I love traditional children’s literature, because that’s where I find quality, clean kid’s books. Each book I read makes me a promise.
Usually within the first chapter, I know where the book is headed (or at least I think I do), and I know what type of person the main character is.
Nothing frustrates me more than reading along, happily engaged, only to be blindsided by a scene or situation in the story that doesn’t fit the promise I thought had been made. Maybe it’s crude, or inappropriate, unnecessary, or just plain not what I expected. Sometimes I even get angry.
I’ve been part of the children’s book world for several decades as a writer, a mom, and a teacher. Over this time, I’ve seen a pretty dramatic shift away from promises. Everything from vulgar language, to topics way above the developmental level of the reader, have infiltrated the realm of kidlit. At first, this shift was shocking, then frustrating, and now it’s so prevalent that I have to deliberately work to avoid it.
I began to lament, like so many other moms and writers and teachers, “Why can’t we just have traditional children’s literature?” The types of books I grew up with. The books that shaped who I am, taught me hard truths, and guided my thinking with joy instead of darkness. Like Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien, or Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.
From these I learned about respect, love, commitment, friendship, dealing with challenges, and honor. And I learned these things without being lectured to, or shocked into belief. The stories rang true, filled me with wonder, and taught me at the same time. This is exactly what I want for my own kids.
But… kids today are different. They read differently. They engage with characters differently. Technology has changed the way they interact with words, ideas, and stories. Whether we agree with this shift or not, it’s happened. And because of this, classic traditional novels like the ones I grew up with are sometimes tough for them to swallow. They need books that fit the way they learn.
This is why Chicken Scratch Books was born. We only publish NEW traditional literature. Stories written with modern kids in mind, but with the values of classic traditional
We promise you that every book we publish will engage, entertain, enlighten, lift, build, and delight. All without making anyone uncomfortable.
This promise is made to help the gatekeepers of the world.
So, who is a gatekeeper?
Gatekeepers are anyone in a child’s life who helps them find books. This is parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, and anyone else who cares about books for kids. These are the people who choose what the kids will read, and who choose how to shape their understanding.
You are the gatekeeper to your child’s reading world.
And gatekeepers need all the help they can get in finding quality, clean kid’s books.
Here’s a short video about your role as a gatekeeper. It includes –
- 3 vital elements of a gatekeeper’s job
- Examples of what you can do beyond just finding books
- Ideas of creative ways to get kids reading
Click here to access the video Gatekeeper’s Role
Helping gatekeepers get good books for kids is our purpose. So, what can you do? How can you know if a book is a good one or not?
Next time you’re shopping for kids’ novels, think about your role, and do some sleuthing.
We’ve created a checklist that will walk you through the screening of kids’ novels for quality, clean and traditional. Using this checklist can help you decide if the novel in your hand is a good fit for you and your child. Plus, the screening takes less than five minutes.
Carefully choosing a story that will pour into your child’s mind is worth the effort.
Click here to get the PDF Gatekeeper’s Checklist.
Here at Chicken Scratch Books, we want to help you. We will always publish quality, clean kid’s books. But we also understand that there are many other wonderful books out there, if you can find them. We’ll help with that too. Go exploring at Chicken Scratch Books, and see what we have to offer.
The role of gatekeeper is vital.
Let’s work together to help develop young minds.