*author’s note…this originally appeared on HamletHub Books, Ink in September 2015. 11 years ago. I am so lucky that I’ve been able to write about children’s books for the past almost 12 years and I’m excited to share more books with you.
A year ago (2014), I asked my friend Sally (editor of Books, Ink) if I could do a weekly column on children’s books. I read a lot of children’s books, had several favorites, a pile of books I wanted to recommend to readers and I wanted to read more. I didn’t have a big plan beyond that. I wanted to read good books to my children and I wanted to share those good books with other parents looking for something new to read.
Over the past year, I have revisited favorite characters. I dove back into stories from my childhood that I remember my mom reading to me. I read new books. I watched as my children found new favorite characters. I found a few characters who have been added to my list of favorites. I have read books that I didn’t expect to like and loved them. I have stepped outside of my “reading comfort zone” and I am so grateful for the wonderful authors and characters I have met along the way.
I learned a lot over this past year. Two lessons fight for top billing so I will address both of them. First, adults should read children’s books. I have learned so much from talking pigs and spiders and from a story told in first person gorilla. I have been disappointed in humans when shown through the eyes of an animal, my faith in humanity restored through the eyes of those same animals. I have learned to get beyond my adult notion that stories must be told by humans. Stories can be told by humans, animals, aliens, and the list goes on. I have learned that children and animals remind me of the things that matter most in life….the value of friendship, the power of a commitment, it’s ok to be afraid, try to be brave, and don’t forget to laugh. I hope that adults reading this column will read at least one of the children’s books I have recommended. I hope they will find that the stories are just as complex, just as powerful, just as moving as those written specifically for adults. Just because a story is written for a child doesn’t mean it is meant only for that age group. Often times, it means the content is appropriate for that age group while the lessons and issues the characters face are things with which readers of all ages can identify.
Secondly, I learned a lesson I hope to pass on to my children….Read because you love to read, read what makes you happy. I have heard that children who don’t love reading haven’t found the right book. I couldn’t agree more. Read a comic book, read a history book, read a science book, read a poem. Just read. Dive into whatever world interests you, explore it, meet the characters, go on journeys with them, share the book with your friends. Just read.
This year, I met many great characters. A gorilla named Ivan (The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate) is one who has left a lasting impression on my life. I talk about Ivan as a friend…my gorilla friend who lives in a book. My daughter and I have had many conversations about this wonderful gorilla, how much we loved getting to know him, friends we want to introduce to him by sharing the book, and that sometimes a book will make you cry….I admit I’m getting a little teary just writing about this book. I read it because my daughter recommended it to me with so much passion and excitement, I knew I needed to read it immediately. I dove in and couldn’t put it down. I read the acknowledgements. I read every last word inside that book cover. As, I read Applegate’s Newberry Medal Acceptance Speech, I found words that I knew immediately I needed to share when I wrote this piece on what the last year has meant to me:
“Every time you find the right, the necessary, book for a child — a book about sadness overcome, unfairness battled, hearts mended — you perform the best kind of magic. It doesn’t matter if it’s about a gorilla or a nuclear physicist, a puppeteer, a motherless girl, or a clueless fish. If it’s the right book, you’ve allowed a child to make a leap out of her own life, with all its limitations and fears — and yes, sometimes sadness — into another, to imagine new possibilities for herself and for her world.” – Katherine Applegate
I love this speech. Read a great book. Share it with a child. It might mean more to that child than you ever expected or imagined. Books from my childhood have stayed with me and continue to hold a special place in my heart. I am so grateful for those characters, those stories and to those who handed the books to me.
I ask my children to just try when they read. Try a new author. Try a new genre. Try a new reading level. It might be a good fit for you, it might not. That is ok. Just try a book. You might get lucky and find one of those books that changes your life, the kind of book that you read a bit slower so it lasts longer, the kind of book that you finish and turn back to the first page and start again. Those books change lives, and for every reader, those books are different. Don’t hesitate to read a book because it isn’t an adult book or it isn’t a genre you normally choose. Pick up a book…a book with a pretty cover art, a book a friend recommended, a book I recommended, a book that has a Newberry Medal sticker on the front, a book that looks worn and loved…just try it.
Thank you for joining me on this journey so far. I look forward to all the great books this next year will bring. If you have favorites I haven’t written about yet, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. As much as I love recommending books, I love when others recommend favorites to me.
