Hello, friend,

A few weeks ago I wrote about why reading middle-grade and children’s fiction is good for adults.

If books help shape children—and I think they do—then can they not also shape adults?

Surely we’re not beyond help.

I guess that’s debatable, and I suppose a lot hinges on how open a person’s mind is.

I do think, though, that as we grow up and mature, we tend to forget about possibilities, all those things we thought might happen to us or for us as we grew up.

I believe that children’s books help us remember not only the possibilities we once believed and might believe again, but also offer some “aha!” moments about fears and families and maturing and forgiveness and Life.

If we’re not careful, they may even lead us to feel kinship with others. (What?!)

There are so many pearls to gently remove from the oyster of children’s books.

Here are a few.

Making Sense of Life, People, the World

“You can’t judge people for the mistakes they make. You judge them for how they fix those mistakes.” (Wish, Barbara O’Connor, Chapter 17, page 131 Kindle version)

“Someday. It’s a word that’s dressed up like hope but is really sadness…It feels like a wish but is almost always a surrender.” (The Midnight Children, Dan Gemeinhart, Chapter 12, page 89 Kindle version)

“Sometimes a day has a change of heart and decides to take you where you want to go.” (The Very, Very Far North, Dan Bar-El, Chapter 14, Kindle version)

“I can only tell you what is happening now. Everything else is just possibility.” (The Very, Very Far North, Chapter In Conclusion, Kindle version)

“It was important to me to hear how [he] survived after losing everything he loved.” (Because of  Winn Dixie, Kate DiCamillo, Chapter 16, page 103 Kindle version)

“…[he] figured the world was a sorry affair…and that he was going to…concentrate on putting something sweet in it.” (Because of Winn Dixie, Chapter 17, page 105 Kindle version)

“Impossible doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying.” (The Good Thieves, Katherine Rundell, Chapter 3, page 19)

Growing Up/Becoming an Adult

“She just missed those days when she was younger…when she didn’t know so much about the world.” (The Girl Who Saved Christmas, Matt Haig, Chapter Amelia Gets Angry, page 263)

“Nothing…has to be what it has always been.” (The Midnight Children, Chapter 59, page 337 Kindle version)

“…sometimes what the world needs most is just a happy ending. And they do happen….” (The  Midnight Children, Chapter 59, page 339 Kindle version)

“She must have been in the early stages of grown-up, as she only had the first faint symptoms around the eyes.” (The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels, Beth Lincoln, Chapter 6, page 57 Kindle version)

“—but things change…And if she could become so different in only a few days, what would the Shenanigan of next month decide? Or next year?” (The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels, Chapter 35, page 337 Kindle version)

“She was struck with a peculiar feeling of having been well and truly seen….” (The Magician’s Elephant, Chapter 19, page 199 Kindle version)

“The dark-haired girl had the face of someone who had seen a lot and wouldn’t mind punching most of it.” (Rooftoppers, Katherine Rundell, Chapter 20, page 199)

“…there would be people who would never hear my one small voice…but then a thought occurred…if my life was to be just a single note in an endless symphony, how could I not sound it out for as long and as loudly as I could?” (Wolf Hollow, Lauren Wolk, Chapter 22, page 228)

Fear and Anger

“If there’s something you’ve always wanted to do, and you get the chance, you probably ought to do it.” (The Midnight Children, Chapter 18, page 138 Kindle version)

“Before, she had seen the cellar as an adventure. Now, she was grown up enough to be afraid.” (The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels, Chapter 30, page 285 Kindle version)

“How was anyone supposed to stand up straight and open-eyed when luck could decide everything?” (Wolf Hollow, Chapter 8, page 72)

“As long as there were caskets so small, there were no miracles.” (The Miraculous, Jess Redman, Chapter 3, page 20)

Family, Friends, and Home

“The point of the Reunion…was just an excuse to bring everyone together as a family and find the worth in one another.” (The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels, Chapter 34, page 324 Kindle version)

“But home wasn’t just a piece of land. It wasn’t just one family, all alone. It was bigger than that. It was being connected with the people around you, too.” (A Sky Full of Song, Susan Lynn Meyer, Chapter 21, page 148 Kindle version)

“…he sometimes thought that if he and Tomas hadn’t met when they were little, they would never be friends now.” (The Miraculous, Chapter 7, page 46)

Endings (Beginnings!)

“And that, after all, is how it ended. Quietly. In a world muffled by the gentle, forgiving hand of snow.” (The Magician’s Elephant, Chapter 18, page 193 Kindle version)

“She spoke the words of all heroes, criminals, and escape artists. ‘Let’s get out of here.’” (The Good Thieves, Chapter 23, page 227)

“And they would stay for a while…and find the miracles hidden in the darkness.” (The Miraculous, Chapter 48, page 304)

“And so she gently…stepped out of the sleigh and into the magical possibility of her future.” (The Girl Who Saved Christmas, Chapter Home, page 311)

Some of these quotes are so pretty, they’re just a pleasure to read.

Find your own meaning in them and in the stories you read.

But I hope you’ll consider reading a children’s book.

It may just do your heart good. Let me know.

Until next time,

~ Gail

Before you go, don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list, below: