Childhood

As I look through the books I’ve read so far this year on my Goodreads challenge, I’ve noticed I read a good bit of fiction geared toward younger readers. There are two main reasons for this. One, they are just generally happier and cleaner stories. 😉

Two? Well, that reason is more of an accident. A happy one. 😀

My youngest sister and I recently enjoyed some books about an eccentric dog and his sidekick (a sock, actually!) who have a lot of adventures with the contents of the dog’s bigger-on-the-inside beret. They are pretty funny, and the absurdity delights her. (Not to mention that she is a pretty big fan of Snoopy, and this dog is similar.) 😀

I read a really good article by four literary agents talking about this genre, and one thought really stuck with me. To paraphrase, they stated that a good children’s story should feel “lived in, and not remembered”.

Which brings me to my second reason. Reading in the genre/age range of my target audience tells me what they like and how to best accomplish it. I pay attention to what my younger sisters read, pick up a few to try out myself, and sometimes do read-alouds. We’ve found some really great books to enjoy together, and this helps us connect as sisters even though our ages are vastly different.

This is how I hold onto being a child. Just enough to write about it. 😉