pandemic opened new directions in reading beyond the “for pleasure/
for information” dichotomy.

Reading with Children and Teens
The pandemic kept most of the nation’s children at home for a year or more.
During this time, parents became partners in online and hybrid learning. Schools
and libraries had to become highly creative in programming. When our adult love
of reading can combine with an activity for a young person, the enjoyment and the
learning double in value.
For example, one Mu Chapter
member read The Toll from the Arc
of a Scythe trilogy (Shusterman,
2019) in partnership with her teenage
grandson. Other members told of
book and craft Zoom sessions with
relatives in other states. The Fort
Vancouver Regional Library system
sponsored parent-child outdoor Story
Walks: enlarged pages from a picture
book were spread at intervals around
a marked trail (Ferguson, 2017). A
teaching team previewed all the newly
purchased Spanish readers so that
students could receive individualized
recommendations.
Literature for children and youth is worthy of adult reading time in and of
itself. Teachers are very familiar with children’s classics, prize-winning picture
books, and popular young adult titles. But the pandemic also gave chapter
members the opportunity to try new juvenile genres—for example, a graphic novel,
a bilingual book, or a wordless book.

Reading More
The shut-down during the pandemic and the restrictions on social activities
allowed even busy teachers more time for reading. Mu Chapter members not only
read more and more widely, but they also seized the opportunity to fill in gaps in their
reading.
Several members shared how they had enjoyed reading through an entire series,
preferably in publication order. The Miss Fortune Mysteries (DeLeon, 2012), the
Leaphorn/Chee series (Hillerman, 1970), and Maisie Dobbs’ escapades (Winspear,

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