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RE: How Much Do We Tell the Children?
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From: Nancy Silverrod <nsilverrod_at_sfpl.org>
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:36:30 -0800
X-EC0D2A8E-5CB7-4969-9C36-46D859D137BE-PartID: 5759FA14-DCA0-4490-8667-9A6B 8EC94DFB
We tend to underestimate how aware children are about the state of the worl d - especially those who watch much television. I think it strengthens them t o know that there are both big heroes challenging the status quo, and that t here are things they can do themselves to help change the world. This can b e transmitted by books - fiction and non-fiction, and especially by caring a d ults who are paying enough attention to anticipate and answer questions, an d who set examples by being involved in working to change the issues that ch a llenge us as a society.
I can remember playing "hiding from the Nazis" in the woods and fields behi n d my grandparents' house at the age of 7 or so (early 1960s), though I don' t remember how I knew about the Nazis at that age. Part of the game involved
carrying sticks as guns, so I had also somehow internalized that there were
people who fought back. Reading books, starting with Anne Frank's diary a y e ar or two later, was important to me in understanding the recent history of
my people, and of the importance of standing up for what was right.
I felt more terror upon learning about cancer, a topic being casually discu s sed at a lunch by some adults in my life around the same time. From their d i scussion, it seemed almost inevitable that most of us would get cancer, whi c h wasn't curable - and there weren't books then, and there are few now, tha t are very reassuring on this front. And, indeed, I lost my mother and a par t ner to cancer later on in my life, have known a number of other people, you n ger and older who have died of it, and thankfully a couple of people who ha v e survived short and long-term thus far.
I'd be interested to know what things are actually scaring children now, wh i ch I think would be different based on social class, race, geographic locat i on, etc. It's likely that global warming is too big and too distant a conce r n for many, particularly those children who don't know where they will slee p tonight, or when they will get their next meal.
Nancy Silverrod, Librarian San Francisco Public Library 100 Larkin St. San Francisco, CA 94122-4733 nsilverrod_at_sfpl.org 415-557-4417
-- Our memories are card indexes consulted and then returned in disorder by au t horities whom we do not control. -Cyril Connolly, critic and editor (1903-1 9 74) A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. -Chinese Proverb
From: Megan Schliesman
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2011 9:29 AM To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Subject:
How Much Do We Tell the Children?
First, thank you to everyone who participated in the thoughtful and eye-ope n ing discussion on social justice in children's and young adult literature.
And we want to extend special thanks to Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Ann Angel, Nan c y Bo Flood, and JL Powers of The Pirate Tree blog on social justice in chil d ren's and young adult literature for their facilitation these past two week s , and their ongoing work to encourage reading, discussion, and critical thi n king about this subject.
It is now time to turn our attention to the CCBC-Net topic for the second h a lf of November: How Much Do We Tell the Children?
We want children to believe that hope is more powerful than despair. We wan t them to learn about people who've accomplished extraordinary things and st a nd for admirable ideals. We want them to have faith in their country. Ther e are many books for children covering topics that, if writers were complete l y honest, would not only inform but potentially disillusion readers. So ho w much truth should be shared in books for children? Science can be scary, f or example (think global warming), "heroes" can and should be humanized, bu t to what extent should we share their very human foibles? There's no singl e or easy answer, but during the second half of November we invite you to sh a re examples of books that, in your opinion, get it right when it comes to s h aring hard truths in light of their intended audience.
I'll share an anecdote that led in part to our desire to explore this topic
on CCBC-Net:
A couple of months ago I read the book "Gaia Warriors" by Nicola Davies. ( Candlewick Press,2011) I appreciated so many things about this book: how s h e explains the science of global warming so clearly-great use of metaphors a nd comparisons; and the wide range of people and initiatives around the wor l d she profiles--efforts both small and large that can make a difference in t he planet's future. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and depressed reading abo u t global warming because it is overwhelming and depressing. But by showing s o many ways people are trying to do something Davies successfully underscor e s that there are many approaches-all needed-and also, excitingly, the impor t ant role of, and opportunities for, human creativity in trying to turn thin g s around. It's hopeful and inspiring.
But then it all came crashing down for me when I read James Lovelock's afte r word to the book. Lovelock originated the Gaia Theory. He's looking at the b ig picture/long terms survival of the species in his afterword, but reading
it left me cold, and really depressed: "Survival is our only option, and b e fore long, some people will find that their part of the earth is less harme d by climate change than others. Naturally, those whose land becomes desert o r is flooded and can no longer provide food and water will move to where th e re is plenty. Because of our natures, war between these haves and have nots
is inevitable. There will not be food and water enough for both. Sometimes t he invaders will win, and other times the defenders; what matters is that t h ere are survivors so that there continue to be humans on earth." Wow. I gu e ss that's bluntly realistic. But boy is it depressing, and to me undermines
what Davies has done so successfully in the rest of the book-give young rea d ers hope, and even agency--the CAN make a difference.
Not long afterward I happened to meet a climate researcher whose work docum e nts global warming. I was telling him about the book--how much I liked it,
but also my struggle with the afterword, and he acknowledged it's a difficu l t issue--one that he himself faces when it comes to his own children and ta l king about the work he does and the implications of his research.
So, how much do we tell the children--about global warming, about the human
foibles of heroes, about the less than admirable actions of our government,
and so much more? Obviously there is no right or wrong answer. So maybe o n e way to begin is to think about the variables we consider. For example, to
me the Gaia Warriors book--up until the afterword--would be great for upper
elementary and middle school. Maybe I need to rethink the audience, or my
idea of what an audience of that age is ready for.
What do you think?
Megan
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:36:30 -0800
X-EC0D2A8E-5CB7-4969-9C36-46D859D137BE-PartID: 5759FA14-DCA0-4490-8667-9A6B 8EC94DFB
We tend to underestimate how aware children are about the state of the worl d - especially those who watch much television. I think it strengthens them t o know that there are both big heroes challenging the status quo, and that t here are things they can do themselves to help change the world. This can b e transmitted by books - fiction and non-fiction, and especially by caring a d ults who are paying enough attention to anticipate and answer questions, an d who set examples by being involved in working to change the issues that ch a llenge us as a society.
I can remember playing "hiding from the Nazis" in the woods and fields behi n d my grandparents' house at the age of 7 or so (early 1960s), though I don' t remember how I knew about the Nazis at that age. Part of the game involved
carrying sticks as guns, so I had also somehow internalized that there were
people who fought back. Reading books, starting with Anne Frank's diary a y e ar or two later, was important to me in understanding the recent history of
my people, and of the importance of standing up for what was right.
I felt more terror upon learning about cancer, a topic being casually discu s sed at a lunch by some adults in my life around the same time. From their d i scussion, it seemed almost inevitable that most of us would get cancer, whi c h wasn't curable - and there weren't books then, and there are few now, tha t are very reassuring on this front. And, indeed, I lost my mother and a par t ner to cancer later on in my life, have known a number of other people, you n ger and older who have died of it, and thankfully a couple of people who ha v e survived short and long-term thus far.
I'd be interested to know what things are actually scaring children now, wh i ch I think would be different based on social class, race, geographic locat i on, etc. It's likely that global warming is too big and too distant a conce r n for many, particularly those children who don't know where they will slee p tonight, or when they will get their next meal.
Nancy Silverrod, Librarian San Francisco Public Library 100 Larkin St. San Francisco, CA 94122-4733 nsilverrod_at_sfpl.org 415-557-4417
-- Our memories are card indexes consulted and then returned in disorder by au t horities whom we do not control. -Cyril Connolly, critic and editor (1903-1 9 74) A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. -Chinese Proverb
From: Megan Schliesman
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2011 9:29 AM To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Subject:
How Much Do We Tell the Children?
First, thank you to everyone who participated in the thoughtful and eye-ope n ing discussion on social justice in children's and young adult literature.
And we want to extend special thanks to Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Ann Angel, Nan c y Bo Flood, and JL Powers of The Pirate Tree blog on social justice in chil d ren's and young adult literature for their facilitation these past two week s , and their ongoing work to encourage reading, discussion, and critical thi n king about this subject.
It is now time to turn our attention to the CCBC-Net topic for the second h a lf of November: How Much Do We Tell the Children?
We want children to believe that hope is more powerful than despair. We wan t them to learn about people who've accomplished extraordinary things and st a nd for admirable ideals. We want them to have faith in their country. Ther e are many books for children covering topics that, if writers were complete l y honest, would not only inform but potentially disillusion readers. So ho w much truth should be shared in books for children? Science can be scary, f or example (think global warming), "heroes" can and should be humanized, bu t to what extent should we share their very human foibles? There's no singl e or easy answer, but during the second half of November we invite you to sh a re examples of books that, in your opinion, get it right when it comes to s h aring hard truths in light of their intended audience.
I'll share an anecdote that led in part to our desire to explore this topic
on CCBC-Net:
A couple of months ago I read the book "Gaia Warriors" by Nicola Davies. ( Candlewick Press,2011) I appreciated so many things about this book: how s h e explains the science of global warming so clearly-great use of metaphors a nd comparisons; and the wide range of people and initiatives around the wor l d she profiles--efforts both small and large that can make a difference in t he planet's future. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and depressed reading abo u t global warming because it is overwhelming and depressing. But by showing s o many ways people are trying to do something Davies successfully underscor e s that there are many approaches-all needed-and also, excitingly, the impor t ant role of, and opportunities for, human creativity in trying to turn thin g s around. It's hopeful and inspiring.
But then it all came crashing down for me when I read James Lovelock's afte r word to the book. Lovelock originated the Gaia Theory. He's looking at the b ig picture/long terms survival of the species in his afterword, but reading
it left me cold, and really depressed: "Survival is our only option, and b e fore long, some people will find that their part of the earth is less harme d by climate change than others. Naturally, those whose land becomes desert o r is flooded and can no longer provide food and water will move to where th e re is plenty. Because of our natures, war between these haves and have nots
is inevitable. There will not be food and water enough for both. Sometimes t he invaders will win, and other times the defenders; what matters is that t h ere are survivors so that there continue to be humans on earth." Wow. I gu e ss that's bluntly realistic. But boy is it depressing, and to me undermines
what Davies has done so successfully in the rest of the book-give young rea d ers hope, and even agency--the CAN make a difference.
Not long afterward I happened to meet a climate researcher whose work docum e nts global warming. I was telling him about the book--how much I liked it,
but also my struggle with the afterword, and he acknowledged it's a difficu l t issue--one that he himself faces when it comes to his own children and ta l king about the work he does and the implications of his research.
So, how much do we tell the children--about global warming, about the human
foibles of heroes, about the less than admirable actions of our government,
and so much more? Obviously there is no right or wrong answer. So maybe o n e way to begin is to think about the variables we consider. For example, to
me the Gaia Warriors book--up until the afterword--would be great for upper
elementary and middle school. Maybe I need to rethink the audience, or my
idea of what an audience of that age is ready for.
What do you think?
Megan
-- Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706 608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ ---Received on Fri 18 Nov 2011 10:36:30 AM CST
