What makes great kid lit?
I’ve just spent several fascinating hours reviewing more than 30 submissions to the Writers’ Union of Canada annual children’s story writing competition.
The winner gets $1,500 and the top three entries will be submitted to publishers.
As a first-round judge, my job was to pick out five or more entries worthy of further consideration by a final judging panel.
I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of all the stories. I was faced with difficult choices which reminded me again of what a crap shoot it is for a writer to get her work published.
I ended up selecting seven stories — five fiction, one poem and one non-fiction work, for the next round of judging.
I don’t think I’m giving anything away by mentioning some of the plot lines.
There was a well-told tale of the long necked women of Burma, the usual barnyard creatures piece, one on the flight of the Silver Dart at Baddeck, Nova Scotia, and a piece that brought me tears of reminisence about a boy who is taken by his father every year to cut down a Christmas tree. After his father dies. he continues the tradition with his children.
The stories got me to thinking about what makes a good children’s story. For one thing, they have to be imaginative enough that a parent doesn’t mind reading them over and over again.
This was certainly true of the great kid lit that I remember reading to my children. Anything by Dr. Seuss, especially The Cat in the Hat, and the classic, The Man Who Wouldn’t Wash His Dishes, by Phyllis Krasilovsky.
This poor guy lets his dishes pile up night after night until he finally puts them out in the rain. They all get washed, and thereafter he resolves to do his dishes faithfully every night. My daughter Brenda loved this book and I read it to her time after time.
Thinking back to my own childhood, I recall one unhappy example: Alice in Wonderland. It gave me nightmares, and I don’t think I ever finished it. Today, of course, there’s Harry Potter.
The Canadian author Marie-Louise Gay, who has won major awards for her children’s stories, says kid lit has to be able to appeal to “incredibly brilliant, curious and observant people.”
English author Fiona Smith, at The Crafty Writer, says it’s not hard to tell a good children’s story:
Is it fun to read? Is the plot well constructed with a good beginning, middle and end? Are the characters engaging and realistic? Does the plot line deal with emotional issues without being too soppy? Does it dare to be daring?
Great children’s literature can be controversial as well as entertaining. Deborah Ellis, the Canadian who has written widely for children about the Middle East, got into hot water with her Three Wishes. In it, she tells the stories of Israeli and Palestinian children buffeted by war and strife.
Young readers deserve to be exposed to this taste of reality.
On the fun side, I’m looking forward to the October release of Spike Jonezs’ movie, Where the Wild Things Are. It’s based on that great book by Maurice Sandak. Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world — a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.
A small confession: My interest in children’s stories has been stimulated by the fact that I’m writing a Young Adult book (for readers over 12) on the exploits of one Edward Mallandaine. He’s the B.C. boy in the famous picture of the driving of the Last Spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Who was he, where did he come from, and what happened to him?
You’ll have to read the book!
