Hello, friend.

What have you been reading lately?

Chances are, you’ve been reading very little from the children’s section of the library or bookstore.

And that’s a shame.

C.S. Lewis said, “A children’s book that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s book in the slightest.”

Here are 6 reasons why you, my grown-up friend, should be reading children’s books:

1) You can take a peek at some of the problems facing kids today.

Open up most any book for kids and you’ll see themes about bullying (Geek Guardians by Michael Fry), facing up to difficult situations (The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat), homelessness (The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman), navigating divorced parents and other non-traditional families (The List of Things that Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead), learning how to fit in and how to stand out (A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser), grief (The Wolf’s Curse by Jessica Vitalis), speaking up and speaking out (When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller), civil disobedience (A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon by Karen Romano Young), and social injustice (Thirst by Varsha Bajaj).

2) You’ll breathe a sigh of relief once you’ve peeked because you’ll see that the main characters go on to solve their problems in ingenious ways…on their own or with limited adult help.

Children are our world’s hope for the future.

It’s both hopeful and helpful to get that glimpse of whom the future belongs to.

3) Children’s books are fantastic escapism from the real-world problems that YOU might be facing.

4) Not only that, but you might even learn a thing or two about solving your own issues.

5) A children’s book is a great way to fuel your imagination.

Feeling stuck or uninspired?

Crack open a children’s book and watch your creativity come flying back to you.

6) Nostalgia.

Remember how cozy it was to lose yourself in Paddington Bear or Winnie-the-Pooh, Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, the world of Lemony Snicket or Harry Potter, fairytales and magic?

Get yourself to a library or bookstore and revisit those places from your youth.

Put aside your grown-up reading list for just a bit and read a children’s book.

You already know how the grown-up book is going to end anyway: doom, gloom, and more of the same.

But a children’s book generally ends on that hopeful, high note our souls crave.

Happy reading!

~gail

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