Summer (Fall) Reading

I've always loved reading. When I was little, my parents read chapter books to us (the "Little House on the Prarie" series, among other things) and I remember that I couldn't wait to learn how to read, so I could read books like that myself. I used to draw pictures in my sketchbooks that contained lists of all the words I knew how to read and spell. My mom probably remembers it differently (I'm not sure how accurate the memories of a five year old are), but I remember working really hard to teach myself to read before I started kindergarten. "Tip" was the first book I could read by myself and I was so proud. I remember walking into a bookstore around that same time, finding a copy of "Green Eggs and Ham" on the shelf, and getting so excited because I could actually READ it. I've been a total bookworm ever since.

I mostly read fiction, but I have a special spot in my heart for children's literature. I've read the "Wizard of Oz" series, the "Chronicles of Narnia", and all of Louisa May Alcott's work more times than I can count. I have to admit that I STILL enjoy a good children's novel, and you'll often find me furtively browsing the shelves in the child and teen rooms at the library (although sometimes I bring Max and Molly with me, for cover ;). Big Sister also really loves to read and we enjoy passing book recommendations back and forth and discussing the books we've read.

I do have to say that sometimes I have NO idea why certain books are designated as "children's books," while other books are lumped in with the adult fiction or the science fiction/fantasy books. I recently read all of Diane Duane's "Young Wizards" series and I thought they were totally fun, engrossing, and well written. I also read Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy this summer, of which "The Golden Compass" is the first novel. I enjoyed Pullman's series immensely (and was truly sorry when I finished the last book), but it puzzled me that such a complex, dark tale had been flagged as a book that was most suitable for children (even though it is precisely the kind of book I would have LOVED as a child). I suppose the recent hullabaloo about Pullman's work and the upcoming movie reflects that conundrum, although I think people are making much ado about nothing. If you actually read the books and take the events in the context of the story, they aren't quite as radical or shocking as certain groups are suggesting. And, of course, we all know that powerful and influential organizations never go astray and abuse their power and to suggest that such a thing could happen is shocking. And, I'd be willing to wager that most of the more complex and interesting aspects of the novel were stripped from the movie anyway, in order to make it fit for the consumption of the general public.

I've read scores of (terrible) "adult" novels that are not anywhere near as well written or thought provoking as Duane's and Pullman's work. So, what makes a children's book a children's book? As near as I can tell, it really has nothing to do with the complexity of the story, language, or themes (except, there usually isn't much R-rated material in a children's novel), but rather with WHO the main characters are. If the main characters are children and the book isn't a first-person narrative, especially if it has any kind of fantastical element to it, I think the book automatically ends up in the publisher's "children's" bucket. The first-person narrative, oddly enough, seems to be important - why are Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" and "Farewell Summer" in the adult sci/fi section, while Pullman ends up on the children's shelves? I suppose I'll just keep shamelessly trawling the shelves in the children's section, just so I don't overlook some great novels!