The Importance of Literature in Kid's Lives
Author Ilana Waters, who writes middle grade fiction, discusses why books are such a NECESSARY component to EVERY child's life.
Today, I’ve been asked to guest blog on the importance of
literature in young people’s lives.
This is a great topic—and a timely one.
Every time there’s a change in the publishing industry, we all start wondering
what it will mean for the future of kids’ books. Will e-readers mean they read
less or more? Is the current obsession with YA overshadowing the potential for
great MG material? But I don’t know how often we actually ask ourselves, ‘Why
is it important to get kids reading in the first place?’
I could offer answers I imagine educators would give. That
kids need to learn how to assess language and information. How to deconstruct
it, analyze it, use it to communicate. That they need books to learn how to
reason and think critically. And although the former answers are very
important, I feel there’s something they need from literature even more.
Kids need books so they can have hope.
Hope that they can rise above their circumstances, if
they’re in crappy ones. Hope to find out who they are, if they’re unsure. Hope
that the world will get better, even when all the evidence suggests that it
won’t.
There’s a picture on my bulletin board—one you may have seen
or heard of before. It shows a little boy in front of a brick wall. The wall is
covered in graffiti epithets, curses, and filth. It looks like he’s in an alley
full of nothing but garbage. But the boy is standing on a pile of books, and
able to look over the wall. Above and beyond it is a fantastical world, with a
lush, green island, magnificent castles, and soaring hot air balloons. It is
covered by a brilliant blue sky and cradled by a deep, sapphire ocean. Below
the picture is this caption:
‘Books. That is exactly how they work.’
I have no idea who came up with the artwork—or the
quotation. But I do know that without hope, without inspiration, without joy, no other learning can take place.
So that’s why I think children’s literature is so important. To motivate anyone
who reads it to stand on those books and reach that better world.
Her first book—The Adventures of Stanley
Delacourt: Book I of Hartlandia—is a middle-grade fantasy. It is available at
Amazon, Amazon.com/uk, Barnesandnoble, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords. Ilana is
currently writing Book II of the Hartlandia trilogy, due out in 2013.
Where to Find the Author
Thank you so much for having me, Team Nerd! (also, I love your site's background). I hope this post encourages more folks to read/write great books for kids! :-)
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