Maria V. Acevedo-Aquiño, University of Texas A&M, San Antonio, Desiree W. Cueto, Western Washington University, and Dorea Kleker, University of Arizona
Continuing their discussion of “windows” in recent picturebooks, Dorea and Maria give their takes on From My Window: Children at Home During COVID-19.
DOREA: It has been a long year and each of us has weathered it in different ways, from different locations and within varying contexts. Drawing from actual stories and events, From My Window: Children at Home During COVID-19 is told from the perspective of children around the world as they experience their day-to-day life during the pandemic within their homes. In each of these vignettes, we see the ways that children long for and create connection even when close physical interactions aren’t an option. One child creates a virtual book club with her friends, and another makes music from a balcony with their neighbors each night. Some children make masks and others make food for those in need. Through these pages we witness the ways that children are making new connections with both those they know and with strangers in their own community.
During the pandemic, I have had the privilege of continuing to work behind the safety of my own home’s windows. As I read this book, I found myself reflecting on the ways I was able to remain connected to my students and colleagues daily through Zoom and how I sought out different types of connection that moved beyond digital spaces. I wrote more letters and postcards than I ever had and more frequently picked up the phone to call friends and family rather than engage in long strings of text messages. Seeing actual handwriting and hearing voices detached from a screen made me feel closer to those I loved. Maria, how did you find connections in new ways?
MARIA: I enjoyed how this global story highlights the voices of children and their numerous experiences during the pandemic. Regardless of its didactic tone, the book, created by the United Nations Publications, offers readers an opportunity to look at COVID-19 from a broader perspective. One of the vignettes reminded me of the collective applause on behalf of healthcare workers and other essential workers that took place across Spain during the country’s national lockdown.
In thinking about your question Dorea, the book also made me think about the very small gestures that can keep us connected. For example, when a colleague showed up at my house March 2020 with a safety kit (masks, wipes, gloves, etc.) just because, and when the teachers at a nearby elementary school drove around the neighborhood to deliver materials or congratulate students during their birthdays. Furthermore, as the vignettes suggest, reading books can also connect us to characters, places, emotions, and experiences. I think this book can serve as a vehicle to remember and to brainstorm creative ways to be together.
Title: From My Window: Children at Home During COVID-19
Author: Xue Bai
ISBN: 9789211014280
Publisher: United Nations
PubDate: June 15, 2020
Throughout July 2021, Desiree Cueto, Maria Acevedo-Aquiño, and Dorea Kleker discuss four recently published picturebooks with global connections around the theme of “windows”. Check back each Wednesday to follow the conversation!