But what none of us seem to realize is how smart kids are. Furthermore, many of these tossed off titles come across as an affront to the intelligence of children.Īs Maurice Sendak noted, “Grown-ups desperately need to feel safe, and then they project onto the kids. Even the most cursory glance at the children’s and picture books section of any bookstore can be anxiety-inducing the garrulously gaudy colors, tired titles and overabundance of anthropomorphized animals, vehicles and who-knows-what-else is enough to turn anyone off from the whole pursuit, complacently picking up the first thing that looks the least bit offensive. Given the sheer volume of children’s books – picture or otherwise – wading through the morass can be a daunting task for a new parent looking to jumpstart a literary mind. Some are mordant and morose, while others subversive and sly, offering something for the reader in addition to a simplified version for the young listener. As a parent, revisiting these same books from the other side of the page, they gain a whole new life, often showing a surprising amount of depth and nuance that tends to get lost on the young. More often than not, the subtext is lost on young ears, the essence of the stories existing in the most simplistic of terms. As a child, picture books and literature aimed at the nursery set come across as little more than pleasant stories and images, all part of a nighttime routine that lends a sense of order and structure to an otherwise chaotic day.
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