I think the first thing that I would do would be to hand them a copy of The Invention of Hugo Cabret then see if they still think that!
I would also try to explain to them that in my opinion, to be able to judge whether a work of children's literature is good or not they would have to read it keeping in mind the audience that it is written for. Children's lit is written so that children can understand it and enjoy it, which doesn't necessarily mean that it is not as high quality as a work of classic literature written for adults. To capture the minds of children, to entertain and to teach them is just as important as having a style of writing that is more difficult or complicated to understand. Getting children to read can be extremely challenging, and a great work of children's literature is one that is able to get children excited about reading...This isn't the only thing that makes children's literature good or important, but it is probably the most important thing to me.
I think I would ask that person to think about the books they read growing up, and see if the ones that they read and loved as kids were as important or exciting to them as the great works of literature they might have read as an adult... if so, then that would maybe help them to understand why children's literature is not "lesser" literature.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Johanna, I'm really interested in your idea about asking the "naysayers" to consider the books they read as children and the connections (or lack of them)they have to those books. What do you think this might do to help them think differently about books for children?
ReplyDeleteI think there's also something to be said for how much writing and publishing for children has changed in the last few decades. Books for young readers are increasingly more sophisticated, written by authors who love language and who understand a lot about the tastes of children. Unlike earlier children's books, texts being published for children now address a range of topics that are very "real," very "mature." I suppose that may say something about how children growing up now see the world in ways that other children from other times may not have.
Best,
T. Emert
Johanna, I also challenged people to read Hugo Cabret and get back to me on children's literature. I agree that it is important to consider the audience the literature is being written for before judging it.
ReplyDeleteWith the rise of awareness of child development, I think that children's books are getting more and more in tune with children and their interpretation of their experiences rather than preaching at them. Dr. Emert, I don't know if that means children see the world differently, but I do know that adults see children differently than they did before.