’Explaining the Covid-19 pandemic to children and youth can be a big challenge. Reading about how other people manage crises provides new tools to deal with the situation’, study technique teacher Maria Viitasalo says.

‘Books telling about difficult situations and how someone solves them offers new models and possibilities to understand and work with our experiences.

This crisis will not last forever. Even if it might feel heavy right now, there is always a possibility for change.’

In Pedagogical Easy to Read books resilience and dealing with complicated situations are common topics. The books contain both creative solutions and suggestions for activities and discussions.

Maria, who has been working with Easy literature for more than fifteen years, explains:

‘The language in Easy books is easy to understand, but the story develops on several levels. Easy to Read books do not necessarily tell simple stories. The train the reader both to become more resilient as readers and to think out of the box.

The readers are encouraged to find their own solutions and to manage everyday life also in extraordinary situations.’

Reading suggestions: The quest for Kraken, Chased by wolves, Follow the bird, Hugo’s history, Find in the earth, Fly in the wind, Float on the wave, Philip and the shadow, Philip and the snow, Philip and the fog, Philip and the net

The project LäsLätt (‘ReadEasy’) 2020 for increasing and distributing information about Easy to Read is realised by Bokpil and Colorit ry.rf. and supported by The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland.