My two children and I have been back home (again) since mid December. I am once again handling most of the family care work. If I read a book, I usually do so with the objective of doing research for my work. It is of course also enriching. But to do it, I organize my time around reading, read books with discipline that are not always fun and take notes. I do not lose myself in this type of reading.

The reading time I enjoy is the time I spend reading with my children. With good children’s books we laugh about. It is those that in this disturbing situation we are all in give the moment of reading a lightness that beckons us to different worlds and tell us new, fantastic stories.

Our favorite book is Kiste (Box) by Patrick Wirbeleit and Uwe Heidschötter. My children and I laugh loudly when the cardboard that is alive builds a seesaw. I’ve photographed this scene for you. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to let you have the book. It was a gift to my daughter Nieka from her friend Johanna. I don’t own the book. The dedication in it reminds us of Johanna, whom Nieka isn’t allowed to see right now, every time in a most positive way.

Emese Bodolay, Berlin, 7 February 2021
Concept and Text Achtmal blinzeln (WEGE)

P.S.: While I cannot let you have the book, I’d like to order it for the library. And I’ll write my own dedication in it.