I recently found this old post online. I had missed it back in 2018. It’s not a Caldecott. Or a Newbery. But when you are writing for kids, you want kids to love the book. Sounds obvious enough but sometimes, in the editorial process, you begin to worry about sales and marketing, critical reviews, what librarians think, what retailers think––but kids are the most important readers. We are writing for them, after all—not the parents or anyone else. I was so touched to see The Grumpy Pets get such scores from these elementary school kids. Look at all those dots!
Anyway, this isn’t to boast but to realign my priorities and writing goals going forward.I STILL remember my favorite books a a kid and it has stuck with me all these years. Books that made me giggle, wonder or bring imagination to life…
This week I caught the end of that 80s movie BIG, starring Tom Hanks. It shows just how being an adult can screw up our priorities and complicate even the simplest of things. I love that movie. Childhood is magical and that’s why I chose to write for that age.
