Written by contributor Lisa D
Imagine yourself entering a standard big chain bookshop. There are rows and shelves of thousands of different books, carefully sectioned by a bookstore employee: romantic novels, poetry, thriller, crime, travel, psychology, law and economy, and so much more. Charmed and enchanted, you are moving slowly through the rows, picking up an occasional book or two. You may never buy or read them, but they are just aesthetically attractive. You continue and there, at the end of the room, you see a bright spot of light and space with the shelves crammed with colourfully covered books. You understand at once: this is the children’s and young adult literature section. You might also come up with a thought that it attracts you, an adult, as much as the other shelves, if not more. The majority would quickly observe the books there and quickly (slightly shamefully?) go out of the section towards a different section.
A greater part of adults are used to considering children’s literature and young adult novels as something they have nothing to do with. A typical thought may be, “I am an adult. I have adult problems and concerns now. How on earth can it appeal to me?”. However, children’s literature and young adult should not be overlooked, even if you are no longer a teenager. Therefore, let’s take a look at the issue and figure out why children’s literature is written not only for children.
First of all, there is a question of young adult and children’s literature correlation. As they were developing together roughly at the same time in the 19th century, they tended to be perceived as one complete unity. Nowadays, young adult fiction is a genre with the core audience being 12 to 18 years old, whereas pure literature for children, respectively, might be concerned with someone younger than twelve. Likewise, the term “children’s literature” itself is complicated. One may identify it as being a book written for children, a book that contains a story about children, a book that a publisher considered to be suitable for children. There are hundreds of versions. Although all these points are reasonable, there arise the following questions: who are children and who are adults? In the vast majority of countries, a person is considered a child until turning eighteen. Afterwards, they are officially adults. However, life usually does not change in one moment, and our views, opinions, tastes and preferences may remain unchanged or change at 20, 30, 65, if ever. Our taste is one of the first things that shapes our reading preferences. So, the later can also stay untouched regardless of a person’s age. Thus, here “children’s literature” is referred to as a vast scope of narrative related to the topic of childhood and teenage.
There are multiple reasons why children’s literature might be interesting for children and adults equally.
1. It reminds us about the importance of spontaneity, immediacy, and whimsy
As life goes on, we are used to accreting lots of different domestic problems, which no one accepts ourselves would deal with. From unpaid monthly electricity bills or overused limits on a credit card to relationship difficulties and hard lifechanging choices, all this makes us adults forget about the fact that our life can be wonderful in its simplicity. All in all, we often tend to complicate things when all that has to be done is to keep it simple and to attend to problems as they emerge. Sometimes doing what one wants, right here, right now, without overthinking is the only thing needed to keep oneself real and feeling fully alive.
2. It constantly repeats us that honesty is the key to everything
Naturally, children are much more straightforward and honest compared to adults. And usually, they are pictured the same way in children’s literature. Once again, it might be stating the easiest thing: if you want something , say it. And if you don’t want, say it too. However, growing up, we tend to replace simple honesty with high-rise explanations and excuses. This, of course, does not mean that children’s literature does not show lies. It does, and a lot. Yet, in contrast, it shows that being honest with oneself and others are the trait that can never let a person down.
3. It reimburses our subconscious wish for a miracle
Remember Vernon Dursley angrily telling Harry in the very first Harry Potter novel that “there is no such thing as magic”? Well, maybe there isn’t. At least, not explicitly. Although, magic is the simplest device that helps to attract not only children but 90 percent of people all over the world. It provokes their interest and helps to involve readers in a story. The truth is that adults too are keen on experiencing something magical and unusual. Regardless of the age, people like to feel wonder, and when one has even the slightest opportunity to explore the unfamiliar, something mysterious, unbelievable, one does it. Otherwise, such popular genres as fantasy and fantastic would never exist. As well as this, children’s literature gives this amazing feeling of the journey into the unknown. Moreover, using magic here also lets a writer explain various ideas and processes, making them comprehensible to its initial reader, a child. And here is where the next reason comes forward.
4. It explains tricky topics easily
The universal concepts of love and hate, good and evil, friendship and enmity have been occupying the minds of the greatest scientists in various fields for a long time. And even so, no one could be able to find the unified description for the terms. Children’s books tend to explain the same things effortlessly, clearing out their ambiguities without complicating them.
Furthermore, reading children’s literature can help adults to be on the same wavelength with their children. After all, using the groundwork of the children books, writers might appear a good practice whenever it is necessary to answer the billionth question the response to which may seem obvious to us, adults.
Finally, reading new children’s books and rereading the books we were fond of when we were younger makes us understand the story and its values differently. Our awareness of certain issues is likely to change as we gather some experience that alters our understanding of them. It is always good to know if a book influenced one so much that one’s views grabbed from it did not shift over time. Still, it is as well remarkable when one can evaluate the topics and beliefs differently, being able to argument one’s point.
5. It is written by adults
Funnily enough, all children’s books in the world were written by adults. Beginning with Gulliver’s Travel and Robinson Crusoe that, by the way, were initially written for adults, up to Oliver Twist, The Chronicles of Narnia, and even Harry Potter, which are now all available to find in the curriculums of schools and universities.
Besides, this fact cannot but relentlessly strike a chord that all adults also were children once upon a time. The children who raved about these stories and characters, who imagined being them, dressing up or adopting some of their features. Then, they taught us about responsibility, commitment, bravery, choices, and about the importance of knowledge. However, that does not mean they will be useless for us now. Even Antoine de Saint-Exupéry mentioned in The Little Prince that it is a pity only a few grown-ups really remember they were also children. Apparently, those are the ones who write the stories.
As far as we’ve mentioned, the people whose enormous precious worlds completely stir the conscience, here are the children’s literature recommendations that can easily make any adult wonder why they have been neglecting these books for so long.
The Most Praised of All Times
The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Alice in the Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Secret Garden, Anne of the Green Gables, The Hobbit, Winnie-the-Pooh
Long story short: if you have never read these books, you don’t have them lying somewhere at the back of your bookshelf, or you have never even met these titles, this is the way to start. In case you have – good for you! Yet, if you think you are already too old for them, just reread!
Roald Dahl’s Novels
Of course, almost everyone knows about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. However, this is not the only and not even the most exciting story in Dahl’s published works. Matilda, The Witches, The BFG, and James and the Giant Peach are only to name a few of the brightest narratives of the author. Nice and kind, but at the same time they bring up the complicated topics of kidnapping, bullying, orphancy, criticism of being “unnormal”, and many others.
Scandinavian Children’s and Teenage Novels
Astrid Lindgren’s fiction
As famous as is her Pippi Longstocking, her other narratives are so little known. For example, Karlsson-on-the-Roof. A friendly, slightly self-confident, plump man in his prime with a propeller on his back, who lives on the roof, leads his newfound friend Lillebror (little brother) to extraordinary adventures which do not necessarily end up well but, without any doubt, bring a lot of joy. Likewise, there are also such pieces as Peter and Lena, Emil of Lönneberga, The Six Bullerby Children which are worth paying attention to.
Tove Jansson and her Moomins
In the 20th century, those little hippo-ish troll creatures garnered lots of love by children and their parents all over the world. Not only books and comics, but also TV series, films, plays, and even amusement park and museum are created in honour of Moomins. If you happened to miss these incredible stories, do not hesitate to grab at least a couple of novels from your local bookstore or online.
Ulf Stark’s My Friend Percy series mesmerises from the very first chapter. Imbued with love and friendship, these books will surprise a reader with a sudden new and deep viewpoint on the feelings and life.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of other fabulous stories by Scandinavian authors that are not translated into English. Although, if you have an access to Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, or Ukrainian languages, you may also like Hedvig! by Frida Nilsson and Audhild Solberg’s Kampen mot superbitchene (Who is against the coolest).
Noel Streatfield Shoes series
The series of 11 books is highly recommended by anyone who has something to do with children’s literature. It is worth starting off with Ballet Shoes, which is also the most renowned one, and continue straight with Theatre Shoes to find out the rest of the story.
The Arthur series by Luc Besson
Yes, the same Luc Besson, who is the French director of Léon: The Professional and The Fifth Element, wrote the series of four fantasy novels for children and teenagers. They carry a reader away from 1960s rural France to the world of Minimoys where Arthur fights against evil powers. One will not even notice the flow of time as the novels totally take all the reader’s attention away from the real world.
Picture Books
Last but not least, picture books were bound to make their way to this list. There is not only a chance for a child to find out something new but for an adult to explain awfully difficult things that in themselves can be traumatising. For instance, Fireboat by Maira Kalman and The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein both feature the tragedy of 9/11, making it easier for parents to explain to their children why these events have to be remembered.
It may seem like a lot, but the truth is this is only the tip of the iceberg called The World of Children’s Literature. Those simple common truths that are translated through children’s books help to face oneself objectively and to redefine ourselves, reminding us of the things we have lost while growing up: thrilling imagination, fearlessness and the outstanding wish of exploration. This is the universal power of children’s literature: as if C.S. Lewis knew for sure, no matter the age there always comes the time, when we arrive at the point where we started our journey through stories.
Fully agree about youth literature’s worth and merit, but this is a stellar opportunity to give some recommendations for some updated titles too. I’m glad the series/books mentioned come from all over the world, but that’s a looooot of whiteness. For the love, at least LINK some people who have done the work of compiling the lists? You can’t throw a cat in Google without hitting a well-written list of books that will knock your socks off.
All of Louis Sachar’s books (the prizewinning Holes, as well as the Wayside School books, The Boy in the Girls Bathroom) are amazing and profound books. My kids — 6 and 8 years old — love them!