Feeling Like a Kid: Childhood and Children's Literature

by Jerry Griswold

A lively and illustrated inquiry of how children's literature reflects the curious mind of a child―now available in paperback. Outstanding Academic Title for 2007, Choice Magazine In this engaging book, Jerry Griswold examines the unique qualities of childhood experience and their reappearance as frequent themes in children's literature. Surveying dozens of classic and popular works for the young―from Heidi and The Wizard of Oz to Beatrix Potter and Harry Potter ―Griswold demonstrates how great children's writers succeed because of their uncanny ability to remember what it feels like to be a playing under tables, shivering in bed on a scary night, arranging miniature worlds with toys, zooming around as caped superheroes, and listening to dolls talk. Feeling Like a Kid boldly and honestly identifies the ways in which the young think and see the world in a manner different from that of adults. Written by a leading scholar, prize-winning author, and frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times , this extensively illustrated book will fascinate general readers as well as all those who study childhood and children's literature.

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing, Books About Books, Literary Criticism, Childrens, Adult, Book Club

160 pages, Hardcover

First published November 17, 2006

Reviews

[Neda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. I just couldn't put it down.. Full of interesting examples & quotations from interesting master works in Children's Literature.
And the book is indeed an easy read. Also the appearance of the book: it's a bit bigger than a pocket book & the cover & everything is just lovely.. It's as if you're reading a novel..

Finally the most important idea about this book is that the five major themes discussed in this book, have always been there, we've all seen them but I've not read any paper or books in Children's Literature to discuss them in a somehow academic style..

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-written, concise exploration of some of the primary themes common in children's books but less common in books for adults. A few were missed, of course; Luann points out the predominance of orphans and quasi-orphans in tween stories and suggests Griswold could have had a chapter on "aloneness." She also points out that there aren't a lot of books represented, and most are very old. (Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is probably the most recent.)

That being said, it's also a very enjoyable read, and gave me a lot to think about. And *iff* I wanted to add to my TBR pile, there's a good bibliography. There are also pictures. It's a very cozy and quick read and I will look for more by the author as he has some lovely turns of phrase and insight.

I do recommend this to parents and other educators, and to interested folk like me.

Some bookdart-marked passages:

Quotes Randall Jarrell (brilliant poet and author of fables for all ages), in his poem *Children Selecting Books in a Library,* "Their tales are full of sorcerers and ogres/ Because their lives are."

I'm normally not a fan of Bettelheim, and I don't think Griswold is either, but we agree with him that "If there is no witch to push in the oven, how can Hansel and Gretel become heroes?" (Well, I'm not sure Hansel is a hero; possibly that's Bettelheim's male chauvinism speaking, but the concept is valid.)

Another reason that children's books often have the element of "scariness" is that it makes children feel "wakened-up" and delighted to be playing a game of thrills. When considering whether books are too young for scary stories, consider: "At what age do children recognize the difference between fact and fiction? The answer to that is another question. At what age does the baby laugh when we play the game of 'Boo'?"

I love the conclusion to the chapter "Smallness." It's a quote from Jan Morris about Wales, but applies to children's books, and small characters of same. "Its smallness is not petty; on the contrary, it is profound." (I'd argue that it applies to short stories and poetry for adults, too.)

I need to read an HC Andersen story I've missed, *The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf."

"Cleverness is the mobility of intelligence," and "Melodrama is tragedy from which weight has been subtracted" are two claims in support of the theme in the chapter on "Lightness." I like 'em.

Did you know that the morals to Aesop's fables were added hundreds of years later? So, one could argue that the moral to the story of the Grasshopper and the Ants should be "all work and no play makes one as righteous and selfish as the ant."

[Luann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be quite interesting, although I would have enjoyed it even more if he would have given more examples from contemporary children's literature in addition to the classic stories he cites from. If I were teaching a children's literature class and having students read this, that would be a great assignment for them - to come up with examples in current children's literature of his five themes.

Another assignment would be to come up with another recurring theme in children's literature. My example would be something Jerry Griswold might call "aloneness." I've noticed that in many children's stories, especially adventure-type stories, the parents or adults in the child's life are absent for one reason or another. Many times the child is an orphan. Sometimes the parents are there, but they seem not to notice what the children are doing. This gives the child character a great deal of freedom - much more than most real children have. And thus, a fantastical adventure takes place that is exciting to read.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read book with wonderful classic illustrations - outlines 5 themes in children's literature - snugness, scariness, lightness...

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the right amount of analysis, without the academic nonsense that is often found.

[Rosemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book about children's lit. I love children's lit, in fact, I once took a whole class devoted to it, so I was very interested to read this book.

I was surprised to realize that I've read this author before, Jerry Griswold wrote 'The Meanings of Beauty & the Beast.' You can find it in My Books, although I have not given it a detailed review. I read it a while ago, but I remember really enjoying it. My favorite fairy tale is Beauty & the Beast and I have always seen a lot of hidden meanings in the story. It seems that I have a lot in common with this author.

In 'Feeling Like a Kid, Childhood and Children's Literature,' Griswold identifies the 5 main characteristics that separate children's lit from adult lit. They are: Snugness, Scariness, Smallness, Lightness, and Aliveness. We are all familiar with countless stories that illustrate these concepts, but to have them laid out the way he does really made me think about them in a different way. The book contains quotes from classic children's stories and some great old illustrations from children's books too. Aside from the obvious definitions, Griswold dives deeper into what these characteristics may mean or represent.

Sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what qualifies a book as "for children." I know that I've read many books that have been put in that category that I don't think should be there. For sure, many people think that Harry Potter, for example, has some very dark and grown-up themes. This book helps answer that question, and I am very glad that someone took the time to do so! In fact, it occurred to me that in addition to appealing to fans of children's books, this book might also be of interest to people who write, or want to write, children's books.

Griswold is an English Professor, but mostly writes in a very down to earth way. It was a quick read, and very enjoyable - I highly recommend it.

[Tim Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little book. Small but mighty. Packs a resounding punch. It examines those steadfast elements, themes, and aspects of literature that resonate with kids, and adults who read books for kids, and the authors who write for kids and why they can do it so wondrously. Snugness, Scariness, Smallness, Lightness, and Aliveness. Griswold uses examples from some of the greatest works of literature for children to deftly elucidate these points. I remained enraptured the entire way through. This handy and important book for those who love, write, and/or study writing for young people is a must-have.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

For everyone who teaches or loves children's literature, I highly recommend this book. I'm ashamed to admit that I've never heard of Jerry Griswold, the director of the National Center for the Study of Children's Literature and a professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University. This is likely because he approaches children's lit from an English background while most of my friends and I come from an education background. Regardless of professional stance, this book is worth reading. Griswold asserts that there are five themes common across great (mostly classic) children's literature: Snugness--for example, the cabin in Little House in the Big Woods (I prefer the synonym Coziness); Scariness--this is pretty self-explanatory; how many of us enjoy a book that gives us a good scare? Of course, what children find scary and what adults find scary might not be the same thing; Smallness--not only tiny characters and miniature worlds like those in Stuart Little and the Borrowers, but also the feeling of powerless that accompanies being a child and therefore small; Lightness--both in terms of weight, as in when characters can fly a la Mary Poppins and Harry Potter, and in terms of attitude, where children are, hopefully, light-hearted, especially in comparison to adults; and Aliveness--this would include books where animals, toys and other objects, and the natural world take on the characteristics of humans. Griswold provides numerous examples for each theme, and the book is filled with full-color reproductions of illustrations from some of the books he discusses. He also asserts that by studying these themes in children's literature, we can learn much about the nature of childhood itself. The most fun for me was thinking of other examples of books for each theme, from both my own childhood reading as well as adult reading of children's books. I also remembered many details from my childhood while reading this book: like building forts with furniture and blankets and playing in my treehouse. Given its small format and short length (126 pages without references), this book would be an excellent supplementary text to prompt much discussion in a children's lit class.

[Alissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the five principles he covers in the book: snugness, scariness, smallness, lightness, and aliveness. He gets repetitive at times and the text is equal parts tedious and charming. At times I really enjoyed his word play and imagery, and other times I felt bogged down by them. Overall, I'm glad I read it.

[BJ Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Italo Calvino's epigraph invites to revisit the important books of their childhood, because even if the books haven't changed, their readers have, and the encounter will be a new thing.

Griswold considers five recurring themes in Children's Literature: Snugness: of times and places for daydreams and happiness, Scariness: that can be mastered and that awakens a vivid sense of self, Smallness: that presents alternatives to adult consensus of importance, Lightness: of body, mind, and spirit, and Aliveness: in a 'polymorphous and polyphonic conscious universe'.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a number of books on the subject of Children's Literature. I thought this one was first rate. The author states his opinions succinctly and is never verbose and does not over-reach. I've read most of the books he mentions here and I could easily follow his train of thought and ideas expressed. Well reasoned and thoroughly entertaining.

[Hannah Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very pleasant little read. You will reminisce on beloved childhood stories as you survey the recurring themes of children’s literature, and how they highlight the unique and fleeting experience of being an imaginative child.

Side note, this does read like a long essay, or dissertation, and in the ending acknowledgments I see the author is a professor, so it makes sense. Still enjoyable!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun walk through some great children’s literature. It’s inly too bad more diverse authors aren’t included.

[Abby Frye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read but not lacking in ideas and examples. Fun to read and them examine childhood favorites through the lense of.

[Mary Tsiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, if only slightly superficial in terms of approaches. But it is a lovely edition, felt like holding a children's book, with pictures and all.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful little book with lovely illustrations from many well-loved children's books. In it, Griswold explores five major themes in children's literature in new and interesting ways, through five essays entitled Snugness, Scariness, Smallness, Lightness, and Aliveness. My only beef is that he refers to "classic" children's books pretty much exclusively (The Wind in the Willows, Stuart Little, Peter Pan, etc.). While this might be appealing to a larger audience of adults who are familiar with these books, I thought he could've fleshed out his ideas better with a greater variety of contemporary examples.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jerry Griswold explores the unique qualities of childhood experience and the ways in which they reappear as frequent themes in children's literature. The themes include: snugness, scariness, smallness, lightness, and aliveness. "There should therefore be a time in adult life devoted to revisiting the most important books of our youth Even if the books have remained the same,...we have most certainly changed, adn our encounter with them will be a new thing" (Italo Calvino, The Uses of Literature).
UNC PN 1009.A1 G75

[Wonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for professionals working with children's literature, kids, or simply if you are reminiscent of the feeling you had when you were a child reading. Examines the way that successful children's literature emotionally resonates with children. Beautifully constructed, from the feel and cut of the paper to the cover and page design.

[Jacqueline115 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smiles all through the book, read this in an hour. It divides into themes that we as a child experienced and why books scare us as a child. Books that made us dream big, books that made us feel snuggly, etc.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely meditation on what Griswold identifies as key themes for him in children's literature - snugness, scariness, smallness, lightness and aliveness - beautifully written and chock full of great images too!

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute little book addressing five recurrent themes: snugness, scariness, smallness, lightness, and aliveness. Full of classic illustrations too. A real charming book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most original thesis but still a pleasure to read (and a lovely, well-made book).

[Dan Cornellier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid.