Articles

Finding the Truth: How Children Are Underestimated as Readers

When trying to picture what children’s literature, it’s easy to picture cute little picture books about furry animals learning their alphabet or short spoof novels about the hard life of a 4th grader. Some of these books teach lessons in morality, and some teach lessons in academics. But the definition of children’s literature is much simpler than that. Children’s literature is often defined as stories primarily targeted or enjoyed by children. But what does that entail?

Many people who write for children write in a certain way. They write for what they believe children are and for what they want children be. In actuality, children are not so different from adults. The way I see it, they are people that have yet to experience the things that make adults who they are. The development of children into adults stems from the experiences they log throughout their adolescences. A common urge for adults is to shelter children from anything that may not be pleasant, or in other words, things that may have taken the innocence from them as children. Death, sex and violence are some very common subjects that adults think should be kept away from children. But is sheltering them really for the best?

In Controversial Contentin Children's Literature, all of the things that adults deem as inappropriate for children are discussed. Their big example inappropriate children’s lit are the Harry Potter novels. The theme of death in the novels was written about the most, and I understand why. As a parent, you don’t want your children to experience or hear about something as horrible as death at a young age. But what is sheltering them from this inevitability going to do? If they aren’t first exposed to death in the books they read, then they will eventually be introduced to it first-hand, by the death of a loved one. Which of these exposures do you think would be the harder blow? Exposing a child to the idea of death before they experience death first-hand is good for dealing with loss. By reading about death in books, they are able to comprehend and grieve for death in a controlled way. It will ultimately help them deal with the deaths they will experience later on in their lives.

The Harry Potter novels deal a great amount of death throughout the 7 books. Though the death may be controversial, I feel it is one of the many truths the novels have. Others are friendship, love, good and evil, and the ultimate truth that you have a choice in who you want to be. All of these qualities attest the truths of the human experience, which is believed to be a very important thing to glean from reading.

In An Introduction to Children's Literature, “Outstanding Children’s Literature” is said to have qualities that expand a child’s awareness, tell the truth about the human experience, and have integrity, originality and quality. It’s true that most children’s literature strives to represent these qualities. However, doesn't all literature strive, as well? Don’t adults read to learn about the human experience and raise their awareness to something other than the lives they lead? What adult would want to read a book of poor quality and integrity? And I know few people who would turn down a story whose originality piqued their interest. 

As adults, we constantly set ourselves apart from the children we deem so innocent and unworldly. Perhaps this pedestal we place children on is simply holding them back from what they should be gleaning from the books they read. Truly outstanding children’s literature is not about the lessons it holds, it is about how it reaches the child who is reading it. We constantly underestimate children. They can perceive many things that we can, and more that we can’t. They can see the truths we see. They can hold the morals we hold. And they can read the stories we read. So perhaps it's not about the subject matter. It's about the way that the lessons and subjects are presented to children, that make it true children’s literature.

written by Kim Smallwood

The Best Dads of Fantasy Fiction

Have you ever noticed how many awful/absentee fathers there are out there in the literary world? Oedipus's dad left baby Oedipus on a mountainside to die. Belle's dad left her in a castle with a giant, furry man-buffalo. Where were Cinderella and Snow White's fathers when their evil step-mothers were out to get them? And Orphan Annie obviously doesn't even have a dad. So either your father is awful or you don't have one, when it comes to most fiction. But there are number of good father figures in the Harry Potter novels and this article is about the most prominent one: Arthur Weasley. Click here to read on.

"Oh my God, the Fanfiction!"

I was shown an interesting article about fanfiction the other day. Parts are hilarious, other parts intriguing. True, it is more focused on Dumbledore, but I feel that it has it's merit, if you are at all interested in fanfiction and online fandom. Click here if you are at all interested in reading "Oh my God, the Fanfiction!"

Severus Snape: Harry Potter Character Analysis

Okay, everyone! I have for you an article from Yahoo! Voices that nicely outlines the perceptions that Snape gives off through all 7 of the Harry Potter books. It's a good summery of why we feel the way we feel about him, and how it changes throughout the novels. If you aren't very familiar, or need a refresher, of the Severus Snape situations, this is a great starting place for you. Click here to read the entire article!