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Mac Barnett

 My daughter is now at a stage where she states her questions aloud while watching a movie. I've learned that I do not have to answer the questions. She is just thinking out loud. Her questions are spot-on. They are the questions that any engaged viewer would want to explore.


In his new book "Make Believe," Mac Barnett argues that kids are the ideal readers. Their minds have not atrophied. They do not grow impatient if a story "breaks the rules." They are comfortable with uncertainty--because their growing brains have not learned it's possible to *reject* uncertainty. (By contrast, in my old age, I don't have much patience for a novel if it fails to feature a detective. If I can't immediately sink into the standard detective rhythms, I get crabby and anxious.)

Barnett suggests that 95 of every 100 picture books are very bad. But he says this is not alarming, because 90 of every 100 "adult" books are very bad. Barnett argues that many adults do not respect children--so these adults write tedious sermons instead of stories. Parents buy books--kids generally do not buy books. A thoughtless parent feels gratified by a particular homily--"it's good to brush your teeth"--and so the homily gets purchased for the child (who is immediately bored out of his or her mind). This is why bad writers--Madonna, Julianne Moore, Meghan Markle, Jimmy Fallon--are able to get publishing contracts with groups like Scholastic. The CEOs/COOs at Scholastic know that the *parent* buys the book--and the lazy parent will conclude that "Madonna plus dumb homily" equals a worthwhile reading experience.

Barnett's work feels hasty; for example, he doesn't take time to dig into the works of writers who do respect children. Yes, we see a few thoughts on "The Runaway Bunny" and "Goodnight Moon." But what about the works of James Marshall, Tomi Ungerer, Kevin Henkes? I do like Barnett's writing for kids--the "shapes" trilogy, "Sam and Dave"--but occasionally I think he could set higher standards for himself. "Rumpelstiltskin" and "How Does Santa...." both seem less than revelatory.

That thought aside, I enjoyed Barnett's short essays for adults. At the least, Barnett redirects our attention back to "Frog and Toad Together," which includes one of the all-time great kids' stories, "The Dream." I recommend Barnett's newsletter--"Looking at Picture Books"--as well.



P.S. I love Barnett's discussion about ambivalence. One day, his toddler daughter says that she wants to be outside. Changes occur. Then she wants to be inside. More changes. Outside, please. No. Inside. No. Outside. She bursts into tears. Barnett is baffled until he realizes that his daughter is feeling two conflicting emotions. This is ambivalence, the thing adults feel all day, everyday. It's the reason that we have the Sondheim canon.
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