Children’s Books are Therapeutic

The world is so full of conflict.  It is in our homes, schools and invades every corner of the globe.  I have often times thought through the newsworthy events in my life, and wondered why war is such a prevalent topic amongst my memories.  I don’t believe that there has ever been a time in my life, of 37 years, that a war was not raging somewhere in the world.  This is a truly devastating reality.

On the brighter side, there are also kind humanitarian acts sprinkled throughout these horrifying wars and conflicts.  I just read an article, Book Therapy for Syrian Refugee Kids in Jordan, in the Khaleej Times.  The humanitarian aid group, Knowledge without Borders, launched a reading program for the kids who are currently living in these refugee camps inside Jordan.  The premise of the program is the belief that books are therapeutic on multitudes of levels, and so humanitarian aid is being sent in the form of a children’s library.

My kids and I spend hours inside our local library.  In fact, the local public library is not enough to satisfy the insatiable appetite my children have for books.  We also hit up the school libraries.  We hold the record for “most books checked out by one family” at the local elementary school’s library.  I LOVE BOOKS!  We are readers in this home.  We read books on history, science fiction, non-fiction, joke books, how-to-do-it-yourself books, and everything in between.  I can’t imagine our home without thousands of books.  We have book baskets, book shelves, and have even given up the upstairs linen closet to our overwhelming book collection.  There is not a room in my 3,400 square foot home that is lacking reading materials.  Sadly, even the bathrooms are stocked with literary gems.

When I read this article on bringing books to the children in these camps, I was touched.  It is absolutely the most amazing concept, and by all means a therapeutic opportunity for children of all ages.  These kids will have the chance to “leave” the harsh reality of their current circumstances and travel to other worlds through the pages of these books.  These stories will truly supply an opportunity, for the children living in these uncertain circumstances, to address their desires to learn and read about the world as they work through the emotional struggles that accompany any displacement situation.

The first refugee library was opened with only 3,000 books.  I probably have close to 2,000 books in my personal collection right now.  That is a sobering thought.  What a gift to live in America, and have access to such tremendous quantities of reading materials.  I take way too much for granted.  There are so many amazing blessings and gifts, we as Americans, enjoy the privilege of indulging in.  My eyes have been opened to the magnitude of this gift.  I will never look at my personal library the same way again.  I’m so thankful to those individuals who have made it possible for the Syrian children to have the opportunity to read and learn in their current circumstances.