Leda Schubert * Writer of Picture Books

Sep 17, 2010 9:55 AM EDT

I think E.B. White said that children are the most demanding audience to write for -- he said you can't write "down" to children, but rather "up," and I think there's a lot of truth to that. While I suppose some chidren's writers come to it with a political or other agenda, I bet most do it because they love to write, they love to tell stories, they love the way children's minds work, they've found a writing voice that works well for children., and they love the challenge of writing convincingly for children.

I once asked Diane Ackerman, a nature writer, whether her writing was driven by an urge to preserve the things she loved and to raise awareness about the natural world, and she replied quite frankly that she writes for purely selfish reasons -- she loves to write, and writes about what she loves, plain and simple. If one of her books happens to cause someone to change their behavior, that's just icing on the cake.

- Brad

Sep 17, 2010 1:18 PM EDT

Brad, I certainly agree with E. B. White. Fascinating comment from Diane Ackerman, whose writing I also love. Thanks.
leda

- Leda Schubert

Sep 17, 2010 1:42 PM EDT

Leda, I hope your reunion is wonderful and life-affirming and friend-affirming - they are lucky to have you organizing it.

I'll say, in terms of writing for children, that though the main purpose is my own pleasure (love to write poems, no matter who the intended audience) I also sense deep within me a desire to help children understand, from a very early age, that the world is a mysterious place, full of wonder and beauty and heartache and complications - nothing is simple, so we should try not to be simple-minded. My goal, if I follow on this desire, is to produce a citizenry that earns its art, that is not as smug and self-satisfied and self-righteousness as all the Tea Party nuts taking over the country right now. I want to suggest that nuance and doubt are good. I ask a lot of questions in my work, and I love to think that kids will learn to ask questions, too.

- Julie Larios

Sep 17, 2010 3:45 PM EDT

Have a fabulous time at your reunion, which is just one way to revisit your own "childhood" (have no idea how old you were at camp...) - writing for kids is the other. Hugs - j

- Janet Fox

Jan 26, 2011 4:03 AM EST

Why write for children? Children's are our just near future we should keep good things for them. Thinking so, I am trying to do so.

- online book shop for children