Barking with the Big Dogs: On Writing and Reading Books for Children | 
so-soI went into this collection with a deep love for one of Babbitt‘s essays, “Happy Endings? Of Course, and Also Joy.” I came out of this collection with a deep love for one of Babbitt‘s essays, “Happy Endings? Of Course, and Also Joy.” 😅🙈
The rest are fine. A few sparkling sentences and ideas sprinkled throughout. And, a few ideas to which Babbitt dedicates too much time. 👇🏻
monalyisha 1/4: She‘s a little too impassioned for me on the issue of whether fiction should teach anything. She insists, time and again, that children‘s fiction shouldn‘t be burdened with this task. Personally, I think she focuses more on the “should” than on the fact that it *does* — organically. If we continue to tell stories about life, the lessons will come. 1mo
monalyisha 2/4: She does also make a case for rebellion and for gleeful rule defiance in children‘s fiction rather than creating mini handbooks for proper behavior. She says that if we do the latter, “we‘ll subvert their purpose and destroy their magic.” She sees children‘s fiction as being responsible for offering pleasure, first and foremost, which is hard to argue with and I wouldn‘t dream of it. 1mo
monalyisha 3/4: She insists that children‘s fiction must acknowledge life‘s big & little contradictions, which is sound advice. 1mo
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monalyisha 4/4: Babbitt imagines a “children‘s book section of [an] echoing library up in heaven where authors like”…”E.B. White and Beatrix Potter and Arnold Lobel”…”meet every morning for milk and cookies and have a good time talking shop.” I don‘t believe in heaven. Regardless, I think it‘s my new life goal to be able to join them someday. 🍪 1mo
willaful Great commentary! I wonder how many authors are actually meeting for a slug of whiskey and a blunt. 😂 1mo
monalyisha @willaful Heaven can be whatever you make of it, right? I'm a cookie monster, though, through & through. 😜 1mo
pdxannie Cute 👻 1mo
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