I am almost inclined to set it up as a canon that a children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story. The good ones last.
C.S. Lewis
My infant son’s bookshelf is well-stocked with books. My husband went on a book-buying spree in anticipation of our little boy’s birth, and we have generous relatives who gifted us new and used books, so when I say we’ve got a lot of books, please believe me. We have a lot of books. Right now, our baby is mostly interested in the touch-and-feel books and the board books; he likes to chew on the edges.
That said, I’ve already started to read him from more advanced books. We have a good collection of Magic School Bus and Berenstain Bears books, for example. These are shortish and hold his attention briefly, although I usually end up wrestling the book away from him in a futile effort to protect the pages from being torn. But someday, someday, I’ll get to share a real book with him. When I say “a real book,” I’m not talking about The Brothers Karamazov or anything. I mean the books that I loved as a child.
Think back to your own childhood. What are the books that have stayed with you? Not just the ones you have fond memories of (I’m a huge fan of There’s a Monster at the End of This Book and Stellaluna). I’m not even talking about the books that made you love reading for the first time. I was really into the American Girl books. I loved reading those, but I’m afraid they don’t hold a lot of fascination for me now.
No, I’m talking about the books that sank deep into your soul. The books that opened your eyes to what books could be. What were those books, for you? I bet you still love them, don’t you? That’s because, as the ever-wise C.S. Lewis said, a good children’s book is able to be enjoyed at all stages of life, not just in childhood.
For me, one of those books was Ella Enchanted. If you haven’t read this book, I want to know what you’ve been doing that was more important? The answer is nothing. And if you tell me that you don’t need to read the book because you saw that travesty of a movie, I swear on every library in the world that I will find you to berate you in person.
This book astonishes me every time I think about it. As a kid, all I knew was that it was a super fun story, but as an adult, I can’t help standing in awe of what Gail Carson Levine was able to achieve with this book. It’s a fresh take on the Cinderella story, so it’s got the comfort of the familiar while being different enough to be interesting. But aside from the engaging plotline, I can’t believe how much character development she crammed into this short book. Ella is a feminist role model, Char is just wonderful in every way, Mandy is a delightful curmudgeon, and Ella’s father and stepfamily are deliciously cruel. Gail Carson Levine is able to do so much with so little. This isn’t just a well-written children’s book; it’s a well-written book, period.
This may be cliché, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’s Stone, for…basically everyone else in the world). Since the whole series has been out for years and people all over the world know Harry’s story, I think we sometimes forget that these started out as children’s books. In fact, many adults were reluctant to read them because they assumed they were only for children.
This was an utter joy to read as an eleven year old. I devoured Sorcerer’s Stone, and after I finished it I wouldn’t stop talking about it. I haven’t stopped talking about it for the last twenty-one years, actually, because Harry’s story continues to appeal to me. Once again, we have a shortish book that packs an incredible punch. Think about how much info J.K. Rowling had to introduce in this book. She had to build an entire world for us, plus introduce memorable characters, plus set up an incredible story, all in about three hundred pages. It’s masterful. I go back to this book, and all of the following books, again and again, because it’s not a good children’s book. It’s just a darn good book.
And, of course, we can’t forget The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. These seven books are each a master work in its own right, and together they are an extended Christian allegory. I’ve literally heard The Chronicles of Narnia quoted over the pulpit at church. There’s a lot of meat there.
The thing is, the theology of these books could fly right over your head, and you’d still enjoy them. I’m sure most children who read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe aren’t contemplating Aslan as a Christ figure; they’re just enjoying the fantastical world that C.S. Lewis created.
These are just a few of the books that have stayed with me into adulthood. I will be forever grateful to these authors who took the time to write, not just children’s books, but children’s literature.
Which books have stayed with you?
Happy Reading!
