Three and a half years after COVID shut down U.S. schools and nearly six months after the national public health emergency was declared at an end, the pandemic continues to influence the new books that publishers are creating for school-age children.
While the pandemic might be over officially, the damage it has done to youth mental health and wellness lingers. A 2023 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 42 percent of high school students report persistent feelings of sadness, and the problem is much worse among girls.
“We’ve transitioned from a health pandemic to a mental health pandemic,” says clinical psychologist Donna Housman, founder and CEO of the Housman Institute.
Many of the new books available for this year’s back-to-school season aim to help students cope with their emotions and develop the…
