Who says that children’s books must earn passage to our children? This may seem like an absurd question to many parents, guardians, and teachers. Because many of them cannot see themselves being critical of children’s books. A significant number of these adults generally group all children’s books into one homogenous pile labeled adorable. Yes, there is a general reluctance to scrutinize children’s books. This must be overcome so that we may choose the best and most beneficial books for our children. The contemporary demands of children command us to weed out the least beneficial and allow only those that earn passage to gain passage.
Advertisements, promotions, and marketing plays a huge role in the distribution and sales of children’s books. Parents, teachers, librarians, and others responsible for their acquisition are not immune to the persuasion of hype. Oftentimes we find ourselves yielding the passage of books to our children without sending them through even the most basic of evaluative processes. Popularity does not nor does well marketed always mean the children books will be good or beneficial.
We should at least want to determine if the children will be safe from lead-based inks or harmful plastics that the books may contain. The content and subject matter should also be consistent with our own values, beliefs, and goals for our children. It is important too that the concepts and illustrations are not confusing and cause the children a miscalculation that has injurious consequences.
The criteria used to evaluate the children’s books content should include items related to the book’s ability to entertain, educate, and empower. These components will vary greatly in their distribution depending on the selection and type of books chosen. A blend of these component is most desirable. It is reasonable that some books purchases could and should be solely for fun, joy, laughter, and the amusement of children. But no children’s books should be purchased and allowed passage to children without scrutiny. All should have to clear a high bar to gain access to children we are charged to protect. We must not continue to be reluctant to scrutinize children’s books’ passage to our most precious assets-our children! Astoryplus Children’s Books Blog… astoryplus.com
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