"If it's not good enough for adults, it's not good enough for children. If a book that is going to be marketed for children does not interest me, a grownup, then I am dishonoring the children for whom the book is intended, and I am dishonoring books. And words.”
Madeleine L'Engle, A Circle of Quiet
I've been reading a Circle of Quiet and I am in awe. This is a book to be read three, four times with a pen and a notebook because though small, it is packed tight with lovely insights and a unique view of the world.
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| From Amazon.com. This book has a permanent place on my bedside now. |
Madeleine gets me. She loves word and clearly is adept at weaving that singular magic of writers where she can string words and letters and phrases together and sends then straight to your soul. It's beautiful.
But this particular quote got me thinking about the sad state of children't literature these days. A lot of the books out there are, to be quite honest, squishy. Simplistic.
A great novel should be a great novel regardless of how it is marketed.
For example, some of my all-time favorite novels are young adult or children's: The Outsiders, Ferdinand the Bull, Harry Potter, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Tale of Despereux, Because of Winn Dixie, Leah's Pony, Thank You, Mr. Falker, to name a few.
And that is because these authors sunk deep and wrote good or even great stories and beckoned their readers up instead of writing down to the perceived level of their young readers.
Just a little thought for your Monday evening.
What are your favorite children's stories?
I haven't heard of Leah's Pony or Thank you Mr. Falker. I'll have to check them out. I loved Charlotte's Web.
ReplyDeletekeep your tissues handy. i can't make it through either one without crying.
DeleteNarnia, The Hobbit (and LOTR), Prydain Chronicles, Archives of Anthropos, and Little House on the Prairie, to name a few :).
ReplyDeletehaven't heard of Prydain Chronicles or Archives of Anthropos but will have to read.
DeleteHey there, this is Jack from Jill's blog. Did you know I read your blog a lot? :) You two are good writers though I have difficulty telling who is who sometimes, haha.
ReplyDeleteA lot of my favorites are children or young adult targeted. I know YA seems to be written for a female audience in general but whatevs, I loved the Hunger Games, Harry Potter (which seems pretty gender neutral honestly), Chronicles of Narnia, His Dark Materials, etc etc. Love em. :)
Oh hi this is me (LB) and I did not know that you read my blog! Thanks though.
DeleteHarry Potter is my favorite favorite favorite. <3 I plan on reading them many more times before I die.