It there a clear divide between childrens books

On the surface one may feel that there is a clear divide between children’s books and adults. For instance if we take a look at a typical children’s book cover we often find them to be colourful and decorated with illustrations. In contrast to the supposed adult books that often have mundane simple covers.

However, to distinguish if there is a clear divide between children’s books and adults books one must look further than just the cover. By critical analysis it can become a very complicating task to define a child’s book. There are many fundamental definitive factors that can be found in books that have been written for Children.For instance, if we take the example of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C. S Lewis 1950 .

Universally it is recognised as a book for children. It contains the inherent facets of a children’s book. Often a typical children’s book will have a child protagonist. In the classic novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C.

S Lewis. C. S Lewis has not just one child protagonist but four. Very commonly we find the child protagonist in the story is an orphan. Again we can see C.

S Lewis has shown four children that are away from their parents and the typical family nucleus.Moreover, examples of orphanage can be seen in the classic novel of The Jungle book by Rudyard Kipling 1894. In The Jungle book the child protagonist is an orphan found in the jungle floating in a basket by a panther. Another very common feature of children’s literature is the use of fantasy and magic.

Often the use of anthropomorphism is found in children’s literature. As we find in C. S Lewis’s Lion and the Witch and the Wardrobe the children befriend the great Aslan who in fact is a talking lion. Quite similarly as Alice’s adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll 1865.

Alice encounters many talking animals in her adventures in Wonderland. For instance the Rabbit, Cheshire Cat and the smoking caterpillar. Also Relationships that are often depicted in children’s stories tend to be very simple. It is usually a very simple structure of good versus evil and ultimately good triumphs.

Moreover, the themes of a typical children’s book can be considered to be rather light hearted. Dealing with the niceties of life through the eyes of a child. In Alice in wonderland she is able to travel through a world of fantasy and magic.The same as the children C. S Lewis’s The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The children discover a parallel magical world through a wardrobe. They become kings and queens of the magical world of Narnia. However, if one is to research into the history of Children’s literature you can find that children’s books have not always been to provide entertainment and delight. For example if we consider one of the earliest forms of literature read by children called chapbooks. Chapbooks were often written to instruct children of moral social and religious correctness.Chapbooks can be dated back to the early 1800’s.

An example of a Chapbook is the ‘Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan. “Pilgrim’s Progress is steeped in religious symbolism but the language itself is simple and colloquial” (Montgomery 2009 p 16). One of the earliest novels published in English was the tale of “Robinson Crusoe 1719 by Daniel Dafoe. “ Defoe’s novel tells the story of how Crusoe learns self-reliance and eventually religion” However the question arises that do the typical facets mentioned above really determine a book to be a child’s book.For instance the assumption that Children’s books are simple in plot and the depicting of relationships and characters is straightforward.

Hence without subliminal messages or ulterior motives. Yet, can one really testify that children’s books are innocent or straight forward. Surely the ideologies, of an adult author will at some point emerge in the literature. Therefore, does one take a naive stance and assume that children’s writers are responsible enough to be given the power to fashion the thinking and mind-set of generations of children.Or that children will overlook any hidden meanings.

Children’s literature is encountered by children at a stage of their life when they are more susceptible to views and ideologies to shape their thinking. Therefore, the idea a simple plot and character formation cannot be assumed to categorise a child book. Therefore with detection and analysis one can see that even the simplest books are carrying subliminal messages. Does this mean that these books are trying to shape the ideologies of the children as future adults? Quite possible so.

“Remember text for children does not portray childhood as it was or is, but portray childhood as the writers wished it to be seen for political, sociological or dramatic reasons ” (Hunt 2009 p 14). This is a very interesting view Hunt has expressed, as it is very easy as adults to try and choose to remember the niceties of childhood. The feeling of being care free and unaccountable, this is surely a nostalgic perception of childhood. Yet it is strange that as adults we do not remember the yearning to become an adult and take control of our lives.“No kid wants to stay a kid. It is only adults who have forgotten who say ‘if only I could be a kid again The fantasy of childhood is to be an adult” 9Hunt 2009 pg 14) If now we look back we can find countless examples of literature that seems to be for children.

Yet it carries many adult themed undertones. For instance, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C. S Lewis 1950. Is heavily influenced by Christianity. For example Aslan's sacrifices his self to save the human children.

It is an almost certain parallel with the Christian concept of salvation through Jesus.C. S Lewis also depicts one of the children succumbing to evil to fight alongside the evil witch against his family and friends due to an inner power struggle driven by jealousy and envy. Which many adults can relate too in many aspects of their lives. The Thomas the Tank engine stories by Reverend Wilbert Awdery are particularly dark regardless of the colourful engines. The stories are overwhelmed with sexism and class system.

The carriages are all female and the carts are considered working class. (Hunt 2009 p16).Again a child may overlook this undertone, yet his thinking is being educated for the future towards women and class structure. By just these two examples alone one can detect a similarity to the earlier literature of the 1800’s for children. We can see signs of religion and social correctness. Therefore are these books there to instruct in a delightful way? This leads us to the point that are children’s books easy to define to consider a clear divide between them.

Let us now consider “Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone J. K Rowling 1997”.Can this book really be defined as a children’s book using prerequisites mentioned earlier. As we know this book has been enjoyed by millions of children’s and adults from its very first publications. Harry potter contains the fundamental facets of a children’s book.

For instance the main protagonist is a child. The character is an orphan. Furthermore the book is about a fantasy magical world of wizards and enchantment. There is the use of animals and mystical magical creatures.

Moreover, the first edition of Harry Potters Philosophers stone depicts a colourful train with a cartoon illustration of what Harry Potter looks like.From this very short detection we can identify some very fundamental tenets of a book written for children. Yet we know this book has gone beyond its audience as children. It has engrossed millions of adults worldwide.

Therefore, why does this book attract adult audiences. One could say the fantasy world of Harry Potter provides explorations of significant moral issues. The plot seems simple as the good forces fight the evil forces. Yet a semblance of victory does seem to come for the characters on the moral high ground; however it is never a certainty and never an absolute triumph.

It seems that the righteous and evil coexist much the same as they do in real life. Also we find that there seems to be a cost to triumph in the story. For example Voldemorts, banishments seems to have come at the price of Harry potters parents “Harry Potter J. K Rowling 1997). The news that Harry belongs to a brilliant wizardry family is enchanting for adults and children alike.

Furthermore, the fact he is very wealthy and that a marvellous bank is holding his fortune is exciting for an Adult. Maybe an equivalent to a Coutts bank account for the very rich can be imagined.Also the lure of loss and sadness, as adults we often experience the terrible emotions of when we lose loved ones. Thus hid can be related with Harry and his loss of family.

“Harry was looking at his family for the first time in his life”. Also the distrust of professor Snape. Adults can often relate to relationships where they can not completely trust someone therefore the suspense is captivating to see wither this character will come through at the end and join the good side. There is a sense of nostalgic escapism offered in Harry potter.

The fact that most of the plot is set in Hogwarts provides a sanctuary where an adult can escape to become a famous wizard. Much like C. Lewis the lion and the witch and the wardrobe. Where children become kings and queens. To conclude the line between childrens books and adults books is unclear. As discussed we find that often Childrens books contain all the fundamental aspects of a typical childrens book.

Yet they seem to cross over to appeal to adults with the same emphatic reception.Harry potter is different to books like “Winnie the pooh which has been a children’s classic for generations” In Winnie the pooh the “Narrators will address child naratees overtly and self-consciously, and will also address adults, either overtly, as the implied author’s attention shifts away from the implied child reader to a different older audience” “This is the mark of the author who is not comfortable with writing for children, and who winks at the adults. ” An example of this is taken from an extract from “Winnie the pooh” “once upon a time, a very long time ago now, about last Friday, Winnie the Pooh lived in a forest all by himself under the name of Sanders. what does the under the name mean? Asked Christopher robin. It means he had the name over the door in golden letters and lived under it” Yet Harry Potter is different as it is not intended for adults.We know that it was initially marketed by Children Publisher “Scholtatstic” .

Very similar to the classic novels of C. S Lewis and JRR Tolkien. Tolkien in the Hobbit. The Hobbit begins in a manner that seems conventional for a children’s tale “In a Hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit”, yet the story unravels itself into a very serious tale of survival and battle with forces of good and evil.

Very similar to Harry potter and the books mentioned above. To conclude there seems to be no definitive distinction between children’s books and adult books. It seems that many books intended for children eventually gain appeal to adults, as the undertone themes of these books appeal to an adult audience. “What may at first sight see, like trivial or ephemeral texts are in fact immensely powerful.

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