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A course by Valentina Toro

MY FAVORITE
BOOKS
In this section, I’ll tell you about four of my favorite children’s books
and what they're about.
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Before we get started, there’s something important you should

know: to identify a good story, you have to read. Read as much as you
can, but if there's a certain type of literature that interests you most, try to
focus on that one and find the best books in that genre. Reading is like
gradually filling a trunk with stories, ideas, resources, etc. When you don’t
“If you are going to
know what to write or how to write it, the best thing to do is to read get anywhere in life,
because, when you do so, you’ll find that books provide potential solutions
to that creative block you’re experiencing. Underline the sentences you
you have to read
like most and always have a notebook on hand where you can write down
what you like and what you don’t.
a lot of books.”
Rummaging through books, examining them, and dissecting
them is the best exercise to work on before writing.
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Peter Pan Peter Pan is perhaps one of the most famous books in classic children's literature, not only

J.M. Barrie because of its narrative but because of the wide array of visual and artistic possibilities its
Illustrated by F.D. Bedford interpretation opens up. J.M. Barrie first conceptualized it as a play, which is why its narrative is so
captivating and enchanting. After many different versions and a lot of editing, it turned into a
piece that lies somewhere between theater art and literature. Both adults and children find it
particularly interesting to read because the narrator constantly invites readers to participate, offer
their opinion, ask questions, be surprised, hold their breath, clap, etc.

Neverland is not only a magical setting where the story takes place, but also a metaphysical space
that can be analyzed from various perspectives. Some critics compare it to our brain, our
conscience, or even our dreams. Likewise, the characters are carefully designed and brought to life
in a way that causes the reader to feel them, remember them, and associate them with real-life
situations. Peter Pan = the rebelliousness and indecisiveness of childhood. Wendy = maternity and
precocious adulthood. The Lost Boys = the need for eternal childhood. Captain Hook = the father
or adult who’s not welcome in a children's world.
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Peter Pan Peter Pan can be interpreted as an adventure book, a fantasy book, or an epic for children, but in

J.M. Barrie essence, Peter Pan is a book about childhood and how we transition out of it little by little.
Illustrated by F.D. Bedford Neverland represents childhood. Peter, Wendy, the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell, and even Captain Hook
represent childhood in each one of its stages all the way through to adulthood.

It's the perfect example of all the narrative tools we can use to discuss a seemingly complex topic.
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Matilda Matilda was the last book written by Roald Dahl, a British writer known for books such as Charlie
Roald Dahl and the Chocolate Factory and The Witches.
Illustrated by Quentin Blake This book, like all of Dahl's books, is full of dark humor and lots of sarcasm, as well as his
characteristic mockery of adults.
Matilda is a gifted girl who loves books and has basically read them all. But, on top of this, she
develops telekinetic powers and can mentally move things through the air.
Matilda is a satire criticizing adulthood and adults’ condescending attitude towards children, as
exemplified by characters like Miss Trunchbull or Mr. Wormwood, who epitomize everything an
adult should avoid becoming.

Matilda is a book that should be read several times because, in addition to dark humor, you’ll find
many interesting creative devices, such as Dahl’s view of childhood and children's heroism, as
exemplified by his characters’ small victories over adults. Roald Dahl successfully creates a world
specially designed for children, where they can be mischievous, audacious, adaptable, and
authentic. His treatment of the relationship between children and adults is borderline harsh, but
that's where this book’s brilliance lies because, ultimately, it’s a child's imagination brought to life.
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Matilda
Roald Dahl
Illustrated by Quentin Blake

In addition, this book (as well as all each one of Roald Dahl's books) includes marvelous
illustrations by Quentin Blake, who reinforces its sarcastic and grotesque qualities with his loose
and carefree linework.
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The Wolves of
Willoughby Chase The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is perhaps one of the most important trilogies in children's
literature in the English-speaking world, but it has become a cult novel, and few people in other
Joan Aiken parts of the world are familiar with it. Its author, Joan Aiken, was a woman who, without any writing
Illustrated by Edward Gorey experience, sat down one day, picked up a pen, and started writing the first chapter of her book.
Almost ten years went by before she was able to continue writing again because she was widowed,
had no other choice but to live in a room with her children, and endured extreme poverty, but she
never stopped thinking about her story, and one day, she finally found the strength to finish it.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase lies somewhere between a romantic novel and a fairy tale. It has
the embellishments of the first and the darkness of the second. Joan Aiken employs a classic tone
to tell the story of two girls (cousins) who are forced to leave the mansion they live in and are
chased down by wolves. Beyond that, it's also an ode to classic European tales, as exemplified by
its prose, its characters’ personalities, and the wolves’ almost ghostly presence.
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The Wolves of
Willoughby Chase
Joan Aiken
Illustrated by Edward Gorey
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Coraline This children's novel by Neil Gaiman is one of the jewels of children's horror literature. Its characters

Neil Gaiman are as comical as they are disturbing, and the narration, which is seemingly simple, gradually leads
Illustrated by Dave McKean the reader without pretension towards a climax that is as terrifying for children as it is for adults.
Although it’s a horror story, Coraline is also about the origins of fear and the determination to
confront it. The moral of the story is that everything we long for is not always what we really want.
One day, Coraline, discontent and wandering through her mundane and dreary life, finds a small
door that at night leads to another house exactly like hers, except it’s not the same because her
mother and father have button eyes there.

Every child has hoped their parents could be like other parents and wanted their home to be like
other homes. That’s exactly what Coraline finds on the other side of the door: a mother (the other
mother) who is willing to grant her every wish, except she’s not really her mother and Coraline
knows it. Something as simple as that childhood longing for our parents to behave like other
parents led Neil Gaiman to create not only an exceptionally dark antagonist, but also one of the
most beautiful novels about the power that lies within us and the courage we all have to face our
fears.
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Coraline
Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Dave McKean

Dave McKean's ink illustrations are full of metaphors that appeal to the reader's intuition in order to
foreshadow what’s about to happen or simply to convey the dark qualities of each chapter. They
act as the perfect complement because they narrate the story in their own way and evoke
emotions that intensify the text.