Every Book Is A Children’s Book
If you’re like me, you hate children’s books. That may sound like an odd statement to those who have seen my bookshelves and know that I’ve taken classes in children’s literature, but children’s books really bother me. More to the point, the restrictive genre of “children’s books” bothers me. Books that are written for children are fine, but it is all too often assumed that those are the only books children should read, that adult books and children’s books are distinct categories, never to mix. That doesn’t sit right with me. To quote Mitch Hedberg, “Every book is a children’s book if the child can read.”
The argument against allowing children to read certain books is that they’re too adult. The argument gets phrased in a few different ways, so I’d like to go through them quickly before explaining why I think it’s all garbage.
“It’s too adult, meaning the words are too big. A child wouldn’t understand them.” This one holds a special place for me as it was used against me when I was about 9. (The book in question is sitting on the shelf directly across from me.) Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what happens to future language skills when children aren’t exposed to complex language early on?
“It’s too adult, meaning it’s too big. With their short attention spans, a child would get bored before getting to page 100.” Sad to say, that’s true for most adults as well. Moving on.
“It’s too adult, meaning the content isn’t for kids. The ideas are too big for a child.” Yep, that’s what we should do with big ideas, prevent children from having the chance to grapple with them.
“It’s too adult, meaning the content isn’t for kids. It’s inappropriate.” If a child reads something a bit heavier than “One fish two fish,” of course they will turn to a life of crime.
No matter what the motivation, saying that a book is too adult and therefore should be inaccessible to children, is about protecting the child. I understand that. Whether it’s protecting the child from unsavory ideas or simply words that contain too many syllables to fit in the head comfortably, the desire to protect children from the wild world is hardwired into us. In this instance though, protection through restriction seems like the last tactic to try. It has one advantage though and I’d bet that’s why it’s so popular. Protection by restriction is a hands-off approach. Anyone can prohibit an idea, it takes very little follow up. There’s another option though.
What if instead of banning information, the adults in the room helped the child grapple with the words or ideas they were encountering? What if instead of worrying that the 9-year-old won’t understand the words in the 300-page book, let him read it and encourage questioning for clarity? We don’t tell little kids they can’t play basketball until they are physically able to handle the complex moves of the N.B.A. We let them play and figure out what they can and cannot handle, (with coaching and guidance.)
I hate the distinction of children vs. adult books. Every book is a children’s book if the child can read… and is willing and allowed to pursue it. That being said, here are 3 children’s book recommendations for any reader out there.
1. Anything by Lemony Snicket but specifically his “All the Wrong Questions” series.
2. The “Pendragon” series by D.J. MacHale
3. “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library” by Chris Grabenstein. Its sequel, “Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics” deals specifically with banned and restricted books.
