How are we doing? I mean, really, how are we doing? Mask mandates are gone, and most of us are going about the library and other indoor spaces without masks. Inflation is the highest it's been in 40 years. There's a war going on between Russia and Ukraine--thousands have died, millions have fled to other countries, and gas prices have gone up. Are we hyperventilating yet?
We have a saying in the library--"sometimes you have to read a children's book." More adult books than not tend to be serious, while a number of teen books are rather depressing. I and my colleagues have discussed this topic on different occasions, and each time we've concluded that if you want to read something more uplifting and feel-good, choose a children's book.
The world in children's literature is not necessarily perfect. Harry Potter lost his parents, lives with an aunt and uncle who mistreat him, and has an evil wizard out to kill him. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the Pevensie boys and girls must go to the countryside to stay with a professor, a stranger to them, to be safe from London air raids during World War II. Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit confronts various challenges in Middle Earth, including goblins, orcs, and a dragon who mean him harm. And these are just several examples.
Children's books are imaginative and entertaining to be sure. Their characters often face obstacles but overcome them at the end, which is usually happy and satisfying. Most importantly, children's books give us the hope that good will prevail and everything will be alright. They shape our world view and influence the adults we become, but more on that in the next post. Until then, why not re-read one of your favorite childhood books?
Wishing you happy reading from the perch.
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