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Crossover books
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From: Maia <maia>
Date: Sun, 06 Jun 1999 21:52:20 -0400
Well, I think that the discussion to date will at least have reminded us that we all read and examine books for different reasons! I think it's worth noting that one person's nitpicking may be another person's analysis... If Harry Potter were a Monet, some people would comment on the gorgeous scene, others on the play of light against the grass, some might not like it at all, and some might gush about how he perfectly used such-and-such technique to create a parallel between the garden path in the foreground and the horizontal play of the ivy in the background... We all bring our different perspectives to a work of art, and perhaps our responses tell at least as much about us as about the work itself?
But as to Marian's last post: --clip-- "What I was hoping to see in this discussion was some exploration of the themes common to both adult and children's books that are universal in their appeal and that make a book a crossover book."...
I'm not sure that we are going to find a distinct character to crossover books, because I think that the separation between children's and adult books is largely artificial. Books manage to make a cross from one side to the other for peculiar reasons, including how people think they will be perceived for reading a book (therefore we find the two covers, one
'adult' and one for children, of HP & the Stone.)
Here's my go on why the three books of topic might have made crossovers:
Harry Potter: Fantasy is already the most continuous genre - adult fantasy lovers read and are passionate about books that bookstores shelve in the children's section, while kids who read fantasy are probably more likely to make the leap to the 'adult fantasy' section than are kids who read Dear America likely to venture into the section labeled U.S. History. I refer the list to C.S. Lewis' essays "On Three Ways of Writing for Children" and "Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What's to be Said." Grown ups who read fantasy generally *know* they
(we) are peculiar, and a little sneaking over to the children's section probably is in character for many of us.
The Middle Passage: Well, adults have this weird idea that picture books are *for* children. But additionally, it does tell the story of that passage more effectively than I personally would have imagined possible, making it a good choice as a teaching text. Therefore, I think it is reasonable to market it to educators of all levels, as well as students of history (and of art, for that matter.)
Watership Down: Again, our society tends to lump animal stories in with childhood (the more fools we.) Adults 'know better', that animals of course don't have thoughts and feelings and relationships... but kids are permitted at times to step out of that species?ntric viewpoint. On the other hand, the language of Watership Down is pretty sophisticated at times, as are its themes. A kid will see how being a plump, well-coated but wire?stined rabbit is undesirable, but adults may well think of those situations in their own lives where the ignoring the velvet wire (glove) has been pretty tempting.
I think that Harry Potter and Watership Down can be read at many different levels, depending on the reader's maturity. I don't think this is true of The Middle Passage; its theme is much more direct than the others. I would be shocked to find that anyone considers The Middle Passage to be a children's book, as opposed to a book that can be used with children; perhaps I'm wrong?
By the by, I did note that our local library places both Watership Down and The Middle Passage in the adult section, and not in either the children's or the YA rooms.
Maia Cheli-Colando
p.s. I'd love to respond to Marian and get into a discussion of 'what is real', and whether it makes sense to discuss characters as real, but we'd probably never make it back to the topic of crossover titles... :)
Received on Sun 06 Jun 1999 08:52:20 PM CDT
Date: Sun, 06 Jun 1999 21:52:20 -0400
Well, I think that the discussion to date will at least have reminded us that we all read and examine books for different reasons! I think it's worth noting that one person's nitpicking may be another person's analysis... If Harry Potter were a Monet, some people would comment on the gorgeous scene, others on the play of light against the grass, some might not like it at all, and some might gush about how he perfectly used such-and-such technique to create a parallel between the garden path in the foreground and the horizontal play of the ivy in the background... We all bring our different perspectives to a work of art, and perhaps our responses tell at least as much about us as about the work itself?
But as to Marian's last post: --clip-- "What I was hoping to see in this discussion was some exploration of the themes common to both adult and children's books that are universal in their appeal and that make a book a crossover book."...
I'm not sure that we are going to find a distinct character to crossover books, because I think that the separation between children's and adult books is largely artificial. Books manage to make a cross from one side to the other for peculiar reasons, including how people think they will be perceived for reading a book (therefore we find the two covers, one
'adult' and one for children, of HP & the Stone.)
Here's my go on why the three books of topic might have made crossovers:
Harry Potter: Fantasy is already the most continuous genre - adult fantasy lovers read and are passionate about books that bookstores shelve in the children's section, while kids who read fantasy are probably more likely to make the leap to the 'adult fantasy' section than are kids who read Dear America likely to venture into the section labeled U.S. History. I refer the list to C.S. Lewis' essays "On Three Ways of Writing for Children" and "Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What's to be Said." Grown ups who read fantasy generally *know* they
(we) are peculiar, and a little sneaking over to the children's section probably is in character for many of us.
The Middle Passage: Well, adults have this weird idea that picture books are *for* children. But additionally, it does tell the story of that passage more effectively than I personally would have imagined possible, making it a good choice as a teaching text. Therefore, I think it is reasonable to market it to educators of all levels, as well as students of history (and of art, for that matter.)
Watership Down: Again, our society tends to lump animal stories in with childhood (the more fools we.) Adults 'know better', that animals of course don't have thoughts and feelings and relationships... but kids are permitted at times to step out of that species?ntric viewpoint. On the other hand, the language of Watership Down is pretty sophisticated at times, as are its themes. A kid will see how being a plump, well-coated but wire?stined rabbit is undesirable, but adults may well think of those situations in their own lives where the ignoring the velvet wire (glove) has been pretty tempting.
I think that Harry Potter and Watership Down can be read at many different levels, depending on the reader's maturity. I don't think this is true of The Middle Passage; its theme is much more direct than the others. I would be shocked to find that anyone considers The Middle Passage to be a children's book, as opposed to a book that can be used with children; perhaps I'm wrong?
By the by, I did note that our local library places both Watership Down and The Middle Passage in the adult section, and not in either the children's or the YA rooms.
Maia Cheli-Colando
p.s. I'd love to respond to Marian and get into a discussion of 'what is real', and whether it makes sense to discuss characters as real, but we'd probably never make it back to the topic of crossover titles... :)
Received on Sun 06 Jun 1999 08:52:20 PM CDT
