For this semester, I decided to take a children’s literature course. We are assigned a children’s book each week to read and journal about. As we analyze these books in class, I’ve been reminded of how important reading is, especially for kids.
Most books we’ve read so far are considered classics, such as “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. Of course, these books are not perfect. However, I fear that authors and publishing companies are forgetting the point of children’s literature and story building as a whole.
Whenever I’m in a bookstore, I’ve started to notice that so many new children’s books focus on the cover art more than plot and character development. Young readers are always in different processes of learning. This doesn’t mean they don’t have the skills to comprehend good writing. I completely understand that writing is not easy, especially when it comes to a full book. However, several authors and publishing companies have been becoming more and more money hungry. This is not what we need.
Children should be given books filled with characters who explore and go on adventures as they face reasonable obstacles that will help them grow, shaping their future self. The phrase “Be kind” should not be the life lesson in the end of a book published in today’s world. Phrases like this could of course be a factor in what the character experiences, but weak story building will lead to even more children being uninterested in reading.
We are living in a very technologically advanced world and it’s only going to get more complex. To minimize a child’s attachment to screen time, there needs to be books that are more enriching and relatable than the internet. That might sound like a lot to ask for, but when you really think about it, is the internet still helping them more than putting them in danger? Books are a safe place. A parent has the choice to control what their child is reading, unlike managing a child’s access to devices at all times.
The inspiration to write this article came from reading the children’s book Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu. The story follows two eleven-year-olds, Hazel and Jack. They have been best friends since they were six, and Hazel feels that Jack is the only person who truly understands her. Hazel is later faced with the heartbreaking fact that Jack has gone missing, after getting seriously injured. There are many magical elements in this book that are often referenced to popular fairytales like “Hansel and Gretel” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. Hazel has to fight through a mysteriously magical winter forest to find Jack, who ends up being trapped by the evil Snow Queen.
Due to the book’s length and themes of loss, abandonment, and emotional distress, it is targeted towards middle school students. These themes made me appreciate the author because this story doesn’t hold back just because its target audience is on the younger side. Children deserve rich stories, they need to feel what beautiful things creativity can do.
