Children's authors struggle for recognition
#1
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-48437458

Children's authors and illustrators are failing to get recognition, despite huge sales, The Gruffalo writer Julia Donaldson has said.

Speaking at the Hay Festival, she said new books risked going out of print unless the creator had star appeal.

Donaldson has written 200 books, including fiction for young adults and picture books.

But, she said her contemporaries were "certainly not getting the press coverage they deserve".

She added: "There are some great authors and illustrators out there, but because of the way that there are so few bookshops now, and not so many libraries, and that big online companies have taken over, it's a bit much.



Well, there are a few who have managed to obtain recognition in recent years: J.K. Rowling is the most obvious example, but others (like Philip Pullman and Jacqueline Wilson) have managed it.

However, I do hope that celebrities (like David Walliams) don't just completely take over children's literature. All that'll do is reinforce the stigma of it as a 'lesser' branch of literature, rather than a distinct field which requires its own particular skills.
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#2
Whatever. Adult literature is (usually)deeper and superior anyway.
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#3
(10-27-2022, 04:26 PM)JHG Wrote: Whatever. Adult literature is (usually)deeper and superior anyway.

But that doesn't mean children's literature is unimportant. If you want to get young children into reading, then that's not going to happen if you give them a deep, complex novel aimed at adults. They probably won't understand or appreciate many of the themes, and there's a good chance they simply won't enjoy it.

Sure, some children will be exceptions to this - but those are the ones who don't need help getting into reading.
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#4
(10-27-2022, 04:31 PM)Kyng Wrote:
(10-27-2022, 04:26 PM)JHG Wrote: Whatever. Adult literature is (usually)deeper and superior anyway.

But that doesn't mean children's literature is unimportant. If you want to get young children into reading, then that's not going to happen if you give them a deep, complex novel aimed at adults. They probably won't understand or appreciate many of the themes, and there's a good chance they simply won't enjoy it.

Sure, some children will be exceptions to this - but those are the ones who don't need help getting into reading.

Yes and some adult literature just plain sucks period(I keep putting off that Top 5/6 worst adult literature list.)
Who for instance could like Atlas Shrugged but not The Lorax I wonder.
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#5
(This post was last modified: 10-27-2022, 04:48 PM by Kyng.)
(10-27-2022, 04:44 PM)JHG Wrote:
(10-27-2022, 04:31 PM)Kyng Wrote:
(10-27-2022, 04:26 PM)JHG Wrote: Whatever. Adult literature is (usually)deeper and superior anyway.

But that doesn't mean children's literature is unimportant. If you want to get young children into reading, then that's not going to happen if you give them a deep, complex novel aimed at adults. They probably won't understand or appreciate many of the themes, and there's a good chance they simply won't enjoy it.

Sure, some children will be exceptions to this - but those are the ones who don't need help getting into reading.

Yes and some adult literature just plain sucks period(I keep putting off that Top 5/6 worst adult literature list.)
Who for instance could like Atlas Shrugged but not The Lorax I wonder.

Well, they're completely different books with completely different themes... I'm sure there will be some people.

In any case, this thread is about childrens' authors struggling for recognition, not about adult literature (and the quality of specific works, or lack thereof)... so, can we please stay on-topic?
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