\u201cIf you see a Princess Boy \u2026 will you laugh at him,\u201d the story says. \u201cWill you call him a name? Will you play with him? Will you like him for who he is?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I tried to slip the copy into my kid\u2019s book tote, he began to shake his head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe already have that one at home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This book breaks down concepts around gender and clothing and turns it into something accessible and considerate for readers. I think that as we age, we should continue to read this kind of literature. But to understand why adults should read them, we first need to understand how these books encourage growth in kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What happens when a child is exposed to a vast spread of literature? According to a 2019 research study published by the NIH,<\/a> reading can help teach children cognitive skills, including expressive and receptive language, problem solving and communication. The study also finds that children’s books help kids engage in \u201cperspective-taking.\u201d<\/p>\n Perspective-taking<\/a> is the ability to consider how others perceive the world and apply this knowledge to adjust one\u2019s own world view. This skill not only involves consideration of others, but it also requires empathy and personal growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n Children’s books encourage this exact<\/a> behavior in kids. Not only do they expose children to a full range of emotions, they also push them to engage in the difficult work of questioning their assumptions and challenging the early seedlings of bias (think of the very popular \u201cWonder\u201d or \u201cPercy Jackson\u201d).<\/p>\n So what do they do to grown-ups? According to author Katherine Rundell<\/a>, reading simple literature can be seen as a regression for adults. Many people might see reading like a video game. They played through the easier levels already, so why would they go back?\u00a0<\/p>\n This question is valid, and as we grow as readers, we should continue to challenge ourselves with the books that we select. But what I find so exceptional about children’s literature is the encouragement of imagination.\u00a0<\/p>\n These stories don\u2019t need to be grounded in reality, they can be completely mad. They don\u2019t need to recognize a world order or a class system, they can be thoughtful and empathetic and, oh, the main character happens to be an egg with big round Edna Mode glasses.<\/p>\n Kids books are also just fun. They don\u2019t take themselves too seriously (let\u2019s not forget the story of Madeline<\/a>, whose classmates are so enamored with her appendicitis scar that they beg for one too.)\u00a0<\/p>\n Like children, children\u2019s literature is thoughtful and silly and a little bit impossible. They uphold values of resilience, curiosity and compassion and encourage us to find our own way \u2014 while also reminding us to take life a little less seriously.\u00a0<\/p>\n I think we deserve to dose ourselves with that energy every so often.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nandita Kumar is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at kumarn27@up.edu<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Have something to say about this? We\u2019re dedicated to publishing a wide variety of viewpoints, and we\u2019d like to hear from you. Voice your opinion in The Beacon<\/a>.<\/p>\n