An academic-popular hybrid seeks to redeem children passionate
about reading from the derogative label of bookworm.The act of
reading is an active rather than a passive experience, avers Tatar
(Germanic Languages and Literature/Harvard Univ.; The Annotated
Classic Fairy Tales, 2002, etc.). She adopts a personal tone in
this exploration of children's interaction with their literature,
introducing in a disarming fashion her bedtime reading with her
offspring before launching into a brief history of children's
literature followed by closer readings of several sacred childhood
texts. Pulling her examples from both popular sources (she spends a
lot of time with E.T.) and academic (Walter Benjamin figures
prominently), as well as the recollections of her students, the
author argues that a child reading is every bit as fervently
engaged as a child at play. The best children's literature, she
continues, is designed to feed into and play off their need for
wonder and adventure. Works covered include such venerable
favorites as Alice in Wonderland and The Secret Garden but also
roam forward in time to survey the contributions of Norton Juster,
Philip Pullman and Dr. Seuss - indeed, the most piercing and
sprightly observations come from Tatar's reading of The Cat in the
Hat. Despite attempts to keep the tone conversational, the author's
academic roots show: Words like transgressive and anomie rear their
ugly heads, and at times the text feels like a digest of university
lectures. Still, Tatar's genuine fondness for her subject is
palpable. "We can all remember the jolts and shimmer of books we
read as children," she writes. "That is why we revisit them as
adults raising or educating children." And "Souvenirs of Reading,"
a collection of excerpts from writers' recollections their
childhood favorites, is easily one of the most endearing appendices
ever affixed to a semi-scholarly work.Despite the jargon and
occasional stuffiness, a cheering paean to children and reading.
(Kirkus Reviews)
Ever wondered why little children love listening to stories, why
older ones get lost in certain books? In this enthralling work,
Maria Tatar challenges many of our assumptions about childhood
reading. Much as our culture pays lip service to the importance of
literature, we rarely examine the creative and cognitive benefits
of reading from infancy through adolescence. By exploring how
beauty and horror operated in C.S. Lewis s Chronicles of Narnia,
Philip Pullman s His Dark Materials, J.K. Rowling s Harry Potter
novels, and many other narratives, Tatar provides a delightful work
for parents, teachers, and general readers, not just examining how
and what children read but also showing through vivid examples how
literature transports and transforms children with its
intoxicating, captivating, and occasionally terrifying energy. In
the tradition of Bruno Bettelheim s landmark The Uses of
Enchantment, Tatar s book is not only a compelling journey into the
world of childhood but a trip back for adult readers as well."
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