Starting the new year with books

As we start 2009, though of us involved with children's books and media can look forward to another year of reading and evaluating the books published for children. But I'll bet that many of us envy the way children themselves greet the books they find to read. Instead of trying to read coolly and place each book where it belongs in the wide field of "literature", children plunge right in a devour a book. A N.Y. Times column today echoes the feeling of many parents and other adults who wish they could read as enthusiastically as children do. Falling into a book and finding yourself in another world, built by the author and offering a different version of reality than the everyday world, is one of the greatest pleasures of reading. It does come more naturally to children than to adults. As we grow older we think more about plot and character, we question the author's premises, worthy tasks and necessary for developing a true understanding of literature, but it's important to remember that children who read are having a different experience. When we struggle to figure out how children can delight in some of the illogical and flimsy stories they chose, we should think back to our own youth and remember the total surrender to the word. It's something they will outgrow, but while they are there, let them enjoy it.