I'm not going to ask how it got to be August already. Nope. I'm just wondering where the previous seven months went.
I subscribe to The Passive Voice, A Lawyer's Thoughts on Authors, Self-Publishing, and Traditional Publishing. In his blog, PG (the lawyer who does not give legal advice) often includes snippets from posts by a variety of sources.
Last week, he included a list of the best-selling children's books of the 20th century. I'm glad it was best-selling, more quantifiable than "best". So many best lists, which always make me wonder who decided something was best. But, I digress.
What surprised me about this list was how many could be listed as paranormal. Children's books. Paranormal. Here's the list so you can see for yourself.
- The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince), Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943) 140 Million
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J. K. Rowling (1997) 120 Million
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll (1865) 100 Million
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis (1950) 85 Million
- The Adventures of Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi (1881) 80 Million
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling (1998) 77 Million
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling (1999) >60 Million
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling (2000) >60 Million
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling (2003) >60 Million
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J. K. Rowling (2005) >60 Million
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling (2007) >60 Million
- Heidi, Johanna Spyri (1880) ~50 Million
- Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery (1908) ~50 Million
- Black Beauty, Anna Sewell (1877) ~50 Million
- Charlotte’s Web, E. B. White (1971) ~50 Million
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter (1902) 45 Million
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (1969) 43 Million
- The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame (1908) ~25 Million
- Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (1963) ~20 Million
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl (1964) ~20 Million
Link to the rest at InfoPlease
I've read 15 out of the 20. As a girl, I read Anne of Green Gables. I read Charlotte's Web, Where the Wild Things Are, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to my students. Who hasn't read The Wind in the Willows or The Very Hungry Caterpillar to their children or grandchildren?
Who's surprised that the Harry Potter books are on this list? Not me, that's for sure.
I love the fact that so many books, geared to children, contain elements of magic, other worldly, fantasy. Appeal to the imagination, make kids wonder, stretch their minds. When I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I didn't know what paranormal was. I just knew C.S. Lewis had created a magical place. (My son gave me the whole set of audio books, so I've "read" the end. No spoilers here, but what a surprise.)
The range of release dates for these books also surprised me--1865 to 2007. Not just recent releases. Some books have weathered the test of time. My grandmother and mother read Anne of Green Gables. My mother-in-law collected Beswick china Beatrix Potter characters. I just saw the movie about her life. So interesting.
When we write for children (of any age), we need to respect their intelligence. No talking down to them. That's a real turnoff. At the same time, we need to include elements so our readers can identify with the characters. We want to challenge their reading ability without making it so difficult they give up. Most of all, we need to challenge their imagination.
My oldest grandchildren are fifteen and almost 13. They devour books. It was a disappointment for them that they couldn't read my books. Maybe in a few more years. 😊 Since our family are die-hard Star Wars fans, I knew if I wrote a story for them it had to be in space. Rescuing Mara's Father is a space adventure for middle school and up.
Have you written a book geared to children? Or young adult? What was the biggest challenge?
