I'm an Adult - Why Am I Reading Childrens' Books?

Let’s face it – some of the best writers being published today are writing for children (or young adults). You only have to mention Phillip Pullman (His Dark Materials) or J.K.Rowling ( Harry Potter) to see what we mean.

There is a long tradition of children’s books being read and loved by adults.

Alice in Wonderland, Swallows and Amazons, Black Beauty are all classics that were originally written for children. In fact, you will find that more adults have read ‘The Wind in the Willows’ than children.

For the really sensitive, there are ‘Adult Versions’ of Harry Potter, or ‘The Dog That Barked In The Nightime’, but to be honest, there is no shame attached to reading these books. They are all very good books. As are Eoin Colfer’s ‘Artemis Fowl’ books. In fact, sci-fi and fantasy prove fertile ground for cross-over books – see Garth Nix for example. And the ‘Twilight’ series of teenage-vampire-romance (now there’s a genre!) appears to be enjoyed by adults and teens alike. There are even websites and forums dedicated to the books for adult fans.

‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas’ by John Boyne is a spare and powerfully affecting story of the Holocaust aimed at younger readers but which has meaning for older readers too. And adults and children can read this book in different ways, not least because adults will know more of the background and can see the whole picture, in a way that younger readers probably wouldn’t.

Writing for younger readers often means that the writer is forced to use a greater clarity and simpler language in order to get his or her message across. At its best, this can make for a shining simplicity of prose that can almost blend into poetry.

I will never forget a ghastly rain-drenched holiday in Florida only made bearable by reading Pullman’s masterly saga for 2 weeks! Whenever I think of ‘The Subtle Knife’, I hear thunder and heavy rain! Many people enjoy these books because they can be entertaining and insightful, without being too ‘heavy’ or ‘difficult’ in the sense that a lot of adult fiction can be.

If you haven’t tried these books before, perhaps because you thought they were only for kids, why not give them a go?

I'm an Adult - Why Am I Reading Childrens' Books?