Do you read children's books?

[henrietta]

I haven't read Carol Berg before, just started a couple of weeks ago with "Son of Avonar" and liked the fact that the protagonist was a mature, strong woman and that the story was told from her perspective (and also that a gorgeous naked man turned up on page two )

Yeah, that's always a help

So far I think the story's been good with a few unexpected twist. Remains to see what she'll do with it though. Hopefully the rest will be good. Did you read the Transformation series? How was that? What was it about Bridge of D'Arnath that put you off?

The first thing I read of hers was the first book of the Transformation series, and I liked it very much - there was a nice relationship between the two protagonists at the center, an interesting theme about responsibility and leadership, and more complexity than is typical for fantasy. The next book seemed a little long and disengaged, and the third just went nuts with the torture and interworkings of the books' world. I picked up the first book in the Bridge of D'Arnath series, and just wasn't drawn to the heroine. I did like Berg's stand-alone book, Song of the Beast. I'm more sympathetic to sad-sack heroes than put-upon heroines, possibly when I hear that the entire universe is out to get the poor girl, I'm rolling my eyes and muttering, "go find a guy to whimper at, princess" I've got no team spirit, I admit it.

 

[angerball]

I don't mind reading books for 'young adults', but I rarely go into that section in the library. There are a few I want to read, like the Artemis Fowl series, and The Chronicles of Narnia, and I wouldn't mind trying the Harry Potter series either, but it's not really something I actively look for.

 

[Violanthe]

I remember the favorite books of my youth fondly, but I would say that I'm mostly happy to have moved on to adult books. Moral ambiguity isn't exactly a staple of children's or young adult fiction.

 

[Peronel]

I recently re-read "The Enchanted Wood", not only for the story, but because I have the same copy that I had when I was little and the smell of the pages brings back so many good memories! (I have a big picture edition, has a very unique smell).

Other "children's" books I enjoyed include: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Watership Down, The Hobbit, Danny - The Champion of the World, and Green Eggs and Ham (hey, it was the first thing I ever read!)

 

[pink shadow]

when I hear that the entire universe is out to get the poor girl, I'm rolling my eyes and muttering, "go find a guy to whimper at, princess" I've got no team spirit, I admit it.

I sometimes wish these heroines would go and whimper at someone. Sometimes they are so incredibly self-reliant and resourceful and strong that they just get annoying - I mean come on - even fairytale princesses must have the mean reds sometimes, right?

 

[Carica]

I read as many children's books (those for age 10/11 and over) and YA books as adult books. I don't think it's a 'moving on' thing, though possibly some people grow out of it in the same way that you can grow out of fashions. It is certainly not a lesser genre or area of writing because it has a certain level of vocabulary and use of language. Subject-wise and plot-wise, children's books can sometimes be more direct and less constrained than adult books - they can also be more hopeful and positive about experiences of life. Reading a lot of children's literature and getting a sense of its history and the current exponents of good, strong writing (not just the darlings of the media), is essential to appreciating it. No reader would judge adult writing on some of the dross that litters the shelves of bookshops these days.

An unfortunate effect of the Rowling phenomenon is that a) lots of inferior fantasy has found its way onto the shelves and has dominated the children's market; and b) Rowling's writing (though not her red-herring, drawn-out mystery) is not that sophisticated so that other children's/YA books (and their sales) are sometimes judged on her benchmark alone.

 

[GreenKnight]

'Children's' books

I have a theory actually: children are generally more intelligent than adults.

Less knowledgeable, more naive, yes, but smarter in terms of quickness of understanding. I think we peak at age 12 and then it's all downhill from there. Perhaps that's why all the best child protagonists tend to be 12 or thereabouts...

I'd say it's a mistake to think of 'difficult' books being for adults and 'easy' books being for kids - whether you talk in terms of vocabulary, ideas, depth of character, complexity of plot or whatever. After all, which is the more sophisticated book: The Da Vinci Code or Watership Down? Bravo Two Zero or Charlotte's Web? And so forth.

His Dark Materials is meant to be 'for kids' and yet it contains ideas I'd only previously read about in books like 'A Brief History of Time'. But most children are intelligent enough to be able to take a concept like quantum entanglement or multiple universes and say, 'Oh, I see, that's how it works. Fine.' While most adults are reaching for a dictionary, or, more likely, a different book to read altogether!

If there is any uniting factor, I'd say that all (good) children's books manage to present complex ideas and feelings in a very clear and ordered way, as opposed to the more ambiguous and cluttered mindset of 'adult' books. I wonder which is harder to achieve...?

 

[G4G]

Children's books are great. I have a number that I revisit often. I think I'll be doing this with Pullman, once a few years have passed.

 

[jaybe]

Jacqueline Wilson I can't believe no-one has mentioned her.

She writes for all ages of girls. Her ones for teenages are brilliant. You must have heard of Tracy Beaker? I don't think it would be a man thing at all. But for women she's great.

Adrian Mole isn't a childrens book. Have you not read them all? Sue Townsend is wonderful.

 

[ruby]

Jacqueline Wilson I can't believe no-one has mentioned her.

She writes for all ages of girls. Her ones for teenages are brilliant. You must have heard of Tracy Beaker? I don't think it would be a man thing at all. But for women she's great.

Adrian Mole isn't a childrens book. Have you not read them all? Sue Townsend is wonderful.

I mentioned Jacqueline Wilson some time ago and the impression i got was she wasnt that liked! My daughters love Tracy Beaker and a lot of her other books

 

[pink shadow]

I have a theory actually: children are generally more intelligent than adults.

Less knowledgeable, more naive, yes, but smarter in terms of quickness of understanding.

If there is any uniting factor, I'd say that all (good) children's books manage to present complex ideas and feelings in a very clear and ordered way, as opposed to the more ambiguous and cluttered mindset of 'adult' books. I wonder which is harder to achieve...?

Interesting, and very well put! I think you're definitely on to something. Kids don't complicate stuff just because they can. Sometimes one gets the impression that the more weird, complicated and difficult to understand a book is, the higher its literary qualities. Kid's aren't like that. I'll stay childish I think .

 

[Tiffany]

I enjoy children's lit., and think it's nice to keep in touch with the books that put up with me learning to read and write-- the books that set me on the path to loving to read as an adult. Some lose a bit when re-visited as a grown-up, but a lot of the books I read as a kid hold up well. My favorites are James and the Giant Peach and Bunnicula.

 

[henrietta]

I remember the favorite books of my youth fondly, but I would say that I'm mostly happy to have moved on to adult books. Moral ambiguity isn't exactly a staple of children's or young adult fiction.

You obviously haven't read the newer stuff. It's so fraught and confused, I'm expecting to come across a sad little tome about Hitler's abusive past and life as a conflicted schoolyard bully any day now. Kid lit and YA lit have gone for moral ambiguity in a big way since the good old days.

 

[henrietta]

I sometimes wish these heroines would go and whimper at someone. Sometimes they are so incredibly self-reliant and resourceful and strong that they just get annoying - I mean come on - even fairytale princesses must have the mean reds sometimes, right?

What, you mean you get fed up with heroines who ride, shoot, swim, fight, steal, curse, master magic/dragons/men/infants/stallions/villains and still clean up real good and play chess? I know what you mean, it's like they're all Buffy to the infinite power.

 

[Madeline]

I wish I could find the 15 Oz books by L. Frank Baum without having to spend a small fortune. My husband thought there was only one, The Wizard of Oz. I would really enjoy reading them again. In school, we would have to sign up and wait our turn. I don't know if I got to read all of them.

 

[zen]

i'm another Peter Pan fan re not growing up... well, not in some ways at least!

Narnia, Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables, some Enid Blyton books (Famous Five especially), and Elsie J Oxenham's Abbey Girls books are all still on my bookshelves...

 

[Peronel]

Adrian Mole isn't a childrens book. Have you not read them all? Sue Townsend is wonderful.

Apologies, I mentioned the book because I read it when I was about twelve and I identified with it then, so I think of it as a children's (or young adult, whatever) book.

I shall endevour to adhere more strictly to the official categories of books from now on

 

[actonbell]

Children's books

I occasionally read children's books--I think the Harry Potter series is brilliant, and I've also enjoyed The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket--they are full of dark humor you don't usually see in children's books. I also came across a Salmon Rushdie novel called Haroun and the Sea of Stories, a children's book about the freedom of speech. I enjoyed it very much, and no, I don't have kids

good question!

 

[blueboatdriver]

I shall endevour to adhere more strictly to the official categories of books from now on

woooooooooooooooohieeeeeeeeeeee

 

[Saginaw]

I love reading young adult lit.

I do, too. I have liked books so much I've loaned them out to people.
I loved The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963, and Catherine, Called Birdy.