Back when I was little, children's books actually had stories. They were filled with a moral to the story or at least something poignant like a child finding her lost dog. But after reading children's books that are coming out recently, I've noticed that children's books today are not like that at all. They are more simple in plot with practically no meaning or life lesson. And they focus more on the visuals. Which might be a good thing, but the pictures tend to be simple, or disturbing. One children's book I read was called "Algernon Graeves is Scary Enough". The story is basically about a boy trying to find the perfect costume. Each page has the same lines: Algernon Graeves isn't scary enough! Paired with the words are disturbing pictures of ghosts, vampires, spiders, and such that grossed me out. But the girl I was tutoring simply smiled and read the book without much thought, and grabbed the next book. If I read her books like Dr. Seuss's "Oh the places we'll go", which actually have lots of meaning, she'll get bored.
This trend doesn't seem to be just in children's books though. T.V shows and music for kids are becoming less about learning lessons and more about mindless fun. I always hear people say "kids these days are becoming more and more twisted as they come". Could this be because our society is feeding kids with mindless books and media? When I was little, I would read stories about family, friendships, and love. Now the children's books I read are all focused on how some pictures change color and how some sparkle and some don't.
I completely agree! Growing up I loved all the children's books and tv shows we had, but I don't enjoy those of kids i have babysat. Most of the content really is mindless and doesn't teach kids very much at all. I don't know what this will turn into in the long run because things are so different now. I first really started using a computer in elementary school, but my 5 year old neighbor has been playing with her fathers ipad for a year now. There are specialized games and programs on it just for her, so maybe that's a different kind of learning? I am not sure if this is a bad or good thing or maybe it's just different. In her defense I do have to say that she loves my disney VHS videos cause nothing can replace a classic princess story.
ReplyDeleteThe books of our childhood are hands-down the best children's books out there. This is a very bias comment because we grew up with these books, why wouldn't we love them? The books that children read today are not necessarily of less quality but are different. Growing up today is very different from growing up in the 90's which is also very different from growing up in the 50's. Maybe authors think that their new books are taking a better approach at teaching children than the books from the 90's. Many kids read the same books we read as children so even if the new books are of less quality they are still getting taught by older books of our childhood.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we did have some great children's books, we still had some bad ones. I think with the privilege of hindsight we are able to remember the great book and forget the awful ones. These great books like "Oh the Places You'll Go" remain on our book shelves today because they are what we kept from our childhood. The others may have ended up in goodwill or a box somewhere in storage. I think every generation has bad children's books, but the ones that stand the test of time, we associate with our childhood.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little confused when you say "back when I was little, children's books actually had stories." You also said "Oh the Places you'll Go" actually had a moral too. Well, "Oh the Places you'll Go" is actually not our generation, nor is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," books that we think represent "our generation." Therefore, you never really give any specific examples how our generation was "better." Maybe the books of the mid- to late-'90s actually were not that good either.
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling someone would actually make a post about a decline in children's books. Everyone likes to think his own generation is the best. Think of our grandparents and parents thinking our music is bad, while they think they're music was the best. I bet we'll say the same things to our grandkids, "Music from back in the day is a thousand times better than the music you listen to today." So basically, there is generational bias.
I completely agree. This past summer I worked as a camp counselor, and one of my campers was deathly afraid of the pool. In order to occupy her while all of the other campers swam, I would read books to her. The books that I read were maybe the most pointless things I have ever laid my eyes on. The stories were about the color pink, and tiaras... nothing more. I have made sure to save all the books from my childhood because I am aware that in the future, the quality of children's books will continue to decline.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with this theory. I think it is actually because people were following the Disney trend that started in fifties. The movies always seemed to have a hidden meaning, and I think everything else children related followed suit. It seemed like an easy way to teach children, and put less stress on parents. I'm not actually sure why it changed though, why things became more mindless fun. Maybe it is because kids have become more lazy? Not sure. When I'm a parent I hope the entertainment for kids has more substance to it.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you notice this change in children books but maybe the change is in you and not the story books you read. As we get older we tend to view those books as remedial and sometimes meaningless however as a kid being read to makes a huge impact and builds a connection between the child and book. I agree, however, that as times change so do books and literature. Recently, there have been many new technological innovations which changes society's norms and affects literature. Farenheit 451 for example is a novel based on acquiring new technology and the authors fear of the impact it will have in the future. Books and stories are affected by the world around us so the use of more pictures could be a result of these new advances.
ReplyDeleteThis is the truth, simple and matter of factually. I have looked at children's books whenever I pass them in the bookstore or in the library and they are simply not the same. Quality has suffered. The days of hand drawn illustrations have passed and faded into nothingness. Now, with all of these digital illustrations, there is a sense of disconnect and space between artist and reader.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with you when you say morals are lacking in mediums. None of these new books seem to teach anything, only offering an "entertaining" story that could be so much more. Across the board as well, in areas such as TV shows and movies, the modern world has seemingly taken a turn for the worst. Capitalism has ensnared the creative world by making everything about money and making a quick buck. Hopefully things will change in the future, a literary renaissance of sorts.
A boy can dream, can't he?
I completely agree with you Rachel. However, while it is true that media is growing less meaningful, I hardly think WE can judge. The world is full of biases. Specifically biases of older people toward younger generations. My parents and grandparents always tell stories for the purpose of making their own generations seem more "wholesome" than ours. But I guess it just proves that the quality of people is slowly declining, still. On the other hand though, maybe our quality is not declining, maybe it's just changing--adapting to our changing world; a world focused on technology and efficiency verses relationships and love. There is a sadness here, in the things lost, but also excitement in the future to come.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it does seem to be true that the more recent generations are more tech-savy and dependent, I still don't think it is unique to our own. Like Carol mentioned in class earlier, are the younger generations really so different, or are we just always inclined to find differences? I think a mixture of both might be the case; although it is disturbing to see five year olds glued to an ipad screen, years ago children of the same age were glued to screens in front of video games. Perhaps the continuous development of technology will always create a division between generations. I also wouldn't say that technological advances is the sole element preventing different generations from being unified. I believe that people naturally form smaller groups to which they can adhere to, the many differences between generations (social views, political views, prejudice, technology, etc) only accelerate our already existing need to form categories. Think about it, we do it in everything we do. Are you a republican or democrat? Prochoice or prolife? PC or mac?
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that this is occurring is a reflection of what is happening to our society. Due to the new technology present in the world we live in, everything has become easier and appears "right on the surface." The writing of new children's book represents how this new generation is thinking. Instead of having an in depth message that a reader has to think about and understand, the answer is "right on the surface." I agree that this is a shame, and I wish society wasn't going in the direction it is at the pace it is. However, I also am not surprised to see that this notion is now affecting the youth, and has spread to children's literature. It is unrealistic to have children's book be as "old school" and authentic as they used to be if the society they are present in is not. Maybe people will realize this in the near future, and make an effort to bring back the old kinds of messages in children's books that we used to have.
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