What I found truly interesting about most of the texts we had to read so far is that none of them really factored in the opinion of the child in any ideas presented. Beverly Lyon Clark didn’t ask whether children disliked being treated like children she just stated they should be seen as “peers”. Ms. Rose clearly states that she won’t address the opinion of the child but she never really explains why not. I was really bothered as to why that was. Mr. Nodelman, unlike the other two authors, seems to address this concept of an implied reader- that most texts are crafted towards a certain reader: adult fiction is written for adults and children Literature is written for the child as much as for the adult. This seems like something somewhat easy to reason out so why then is it that Ms. Rose in her second chapter and even Ms. Clark in her introduction and first chapter seem to ignore the child’s seemingly obvious and important opinion? Honestly I think it comes down to two things.
Number 1: No one is created equal. Meaning to say no adult thinks the same so who could say that any child does? There is no one hive mind for children dictating what is this and what is that. Each child becomes different in their different cultures, religions, social class…the list could go on and on.
Number 2: Branding of literature into separate categories is a trial. Saying that “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is a children’s book is somewhat pushing it considering the symbolism strewn throughout the pages. As Ms. Rose pointed out, the same goes for “Peter Pan” with its sexual undertones. In the end then, who is it really that picks up a children’s book and says “I want this one!” and walks out of the store with it. Is it the child? Perhaps, but as it turns out it seems to be only after the adult has taken a good look at it and said either, “Hmmm Mary, I don’t believe you’ll like this book,” or “Sure honey lets go get it.”
One final issue arises however from both of these possible explanations that is contrary to Mr. Nodelman‘s exclamations. If the adult, in the end, has the final say, is there really an audience of children out there to write literature for or is it really the parents one has to win over? And even building on that if there is no hive mind for children then what can we say about adults? Meaning to say isn’t all literature really written for no one except for the author to express something they couldn’t in life?? I am unsure of the answer to either issue.