Children's reading: entertainment, enlightenment and education
Guest author Hilary Hawkes began writing books and poems when she was only 8 years old. She was 19 when a magazine published 12 of her short stories. Her 'Strawberry Jam' books are for pre-school to age 12 readers. The series includes a project called 'The Friendship Adventure', which highlights 'awareness of differences, disabilities, uniqueness in everyone to stories that link to fun activities and games'.
Hilary has a degree in publishing and English, together with qualifications in nursery and pre-school teaching. 'Little Chestnuts Pre-school' uses fun stories, games and rhymes 'to enhance alphabet knowledge, thinking and pre-literacy skills'. She's written non-fiction books about Aspberger's Syndrome, Autism and Pre-School Choices.
Here, she writes about how she sees the purpose of children's books, not just for their entertainment value but for educating and enlightening the minds of young children, to make them more aware of the need for kindness, compassion and acceptance of the differences among peoples in today's world.
Strawberry Jam Books
by Hilary Hawkes
Authors (and
especially children’s authors) have been known to claim that creating books is
one of the best jobs in the world! And book lovers, whatever age, know that
reading is one of the most pleasurable and beneficial pastimes. “The more you
read the more things you know. The more that you learn the more places you’ll
go” said Dr Seuss. And “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies…the man
who never reads lives only once” warns George Martin!
I’ve always
loved the idea of children’s stories that don’t just entertain (or help with
literacy skills) but that are on a bit of a secret mission too: Stories that
spread the values of kindness, inclusion or understanding or that are gateways
for children to explore things going on in their lives or that help them feel
nurtured and valued.Stories can be used to help children understand that people and people’s lives are all different or that differences in likes, abilities, physical and cultural or racial differences are good things and not reasons to fear or exclude or bully.
Difference is good too!
One of my really favourite quotes is this one from the well-known and much loved author AA Milne “The things that make me different are the things that make me”. How important it is to help children realise that their own uniqueness and individuality are things to nurture, value and celebrate – and that this is true for everyone. Difference is not only good but needed too.
I also
believe there is such a thing as ‘story therapy’! And by this I mean stories
written with the specific aim of nurturing, encouraging, comforting or
directing so that they become a gateway for the reader or listener to feel and
understand their own emotions or find answers or solutions to difficulties that
may be going on in real life.
Strawberry Jam's aims
My aim with
Strawberry Jam Books is to create exactly those type of ‘on a secret mission’
stories, from picture book stories that nurture self-worth, caring or
friendship; to story-themed projects for schools or children’s groups to
stories that are intended to be shared by an adult and child together that help
children deal with emotional upheavals.
A lot of
authors, parents and teachers prefer children’s books to steer away from what
they see as “issues” – thinking stories should be just fun and an escape from
real life. Actually, I think children’s stories should always be fun and
entertaining and, as fiction, an escape from real life. But I also believe that
children’s books have always had the extra purpose of influencing and expanding
the minds of young readers or listeners. Stories are unobtrusive and
non-threatening and when the natural influence that they have is enhanced they
offer children so much more that can add benefit and richness to their minds
and lives.
Hilary's website can be found at: www.hilaryhawkes.co.uk/ It contains a link to the Strawberry Jam books. She can be contacted at: hilarymayhawkes@hotmail.co.uk
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