The Hub

Hi LSO,

Actually, there already ARE extraordinarily high standards in publishing children's literature.

It is no secret that the most difficult genre to break into in writing today are those specifically made for children. Picture books are especially hard. This is because these books are difficult to write (specific word count, reliance on demonstrative illustrations, and a standard number of pages are some of the things the picture book author has to contend with), and they tend to have staying power, requiring fewer new books to be produced. For example, some of the books that were read to me when I was a kid are still around and easy to find in bookstores today (Goodnight Moon, Peter Rabbit and many, many more). Also, the picture book author must tell their story in a way that is catchy and holds the short attention span of a four-year-old.

The second most difficult genre to push into is that for middle grade readers. Here, not only does the author have to cater to the things I mentioned above (increasingly difficult in today's world where it seems every kid has some sort of electronic device), but also, these books must engage the imagination of parents (grandparents, librarians and so on), who will be the ones purchasing the books. Additionally, there is a vast difference between one twelve-year-old and another (gender creates a huge difference, and maturity levels vary vastly during this time in a child's life), and the middle grade author has to try to write a book that appeals to all of them.

Many books that are intended for kids have dark elements, and so they should, or so I believe. This is not a new phenomenon. True, it may not be realistic to portray a kid being stuck on a giant peach, and floating around with a centipede for a friend. But evoking the child's imagination is one very powerful thing middle grade authors use to make their point, and encourage kids to grow and develop. In a way, middle grade authors have to be masters of allegory---almost everything is symbolic of something.

For example, look at the themes Roald Dahl incorporated into James and the Giant Peach, which I kind of alluded to above. Loneliness, death, hope, fear, abandonment, transformation, rebellion.... James' parents are killed off in the early pages of the book. What about the Narnia stories? These kids are living through a war. It doesn't get much more adult or dark than that. Does that mean we should pretend it doesn't happen? Pretend it doesn't have an effect on kids? The characters in the Narnia books handle their fear and stress by passing through a magical wardrobe and facing the danger themselves. They reduce it to something they can understand---an evil queen, a single entity with an easily understandable goal. This is a coping technique taught to children through books, and it is produced by enticing the child's imagination.

The themes I mentioned above are quite common in books meant for this age category. They are, unfortunately, very real and very present themes for some kids in real life. By reading these dark books, readers may find a new way to handle what is frightening them in reality. That's a major win if you ask me.

So, to sum up, I don't think it's wrong for the authors of children's literature to include these mature, less-than-pleasant things in their books. In fact, I think it's very important that they do. Kids need guidance, they need to understand, and authors for this age category are fortunate in that they can provide those things.



Come check out my writing website here: http://katmhawthorne.com, or my editing website here: http://www.movetothewrite.com