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Should parents buy children’s books as Christmas presents?
December 23, 2008 | 4:09 pm
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By Robert Nagle
Seattle Public Library offers a list of recommended Xmas books for children. (As for me, I just dropped my 8 year old nephew at B&N, gave him a $15 dollar certificate and said, “buy any comic book you want.” (He bought a Simpsons Treehouse of Horror comic book; I also got him a print subscription to Muse Magazine, a math puzzle book and a grown-up astronomy book). Sarah Weinman has a piece about whether the Newbery Medal is out of touch with young readers. She comments:
If “literary quality” means exclusivity or a limited appeal, then by definition it chooses to reward books that will never have a mass appeal, or happen to have one by accident. The more troubling interpretation stems from equating children’s book habits with adults’, because at a time when young people are increasingly bombarded with alternatives to reading – be it video games, instant messaging, social networking and, of course, old-fashioned television – is it really in the Newbery’s best interest to cut off their nose to spite their face?
This point is worth making, but it sidesteps the question of platforms. Not everyone has an XBOX/Wii/PC, and not everyone has the ability to produce TV shows or DVDs (although everyone seems to have at least 2 webkinz). On the other hand, print books are relatively easy to write for, easy to produce, easy to obtain as a consumer and easy to obtain as a borrower. As much as ebook enthusiasts disparage actual libraries, at least neighborhood or school libraries provide opportunities for children to choose books instead of having the parent choose for them.
I almost always hated the books my parents bought for me (with the notable exception of a Bill Bryson book which I received as an adult). Indeed, a child has a better idea about his own reading level and the kinds of subjects covered in school. Parental choices tend to be not frivolous enough (at least, not in a Captain Underpants way) or way too protective of their child’s emotions or too politically correct.
My suggestion for parents: don’t buy your child a book! Instead, bring them to a a library or bookstore and let them choose what to read.
For busybody parents nostalgic for children’s literature, I recommend: Alison Lurie’s Don’t tell the Grownups .
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Comments:
While I am all for libraries, and in general support the idea of giving kids some choice in what they read, I am not sure I can endorse the position that parents should simply let their children choose their own books. Rather, I think the best path is one where the parents and the children choose the books together at least until the children are old enough to deal with more mature themes on their own.
Also, some kids need to be prodded a little. Not so much towards particular books, but perhaps to books that challenge them a little more than Captain Underpants might (Or maybe to the level of Captain Underpants.. it all depends on where they are right now).
Of course, I think it is also helps if parents talk about the books they loved as a kid… not so much to suggest that their kids should read and love those books (though so much the better if they do), but rather to encourage their kids to talk about the books they love. After all, parents can then connect with their kids, and perhaps help their kids understand more about the books they are reading (after all, not all kids grok that Aslan is a Christ figure in the Chronicles of Narnia).
Sorry your parents weren’t better at divining your reading tastes, but I couldn’t disagree more with your post. While I agree it’s important to let kids explore what’s available in their libraries and make their own choices, I think giving them some books is great too.
Personally, I still have many of the books given to me by friends and relatives over the years. When I see some of the antique books of Victorian poetry on my shelf which were given to me by a long-dead great aunt, I stop and remember her. My grandmother and I had a two-woman book group for years and we gave each other MANY books during that time. My parents always bought me books – my father introduced me to the Oz books, and The Twenty-One Balloons; my mother would find books for me full of the trivia and factoids I loved. None of this stopped me from going out and choosing my own books as well. Some of my choices probably made my family cringe. I didn’t love everything they got me. C’est la vie. It all turned out fine. Why does it have to be one or the other? What makes the two mutually exclusive?
And where the heck do you get the idea that “ebook enthusiasts disparage actual libraries”? Show some evidence. Personally, I love our local library, and have fun taking my daughter there, and am amazed at what they have. Unfortunately, my life and schedule makes it easier sometimes to read on my phone. But I don’t see it as an either/or thing here either. I, and we, need both.
Katherine: I don’t think we disparage libraries per se. We disparage their ties to old distribution systems, old technology, DRM and for not being forward-thinking enough. Do you know how many books a typical city library throws away to make room for multiple copies of the next Oprah book? On the other hand, they deal with readers every day and try to be as responsive as they can within their budget. Every time I visit my branch Houston library, it is hopping with activity. That is encouraging.
Robert,
As you know, I’m biased on this–I think people should buy books (and authors should earn huge royalties). That said, I truly believe there’s something special about building a library of one’s own, whether it’s physical or virtual. I still have a number of the books I received as a child–some, such as The Wind in the Willows, I still sit down and read for my own enjoyment. Others, I shared with my son when he was at an appropriate age.
I don’t see buying books and the public library as alternatives. I’ll bet the average public library user has more books of his/her own than the non-user. Ultimately, the love of books is what we all strive for and I certainly believe that giving owned books is an important part of this.
Happy book-giving holidays,
Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com