Wednesday, October 15, 2008

New role for series books

Children's books have been used to support many good purposes over the years, teaching moral values and discouraging bad behavior. When John Newbery started publishing children's books his major aim was to teach children to follow the right path in life with Goody Two Shoes. Early children's writers, however, probably never dreamed that children's books would join the fight against obesity. This year a new series of books, Beacon Street books encourage good eating habits in girls. It's a refreshing change from the Gossip Girls whose preoccupation appears to be more and more consumption rather than restraint, and there is some research to support claims that the books can help. Girls who read the new series were more likely to lose a bit of their BMI (body mass index) than girls who did not read these books. The big question is whether girls will flock to reading these books when they are not enrolled in a study. Will the adventure of living a healthy life attract a mass audience? That question rests with the author and publisher of the books, but librarians and teachers will be watching eager to see what happens.

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