Written by Mister Wilson-Astoryplus Children’s Books
The higher goals in children’s books are to empower children. The objectives then should be for writers to give them something they can use to be smarter, wiser, and more skillful. To empower children is a very worthy goal for children’s books. Who doesn’t want their children to emerge from a read with an expanded imagination, new concepts, new practical skills, and independent thinking? After all, to advance children’s development is at the root of providing them with good books.
To empower children’s stories is to fill them with conveyed qualities you hope that children would some day adopt for themselves. Great qualities such as good work ethic, bravery, charity, cheerful nature, or a will to help others etc. should be written into the themes. All these are thought to be good add-ons to the creation of well balance human beings. Many of these things are not so easily written into children’s books and even when they are they may be overshadowed by a more dominant theme.
One way in which to empower children is to allow them to see characters model the behavior for them. So now the children get to hear and see a situation developed like one that they may encounter or may want to avoid encountering in the future. They get to see how the characters attempt to resolve the problems presented to them. The example then gives children at least one possible solution to use should a like situation happen to them.
Characters who are resourceful and enterprising may be perfectly fit to empower children. Obviously in these stories there will be a need that is unmet in some way. The solutions to the problems are not easy and immediately solvable. The circumstances are not necessarily or immediately grave so there is time to plan a right solution. To resolve the problem the character must first think of a solution and then must make use of what limited resources that are available. With a plan and the limited resources, the character must complete the first phase that is critical to the plan’s success. This first phase usually involved learning or doing something that they have never attempted before. But by completing this unfamiliar task the bigger goals are at least made possible. Unfortunately, the bigger goal presents subsequent hurdles or obstacles that may delay or even prevent the success of the mission. Of course, the character finds that something within themselves that is up to the challenge and against the odds accomplishes their ultimate goals.
Children’s books that provide characters that are resourceful and enterprising offer a lot that is highly desired. First, they are by nature stories that encourage children to think of solutions that require planning time and energy. Their lessons teach that solutions that are not immediately available are not the only or best solutions. They convey those hurdles or obstacles are no reason to turn back or quit. Second, it allows children to see that problems may be resolved in phases and not by one all or nothing action. It may be useful for children to know that not all problems have cut and drive solutions that are as simple as drawing a straight line from point-A to point-B. Third, they give the children hope, faith and courage to face unfavorable odds. Children may learn to see that what may be impossible today can be made more probable tomorrow by a few smaller action steps. Last, children through reads of this nature may begin to see and anticipate hurdles and pitfalls that will allow them to imagine and devise more thorough plans for the achievement of their goals. Written by Mister Wilson-Astoryplus Children’s Books
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