The How’s and Why’s of Children’s Literature
Dr. Edward Rothstein poses the following questions about children’s literature in The New York Times Book section this week:
1. Why, in fact, do children read, and why are they read to?
I read to my son because it’s a fun and peaceful activity to share. Books take us to places in our imagination that we’d never be able to visit physically. And, books offer endless possibilities even if they’re read twenty times in one weekend. I suspect children read to themselves because they see everyone around them reading (hopefully!), it’s exciting to anticipate what the characters will do, and it’s a safe way to think through what they themselves would do in similar situations.
2. Why are books specifically written for readers who are not yet adults?
Why not? We write books for every possible type of person out there. Even more important, books can smooth the way for children in what can otherwise be an overwhelming world.
Dr. Rothstein concludes:
A great children’s book, though, does not reflect the world or its reader. It plays within the world. It explores possibilities. It confounds expectations. That is why the anthology’s academic function makes me wary. The child, with the adult near at hand, never has a single perspective. Almost anything can happen. And usually does.
How would you answer these questions?
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POSTED IN: Children's Books (11 to 14 yrs), Children's Books (6 to 10 yrs)
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