For some dog-eared comfort...

If your child wants to cling on to something familiar and read a favourite book again and again, just let her do so.

You know how when you are sick or feeling down, you want to just eat something that comforts you — maybe anna-saaru, phulka-dal, mac-and-cheese or a bowl of hot soup? Something that fills both your tummy and your heart, makes you feel like you are snuggled under a blanket, or safe in the arms of a loved one? Most book-lovers have a couple of books that serve a similar purpose — books that they go back to again and again, dip into when they are feeling blue, or leaf through when they don’t feel like reading anything else. This holds good for children too.

It is why, even when presented with a dazzling array of new books, children sometimes want to go back and read the same book again and again. Or worse, make adults read the same book to them over and over (and over). When my daughter is sick, she likes to curl up with a Calvin and Hobbes, or the last three chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I know advanced readers who reach out for picture books when they are feeling down. In my childhood, I used to fall back on Enid Blyton’s books.

One child I know packed her comfort books when she was going away to camp — and that’s how her mother realised the child was feeling vulnerable. It so happens that I wrote both those books, so that knowledge provides me with another kind of comfort!

Why am I talking about comfort today? As the world reels under the anxieties of coronavirus, people are looking for comfort in all sizes, shapes and avatars.

Not easy on children

It hasn’t been easy for children. Their lifestyles are upended. Their schedules are shattered. They are not allowed to go out, play and meet friends. Many are too young to even understand these restrictions. Some children even tend to pick up on the anxieties of adults. So, if our children want to clutch on to something familiar in this strange scenario, if they want to read a favourite book again and again, we should just let them. Even if we feel what they are reading is a ‘baby book’. Of course, it is very hard when your children cannot read by themselves and you are forced to read the same book to them for the 4,592nd time. I empathise.

But remember, the converse is not always true; just because a child reads a book again and again does not necessarily mean the child is upset or looking for comfort. Maybe he just likes the book a lot. And it is just a phase — it will pass!

For a gentle, non-anxiety-inducing, informative book about the Coronavirus, look for this Axel Scheffler-illustrated book that’s free to read and download — https://axelscheffler.com/books-for older- children/coronavirus

Wishing you warmth and comfort in these uncertain times!

The author got a master’s degree in energy engineering and worked in the IT industry until her daughter dragged out the writer lurking inside her. She has written eight books for children and can be reached at www.shruthi-rao.com

GobbledyBook is a fortnightly column that gives you a peek into the wondrous world of children’s books. Hop on! Or as Alice did, plunge into the rabbit hole.