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Lifegfefls Thursday, Feb. 19-25, 2015 Page 4B
Club allows adults to
discuss children’s literature
Kidliterate members, standing from right, Sarah Trowbridge and Laurel Snyder, and, seated from left, Corey
Jones and Jennifer Burrell, gather at Charis Books and More for their January meeting.
by Kathy Mitchell
“Adults talk about children’s literature when
only adults are present differently from the way
they talk about it when children are present,”
observed Laurel Snyder, one of the founders
of Kidliterate. That thought was behind the
creation of the book club for adults interested in
discussing children’s literature.
“Some of us have children. Some of us work
with children and all of us were children, so
we’re interested in what’s available for children
to read,” Snyder said.
Member Corey Jones, a mental health
professional, said she finds that many adults
with mental disabilities prefer reading books
written for children.
The first meeting of what members describe
as “a new kind of book club” was held in
September 2014. The group, which meets at
Charis Books and More in the Candler Park
area, reads one book each month, alternating
between one written for children and one
classified as young adult fiction.
“We look for books that push the boundaries
of what kidlit is ‘supposed to do,’ and give
preference to stories that some might call ‘edgy’
or ‘controversial.’ We seek books that offer
exposure to the world our kids are growing up
in, as well as imaginary landscapes,” Snyder
said, adding that the group also tries for a mix
of books by male and female authors as well as
authors of various ethnic backgrounds.
“There’s nothing wrong with children’s books
that are sold in the national chain bookstores,”
Jones commented. “We just want people to look
at a wider range of books. It’s OK if your child
is reading a book about unicorns, but if the last
two books she read were also about unicorns,
maybe it’s time to look at some of the non
unicorn books out there.”
“The national book sellers have a huge
influence on what children are reading. There’s
no getting around that. We just want to broaden
the range of what they’re telling us to read.
When books that explore topics that aren’t
usually in children’s books are available, people
will buy them,” Snyder said, recalling a book
fair at which a book about a child who used a
hearing aid sold out quickly.
“People tend to shy away from controversial
topics when they’re writing or choosing books
for children, but children can handle a lot more
than you think they can,” said Jennifer Burrell,
another member of the club.
The book the group discussed at its Jan.
27 meeting was Inside Out & Back Again by
Thanhha Lai, a novel in verse about Vietnam
refugees.
“It gave me some interesting insights into
the Vietnam war,” Snyder said. “I was a child
when the war going on and I only knew it as
something my parents were against. I really
didn’t know anything about the war.”
Children’s books that go beyond colorful
fantasies and stories of fairs and birthday parties
also provide a basis for discussion of serious
topics between parent and child, Snyder said.
“If a child asks about death or gay relationships
or some other matter that’s bound to surface in
their everyday experience, the parent can say,
‘Do you remember that book we read about
that?’ and the book provides a starting point for
the child to express his or her feelings and for
the parent to explain things that might otherwise
not be easy to explain.”
“I’ve never stopped reading children’s
literature,” Burrell said. “I read other books too,
of course, but I love reading books I can discuss
with children who read them as well.”
The club’s structure is informal. There are no
officers, dues or strictly enforced rules. “You’re
expected to read the book,” explained Sarah
Trowbridge, another founding member, who’s a
librarian. “But we aren’t hardnosed if someone
didn’t get to finish it; we know they intended to.”
Meeting in person, Snyder said, is important
to members. “There are lots of blogs and online
book clubs, but what’s said online is available to
everybody, including the authors and publishers.
We wanted a space where people could discuss
books freely and not be concerned about what
those who have a stake in those books think
about what we say,” she explained
Members chuckle recalling an online request
for minutes from their last meeting. “Like we
take minutes,” Trowbridge said.