| Shifting focus a little bit, this book review looks at the Worlds of Childhood: The Art and Craft of Writing for Children. It contains the edited talks of six authors of children’s books. The authors include Jean Fritz, Maurice Sendak, Jill Krementz, Jack Prelutsky, Rosemary Wells, and Katherine Paterson. The authors’ presentations occurred at the New York Public Library in 1989.
Jean Fritz authors children’s books and books for adults both fiction and non-fiction, but primarily she sticks to non-fiction biographies about American History for children. She speaks of her own childhood as an influence on her choice of career, “I suspect that anyone that writes – particularly those that write for children – had a childhood that for one reason or another was very vivid. Often it was a lonely childhood, with solitude enough to expand one’s capacity for wonder, to sharpen awareness, to encourage remembrance.” She also recommends that, “Only when a book is written with passion will it be read with passion.”
Just in case you haven’t heard Maurice Sendak, he illustrates and authors children’s books. His best know work is Where the Wildthings Are. He freely admits that he has borrowed from others throughout his career. He spoke about the Wizard of Oz, and how many scenes in that story have influenced his own writing. A couple of scenes he mentioned involved Dorothy and Auntie Em, and that these scenes represent “a confrontation that occurs every day in every child’s life and every parent’s life. The mother loves the kid, the kid loves the mother, but is has to happen a collision occurs and they don’t say the things they want to say, and they don’t touch each other at the right moment, and something gets lost.” He also says, “Children are extremely tough – they know exactly what’s going to frighten their parents, and they don’t ask questions that will upset mommy and daddy. They see the signs on their parents’ faces,” and “so you find out from in the back yard, or from the landlady’s daughter.” Because of these viewpoints, he is not afraid to challenge children’s emotions, and talk about things that might be scary.
Jill Krementz photographer and writer grew up reading fantasy and science fiction, so her goal was to give girls reality. She writes the “How it feels” books – How it Feels When Parents Divorce, How It Feels to Fight for Your Life, How It Feels to be Adopted. She wants her work to bring about change, not choose a room full of pretty pictures. Her influences included Margaret Meade, Jacob Riis, Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, and Gordon Parks. She wants to produce unbiased books about how people live.
Rosemary Wells creates children’s picture books. She believes, “Children’s picture books are a short literary form like a sonnet. The soundness of their structure is therefore crucial – more important than in longer more leisurely forms of writing.” But then she contradicts herself, and talks about letting books happen not making them happen. The point she is trying to make is that she never forces a book, but because of the audience the book must be kept short and interesting. The book must hold the interest of the child, and the reader. A children’s book is meant to be read over and over.
After reading the book, the authors tend to agree with the following statements. Not to lie to children because they will catch you every time. “Kids will believe almost everything you tell them – as long as it is truthful.” Also that a children’s book must contain emotion, so children will feel involved with the book.
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