Thompson

Children are very different from adults. Since a child’s brain is still developing much more rapidly than an adult’s brain, it is important that children’s literature be written in a way that children can comprehend and learn from. The Thompson article discusses differences in writing styles in children and adult literature, fiction and nonfiction. Children’s brains are not nearly as developed as adult’s brains, so they need literature that caters to their level of intelligence.
Many children’s books are written from the point of view of another child character. I think that this is important because it makes the novel easy for a child to identify with. When a story is narrated by a child, the child reader is more likely to empathize and care about the narrator. The child also can relate to the narrator’s thoughts, feelings, and opinions. When narrated by a child, the writer also can write the book in a simple language. The child narrator (who ideally should be the same age as the targeted audience) will have a vocabulary similar to that of the reader. This is good because “scary”, “big” words will not intimidate a young reader from reading.
The Thompson article also addressed specific words and phrases being repeated over and over again. I believe that this is done intentionally in children’s literature. Children are young and do not have a full vocabulary yet. The repeated use of words and phrases helps them to familiarize with what words and phrases mean. They also serve as context clues. If there is a tricky word in the story, the young reader can check the familiar words and phrases around the odd word and figure out what it means. These easier words are also good because they encourage the reader to continue reading. If the young reader were to read something that made no sense to them and they were constantly looking up words in the dictionary, they probably would eventually stop reading.
It was also noted in the Thompson article that there is much more fictional children’s literature than nonfictional. This does not surprise me at all. Children are full of imagination and are constantly finding ways to make games and have fun. Children also have a short attention span. In order to keep their interest, children’s writers must use their own imaginations as well. Harry Potter and Twilight are two best sellers. They both are full of creativity and create a whole new world for young readers to imagine. I know that as a very young child, all the way through high school, even now, I have always preferred fiction.