One of the joys of having children is being able to read to them. Before I had kids, though, I pictured reading to the little ones as a chore of sorts, having to slog through book after book of simplistic nonsense. While there's no shortage of that, I've also been pleasantly surprised- some children's books are beautiful, powerful tales complete with wonderful illustrations. I can't help but notice my trips to the library have included increasingly frequent swings through the children's section- even when the kids aren't in tow. Today's reflection- children's literature- looks at some aspects of this surprising appeal.
Thinking through the reasons behind my enjoyment, I come up with the following list on why books for kids can appeal even to well-read, academically-minded adults of all ages:
- Brevity. Someone once said something to the effect that "if I had more time, I would have written a shorter work." The extremely short attention spans of their intended audience force children's authors to get to the point, and do it quickly- and that's a good thing. As an aside, it also gives one a feeling of productivity ("Hey, I read 10 books today! Okay, so that took only 30 minutes . . . still.")
- Learning. Sometimes, the best way to learn is through pictures and short paragraphs that explain things from the beginning. In my experience, I've come across many adults that get lost in the details of an advanced topic so much that they forget the fundamentals of an issue. Kid's books generally inform in a simple and fundamental way that I believe holds value regardless of age.
- Rhyming. So many kids books rhyme (personal favorites includes those by Dr. Seuss and Sandra Boynton), and I love that. Telling a good story in verse is a great way to make stories more enjoyable and memorable- and can help us all learn.
- Creativity. Yes, kid's books often include some element of nonsense. But you know what? That's fun, as it exercises the imagination of, and sparks questions from, from my little ones. It helps them learn to explore and get outside the norm- and that's important. Not just kids can benefit from more creativity.
- Art. There's some amazing art out there in children's literature- and it's cheap to obtain. I'd rather look at a well-illustrated kid's book than the works of masters in an art gallery- and I feel less bad when the kids throw up on the former. The Caldecott medal recognizes excellence in children's picture books- check out the list of winners (and honorable mentions) here.
- Elimination of inappropriate content. As an avid reader, I've found many authors of adult fiction unnecessarily include inappropriate content in their writings. Good stories for children- and even young adults- can convey serious (or even morbid) topics in a way that brilliantly leaves out these 'details.' I'm currently reading the Hunger Games, and I can't help but be impressed with the way the author treats such a serious situation in a way that's powerful yet inoffensive. The Harry Potter series also does an excellent job handling scary situations in tasteful ways. Successful execution of this kind of thing is an important art, and proves we can be entertained (and educated) in ways that aren't graphic.
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That's about all that comes to mind at present. As I generally review every book I read on this blog, I've toyed with the idea of including children's works. I've decided against that, as I'd spend more time writing about them than reading them. So, I'll end by saying this: don't ignore the kid's stuff the next time you're in a book store. There may be more value there than you realize.
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