Insist on Quality Books for Kids
Help Us to Avoid Living in a Post-Literate Society
Demand Quality in Books for Children. You can do that. But how?
- Do you ever go to a public library. Before you go the next time, print out today’s article as hard copy. Bring that with you to share with your library’s acquisitions librarian.
- Also, if you have a child in elementary school, please share a printout of this article with the school librarian.
- These executives are often overwhelmed with work. Yet they are also readers. If you give them a copy of this article, they may read it. Which would count as an act of service for your community. imo.
How come? And why did I write this article in the first place?
Shocking But True
Much of today’s kid lit is well written. Some is even superb. But don’t take that for granted. Today you’ll learn how many books for children have the lowest standards you can imagine, short of pornography.
At least, I never could have imagined how bad these books might be. Including many books at my own beloved library — the Loudoun County Regional Library, in Sterling, Virginia.
Keep reading and you’ll learn ways that, like me, you can demand quality in books for early readers.
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #1.
What Qualifies Me to Critique and Review Kids’ Books?
I have reviewed thousands of books on Goodreads. Most of them are books for children.
What qualifies me to review these? If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that I’m a teacher and writer, the founder of a field called Energy Spirituality®. This is my main job, where I aim to help people use their full potential in life: Trademarked systems (11 of them) with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office attest to the rigor of the skills within this field.
Originally I found Goodreads interesting because I’m an author. Recently, I’ve became involved in responding to questions about my writing. Since Goodreads has an “Ask the Author” feature. I’m a fan.
- Although I’ve had three of my books selected by a major book club.
- And I’ve sold 44 sets of foreign rights to my books.
- Plus, I’ve given over 1,000 media interviews about Energy Spirituality specialties . . . .
Despite all that, Goodreads is the first platform that has allowed me to discuss my perspective on writing. You can even find a blogpost here that quotes all the Q&As I’ve done so far.
Long story short, I have reviewed 4621 books as a Goodreads reviewer. So far! Many of these are books for children.
Why Do Books for Children Interest Me So Much?
One clue is the graduate program where I worked toward earning a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. Halfway through, I dropped out of New York University. You see, I realized, my greater passion was to teach adult education, personal development. So I began that in 1971. Professionally I’ve never looked back.
Nonetheless, I learned a great deal during that first year of graduate study. Particularly interesting to me is what I learned about the cognitive development of children aged 7–11. That is, elementary school students. Actually, this is a topic I’ll return to later in this article.
Eventually I became a mother whose son learned to love reading. Now, at age 34, Matt is still a reader. Fact is, he went on to get a Ph.D.? This is a clue. To this day he prefers books that are more challenging, intellectually, than today’s so-popular graphic novels. (According to a survey from 2023, Manga works now comprise 43% of high school graphic novel purchases.)
Back in the day, yes, I did some volunteering teaching at my son’s elementary school. Teaching matters to me. In keeping with that, I believe that I can make a contribution to society by reviewing mostly kids books on Goodreads.
And how big is that platform, anyway? As of January 2024, Goodreads has over 125 million users. Amounting to a little over 1/3 of the entire U.S. population.
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #2.
What Happened Last Night to This Book Reviewer?
Typical for my ideal schedule, last night I reviewing five easy reader books for Goodreads. Along the way I came to a book called Kala and the Kites. A Shapes Adventure.
When I set out to review this on Goodreads, what happened?
The book wasn’t listed. Meaning, the publisher had never bothered to list it.
Look, later in this article I’ll return to the rest of my story. You’ll learn some pretty icky details. But first, I’ll take examples from this normal-looking kid’s book. Let’s go into specific examples of what was wrong with it. Yes, I mean WRONG.
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #3.
The Author’s Name Isn’t on the FRONT Cover
Did you know? With many kids’ book today, the series name appears on that front cover. Not the name of the author. Hello, isn’t it fair to acknowledge the author on the front cover?
Most authors don’t get paid much, you know. At least they deserve that traditional recognition. Unless the book is a product of AI.
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #4.
The Author’s Name Isn’t on the BACK Cover, Either
Nor on the spine of the book.
What are authors anyway? Why would they matter to today’s publishers? Apparently, they don’t matter much.
To find the name of the author, you may choose to hunt down the book’s copyright page.
In my experience, sadly, sometimes no author is listed there either. For instance, Kala and the Kites doesn’t bother to acknowledge the author at all. On the copyright page who is listed instead?
- The Editor
- Direction (Huh?) Yep, “Direction and Layout.”
- The Illustrator
- Oh yes, how about the unimportant author? My public library affixed a sticker with the ISBN, the book title, and the name of the author. Only done by my library. Nothing published in the book credits the author.
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #5.
The Publisher Lists the Book’s Illustrator Only
Hello, what is wrong with that picture?
And yes, toward the end of this article you’ll find my scariest thought about this: how America may be turning into a post-literate society.
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #6.
The Publisher Doesn’t List a Valid ISBN Number
These numbers are identifiers, protecting the intellectual property of the author.
Soon you’ll see how I found out that Kala and the Kites has no valid ISBN. Just keep reading.
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #7.
When the Back Cover Tells You NOTHING about the Book
To some degree, smart readers can tell a book by its cover. At least, if a book’s back cover catches your interest. Obviously, back covers aren’t just some kind of meaningless lid. On back covers, a competent publisher makes a pitch to sell the book.
What kind of a publisher doesn’t bother to offer that minimal degree of support for their books and authors?
Turns out, plenty of today’s publishers of kid lit don’t bother.
How can that be?
By all means, COMMENT below and share your thoughts on this. For the life of me, I don’t understand how publishers could show such disrespect for books and their authors.
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #8.
The Publisher Doesn’t Bother to Describe the Book, Either
Guess what else! On Goodreads there is no description of the book.
From what I understand, both publishers and authors can list their books on Goodreads. As part of the process, they can supply copy to promote each book. You know, let potential readers learn about their book. Why why might want to buy it.
Sadly, count the publisher of Kala and the Kites among those publishers who don’t bother. Why not?
Feel free to COMMENT personally with your ideas about this. What is the point of publishing a book when it receives no support in book listings for the public?
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #9
The QUANTITY of Illustrations Might Be Impressive
All those colorful pictures would be impressive . . . if looky-looky were tantamount to reading. Only is that true?
Even worse, if you take a closer look at those pictures . . . .
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #10.
The QUALITY of Illustrations Can Be Shockingly Poor
When readers are young, does that make the stupid? Then what are some of these publishers thinking!
- With Kala and the Kites, the illustrations are in the style of a TV show with cheap animation.
- Photos are especially popular. In many of these, the child models look uncomfortable. Or two models who are supposed to be talking together, well, they don’t seem to be making eye contact at all. Maybe one of them is Photoshopped in.
- Another example is a book cover I saw recently. Photoshopped images that do not read as believable. Like the book cover for Blueberries Grow on a Bush. Only the cover shows pretty foliage that is not a blueberry bush. Little trios of ripe blueberries are Photoshopped in. Unconvincingly.
Hopefully that’s a problem for bright seven-year-olds. Unless they’ve already begun to indiscriminately accept everything they see as “real.” Artificial intelligence becomes a scarier prospect when children don’t learn to use their HUMAN intelligence.
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #11.
The Visual Emphasis Is Overwhelming
What do you find if you open up a book for young readers? And yes, these are what I’m reading these days, rather than picture books for even younger children, nonreaders. What will you find? Most of the emphasis is on pictures.
For instance, with Kala and the Kites, on a typical page, I’d estimate:
- Words take up 1/8 to 1/3 of the space.
- All the rest of each typical page . . . is pictures. Just pictures.
Do today’s publishers understand that educational books for early readers, books that are sold to school libraries and public libraries . . . . The purpose of these books is to help children to read, to learn, to develop concepts. Not just to gawk at pictures.
Insist on Quality Books for Kids #12.
Many of These Books Convey Very Little Information
Pictures aren’t lacking in this little book, but ideas sure are. What were the author and publisher thinking, designing a book where a little girl makes “A Craft”?
And it gets worse. Supposedly this generic little girl uses measuring to make her “craft.” Only by the time that she has cut out her little pseudo-butterfly, guess what? It’s pretty obvious that no measuring was really needed for this purpose.
She had no need to make a rectangle first, and measure its size with a ruler. Beyond unconvincing, this “Book about Measuring”!
Speaking of lacking, many books published for early readers will demonstrate a total lack of appreciation for cognitive development. In many of my book reviews on Goodreads I point that out. See those specific examples to gain new respect for the educators who write the best books for young readers.
Many Kid Books Make Blatantly False Promises
“Measure the Rainforest” is the subtitle here. Which happens to be a lie, since no measuring of any rainforest happens in this book.[/caption]
In “How Slow Is a Sloth?,” the main title, may be cute. But this book sure under-delivers. Especially since there’s a claim, made early on. A claim is featured prominently on the front cover: “Measure the Rainforest.” As if that ever happens in this limited little book!
Instead we learn a small number of facts, such as this:
- How does the body length of a Hercules beetle
- Compare to the length of its horns.
Similar facts are provided about the size of other rainforest animals. But hello! Does that count as “measuring the rainforest”?
Not in my reality. How about yours?
At the above link you can find details of my review for Goodreads. But already you know more about this book than the publisher evidently does.
What do you think, Readers, of false promises made on the front cover of a book? Especially when it’s a book written for impressionable children? Young humans who are slowly developing a sense of values, such as learning what it means to tell the truth.
By all means, COMMENT at the version of this article at my personal blog. What do you think about all this?
Back at the Earlier Story about This Reviewer, What Happened. . .
Regarding My Review of Kala and the Kites?
When I tried to review this little book on Goodreads, what happened? I couldn’t find it listed on the Goodreads platform.
As an author myself — being an indie publisher — I felt sorry for the under-recognized author of this book. So I took time, and care, to list this book on Goodreads. A favor for the author and also the publisher.
Hey, it takes time to fill in the Goodreads screen for book listins, with much data required. Still, I felt glad to do this work. I hoped to help to bring that author some recognition. Eventually I got to listing the ISBN, which I double checked.
That’s when my listing bounced. An error message informed me that this ISBN did not exist.
As I recall, I started again from scratch, still wanting to help the poor author. Once again, I filled in all the data. This time I checked the ISBN at least three times.
Again, an error message informed me that this ISBN did not exist.
Infuriating!
I felt like I’d been slapped. Even worse when I realized this: Four previous times I had tried to help out a fellow author. Doing my reasonable best to put up a proper listing on Goodreads. Volunteering that helped nobody since, for each book, the listing bounced!
Hello, from now on, I’m out of the business — doing this kind of charity. Grrrrrr.
Back when I was still spending my time to help authors stuck with these publishers, sigh! A few times, at least, I have been able to list a book, gaining it space on Goodreads. Still, enough already!
Summing Up
According to some authorities, America is in danger of becoming a post-literate society. Seems like that to me. Why might such a dreadful thing happen?
- How publishers and readers treats authors: Could that be a factor?
- When publishers disrespect their authors, like omitting due credit from book covers? That could be a factor.
- As I’ve seen lately, too many books for kids make false claims.
- Or they display poor-quality visuals.
- Meanwhile, have you noticed this widespread trend about giving books credit? Relatively few people today either italicize a book title or put it in quotes. That includes the cream of the crop, folks who comment at my indie author’s blog.
What Happens When Book Titles Blend into a Paragraph?
Not Acknowledging Books. That’s What Happens
Maybe that’s akin to talking about you to other people. And folks don’t mention you by name.
That’s like referring to Kala and the kites. Rather than bothering to present that book title as Kala and the Kites or else “Kala and the Kites” !
Folks, you may never have thought about the importance of giving credit to books. Do our two conventional ways in English for recognizing book titles as such, are they that big an inconvenience?
What are the consequences? When folks use neither italics or quotes, the title of a book washes away in the vast sea of words on the internet. I’m not sure how a research study would measure this. My hunch, though, is this. When a book title isn’t shown properly, using either italics or quotation marks, what then?
- Readers are less likely to search for it.
- Casual viewers are unlikely to buy it.
- Thus, the trend to NOT value books gains momentum.
Why Read Books Anyway? Why Bother?
Readers, I sure hope you have an opinion about that. How about sharing that in a COMMENT, here?
According to the results of a survey held in the United States this year, the share of Americans who had read more than 12 books in the last three months stood at 5% in February 2024.
What about the share of Americans who had read zero books in the three months running up to the survey. That was 28.5 % of American Readers.
The sad takeaway would be that over 1/4 of American adults don’t read books at all.
Really, Do You Want to Live in a Post-Literate Society?
Anecdotal evidence has convinced me this is happening. For instance, I had a long-term client, “Gladys.” Repeatedly she told me about how she would hang out at a Starbucks for the purpose of meeting people.
Typically, she and her new pal would show each other their photos. All the pix stored on their phones.
Taking turns.
And that would be their entire “conversation.” Seriously!
Gladys had a high-level job as a professional. Yet it never occurred to her to exchange ideas? AKA, talk to the person she was trying to meet. Other than say something like, “Oooh, pictures. Let’s share.”
What a non-literate, non-conceptual, imagery-centered kind of “conversation”! Does this sound familiar to you, Readers?
Among Other Things, Literacy Is a Civil Rights Issue
Last year, the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), “the nation’s report card,” showed that not even half (43%) of 4th graders in the U.S. scored at or above a proficient level in reading.
And for marginalized students, the numbers are far worse:
- Just 17% of Black students
- And 21% of Latino students
- Just 11% of student with disabilities
- And 10% of multilingual learners
Your thoughts, Readers? Would you like to see American literacy go down the drain? Perhaps, like used bath water. And yes, some of you have heard of Collective Consciousness. You know it has power over each of us, influencing us subconsciously.
Yes, influencing you and me subconsciously, as described at the article just referenced here.
In Conclusion
Books have been important to human civilization throughout recorded history.
In the West, books have mattered since the days of Johannes Gutenberg.
Let’s not let books die out on our watch. Articles on the internet or in your favorite magazine can prove helpful to you. Like this one, perhaps. :)
However, mere articles will never replace the depth and thoroughness, the originality and power, the full range of thought . . . that a book makes possible.
Just as skim-reading something on a screen, hello! That is no substitute for holding a book and reading it properly.
Btw, the previous link takes you to one of my favorite books. “Reader, Come Home” is by Maryanne Woolf. (While the latest link takes you to my Goodreads review of her remarkable nonfiction book about the vital importance of literacy.)
Yesterday we passed a new comment conversation milestone, 142,000 comments. Not bad, for a one-person blog that is MONITORED.
