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Alexis Vasquez

Professor Helfrich

English 125

02 October 2022

What Children Should Read and Why They Should Read

The topics regarding what children should read and why they should read have been

around for many years. Because of the ever-changing research on children and how adults

perceive them, literature has been revised time and time again to be suitable for kids. As the

book states, “reading critically involves an awareness of literary history, how literature has

changed over time, and what defines different movements, forms, genres, or techniques” (29).

Children’s literature is “coherent genre, not just as a disparate set of texts grouped artificially by

virtue of their intended audience of child readers” (86). Children must read what contains literary

terms and genres because it allows them to be interactive and it demands them to think.

Moreover, it stimulates their imagination.

Literary terms and genres are a crucial part of identifying children's literature. Some

important literary terms include but are not limited to diction, word choice, word order, figures

of speech, imagery, and theme. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss uses informal diction by using a

lot of rhyming while talking about the antics of the cat and the children. Overall, the tone of this

book is exuberant. Dr. Seuss also utilized a lot of imagery not only in this book but in many

others. The fact that this book falls under the genre of poetry but is a picture book allows

children to interact in a unique way than reading a normal book. The Cat in the Hat displays a

phenomenal example of these literary terms with these lines: “Look at me! / Look at me now!'

said the cat. / With a cup and a cake / On the top of my hat! / I can hold up TWO books! / I can
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hold up the fish! / And a little toy ship! / And some milk on a dish! / And look! / I can hop up

and down on the ball! / But that is not all! / Oh, no. / That is not all...” (9).

While children’s literature can be very interactive, it is also a gateway to getting kids to

think. One book that sparks cognition is Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Looking at

the big picture, the book is simple: a young bunny who before going to sleep finds itself saying

goodnight to everything in its room. However, when digging deeper, it symbolizes how children

immerse their worlds with meaning and significance. Two phrases that display the point of view

of a child are “goodnight nobody” (23), and “goodnight mush” (24). They equally show how a

child would place significance on something as simple as a bowl of mush or nothingness. This

creates a significant connection to adulthood because “in evoking childhood memories,

children’s literature provides access to our most foundational emotions or experiences; it is thus

one of the few ways adults can maintain a connection to childhood” (40). Many adults nowadays

have fond connections with Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.

With children’s literature comes imagination. There is a huge variety of genres like

poetry (as mentioned above), drama, and fiction. These genres open doors of exploration to kids.

Dr. Seuss uses a lot of imagery, therefore allowing children to vividly envision what is occurring

and make use of their imagination. With lines such as “Then sally and I / Saw them run down the

hall. / We saw those two Things / Bump their kites on the wall! / Bump! thump! thump! Bump! /

Down the wall in the hall” (21). With the use of onomatopoeia, a child’s imagination will

flourish. On the other hand, in Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, the narrator uses

imagery as well with the phrase “And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush” (7), and

“And a quiet old lady who was whispering ‘hush’” (8). Since this is a picture book as well, it is

easy for the reader to look at the pictures and use their imagination.
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Though the topics regarding what children should read and why they should read have

been around for many years the goal is that “books that are produced for children are books

children read” (83). Overall, while reading The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss and Goodnight Moon

by Margaret Wise Brown, there are clear examples of how it is evident that children must read

what contains literary terms and genres because it allows them to be interactive and it demands

them to think. Moreover, how it stimulates their imagination.

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Works Cited

Brown, Margaret Wise, et al. Goodnight Moon. Harper, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers,

2022.

Hintz, Carrie, and Eric L. Tribunella. Reading Children's Literature: A Critical Introduction.

Broadview Press, 2019.

Seuss, .. The Cat in the Hat. HarperCollins Children's, 2022.

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