For Other Professionals
Blogs About Reading
Page by Page
Reading Rockets' children's literature expert, Maria Salvadore, brings you into her world as she explores the best ways to use kids' books both inside — and outside — of the classroom.
The voice of the story
It's not easy to write a book for children, one that resonates with young readers and works as literature. Many people seem to underestimate the power of a well-written story — one that demonstrates respect for the form and for the potential reader.
Maybe that's why so many books by celebrities — everyone from pop singers to football players — fall short. Lots of these books emphasize Message (yes, the capitalization is intentional) over the pleasure of language, universality of experience, and meaning.
But I've recently been reminded of another kind of book for which celebrity contribution can be significant: the audio book.
It's easier for my family to agree on audio books than on a radio station while we're in the car. Recently we've listened to "Rip Van Winkle" read by Anjelica Huston, and Garrison Keillor's reading of "Johnny Appleseed" on American Tall Tales Volume 1 (Listening Library/Rabbit Ears).
Try as I might, I couldn't get my son to read either of these traditional tales, but when read aloud by these professionals the stories were absolutely riveting. I'm reminded that stories told are powerful, and that audio books are a good way to share the telling — in cars or at home.
It's a great way to bring stories to life — and a fine way for celebrities to contribute in a meaningful way.
You've made an important point -- and that is simply that an individual's response to a reader's voice is as important as response to a writer's voice. And in neither should Message be sole focus.
Comments
Totally in agreement with you about "Message" books. I was just warning a friend about this danger today, and noting how often celebrity books succumb to the temptation. I agree somewhat about the audiobooks, though I found Brendan Fraser's voice distracting on the audio of Inkspell. I kept thinking "that's Brendan Fraser", and although he did a good job, it took me a bit out of the story.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | August 10, 2007 09:20 PM