A Passion for Children's Books

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This past summer, I tried to theme my reading. I never like to read anything too heavy over the summer, so this past summer I tried a regimine of Children's books (besides the exception of The Poisonwood Bible) I read:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/ Lewis Caroll
The Chronicles of Narnia/ C.S. Lewis
The Hobbit (for the millionth time)/ J.R.R. Tolkein
The Wind in the Willows (forget the author and don't have book in front of me)
I also started The Arabian Nights, which can be considered a children's book, but didn't finish it. Do any of you adults like to read children's books just for fun. I find they are so warm-hearted, and its a nice change of pace.

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What's interesting is that he first three books you listed aren't children's books at all.

Great choice, by the way.

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you don't think so? I think the intended audience is about 12 - 15 yrs. I consider that young adult/children.

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Well, children can easily get away with reading those without having to think about what the author was really trying to convey, but I would consider them adult books based on their complexity: Alice's Adventures is an extension of Lewis Caroll's exploration of drugs; Narnia is a whole, long Bible story, and The Hobbit...I guess I read that in elementary school, but I've always considered it a more sophisticated book aimed at an older audience.

I never read The Wind in the Willows or Arabian Nights, though.

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Narnia was intended to be for kids isn't it? Sure, the whole story is a sort of allusion to the bible, but the tone is suitable for kids. If he had wanted to read a more exclusive adult book, he would have written it like Lord of the Rings.

Alice in Wonderland, now that's a book that could very well be an adult book. I read many people saying that it is, and now that I look at it, it really does sound like an adult book. One part in the book was even discussed in an ethical treatise I just read in my philosophy class. The more darker part is the drugs stuff, and the mad hatter, but then it's a dream thing. I'm not quite sure anymore.

The Hobbit was for kids. The Lord of the Rings books has a much different tone and style than the Hobbit. Sometimes the style of writing The Hobbit got a bit frustrating because it seems like he was talking to children, but I guess that's just me overreacting...

The Wind in the Willows was really heartwarming. Don't like the cartoon, but the novel is something else.

Books for young adults are simple and straightforward. They're great.

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yes, i see your point about Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland. In fact, I just read "The Importance of Being Earnest" and was struck with how similar the tone was in the two works. I mean that by the use of puns, and the overall attention to idiomatic expressions that are sometimes overlooked in other literature.

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Is Alice in Wonderland really about his exploration of drugs....I really think real life is sometimes just as absurd as Lewis makes it out to be....the depiction of mad hatter and other such chacters and incidents does not seem hallucinatory to me...i thought it was his attempt to bring out life's absurdities.

I thought the book was just a clever way of using puns, words and math.... like when a charatcter says "If you can see nobody coming down the road, your eyesight must be better than most people's"...

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I agree with chin. In fact, in the preface to my addition it says that it was Carolls objective to play off of the innocences of childhood and the absurdities that children find acceptable through the use of fantastic and odd situations. He could have been influenced by drug use, especially with the Catepillar. But I don't think thats what it is about.

Somebody has been listening to too much "Jefferson Airplane"

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Remember, only recently, has a line been drawn between "Children's Literature" and "Adult Fiction". The YA classification was invented in the 50's.

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Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

If he wasn't on drugs when he wrote this, I have no idea what he was thinking.

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Bella--

He was thinking about portmanteau words.

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Noddy24 wrote:

Bella--

He was thinking about portmanteau words.

So, what does that mean? The blurb not the big word you used. :wink:

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Bella--

Lewis Carroll invented the concept of "portmanteau" words. A "portmanteau" is a bit like an overnight bag. A portmanteau word is packed with several other words:

"Brillig": Brilliant, for sure. Icky? Perhaps.

"Slithy" Slithery....slippery....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau

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Re: A Passion for Children's Books

daniellejean wrote:

I read:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/ Lewis Caroll
The Chronicles of Narnia/ C.S. Lewis
The Hobbit (for the millionth time)/ J.R.R. Tolkein
The Wind in the Willows (forget the author and don't have book in front of me)
I also started The Arabian Nights, which can be considered a children's book, but didn't finish it. Do any of you adults like to read children's books just for fun. I find they are so warm-hearted, and its a nice change of pace.

Wow! daniellejean, you must be my hidden sibbling! Your list is very similar to mine:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: finished it in may (am now in "Through the Looking Glass")
The Chronicles of Narnia: the next book(s) I intend to read (what did you think of it by the way?)
The Hobbit: finished it in may
The Wind in the Willows: bought it for the summer (but as it was with plenty other books, I didn't have the time to start it)
The Arabian nights: reading in progress (the part with Sinbad...)

I read other books this summer, but it's funny that you quoted my recent readings...

To answer you question: YES I definitely like to read "children litterature", even it is often not the appropriate term...

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Bella Dea wrote:

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

If he wasn't on drugs when he wrote this, I have no idea what he was thinking.

It's fun to say this poem out aloud you know... Smile

..it's a whimsical nonsense poem...made of words that sound like real words but arent.

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I worte a paper in college all about the drug symbolism in Alice in Wonderland... you'd be amazed. I really is like reading two different stories.
Also, speaking of Chronicles of Narnia - I can't wait to see it in the theatres!

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I attend Illinois State University and I just took a Children's Literature class, just wanted to answer a couple of the questions.
#1) Yes Allof the above listed books are childrens books. Alice in Wonderland was written for a little girl whose name is actuially Alice. Wonderland was written for her when she was 9 and Through the Looking Glass was written for her ehen she was 16.
#2) No, Alice in Wonderland is not a drug based book, although the author did have an addiction to opium at the time, but who didn't back then Smile

The drug idea came from people who were using drugs associating the different ideals to their own drug culture, a person who has never touched drugs would realize that the caterpillar is actually smoking tobacco and wonderland is a child's imagination.

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DanLong wrote:

I attend Illinois State University and I just took a Children's Literature class, just wanted to answer a couple of the questions.
#1) Yes Allof the above listed books are childrens books. Alice in Wonderland was written for a little girl whose name is actuially Alice. Wonderland was written for her when she was 9 and Through the Looking Glass was written for her ehen she was 16.
#2) No, Alice in Wonderland is not a drug based book, although the author did have an addiction to opium at the time, but who didn't back then
The drug idea came from people who were using drugs associating the different ideals to their own drug culture, a person who has never touched drugs would realize that the caterpillar is actually smoking tobacco and wonderland is a child's imagination.

I agree that the story can be taken either way, but I do disagree that the book definitely does not have any drug symbolism. I don't think there is anyway to know whether or not Carroll intended on referencing these or whether they were open targets for those looking to make symbolism. Who knows?

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Drug symbolism?! Does no one appreciate absurd humor, nonsense rhymes, and parodies anymore...??

Alice in Wonderland, with its clever logic and word play is interesting....if people would only stop looking at it with unnecessary suspicion....why do we overanalyse author's lives and read evil meanings into their works??? Sad

Jabberwocky is abt having fun with sounds...and there's walrus and the capenter - absurdly funny...
http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/walrus.html

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gee - i never thought that adults would ever read childrens books!
(so THATS what they do...)

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A Passion for Children's Books

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