Children are not afraid to be a little afraid...

So I'm still hanging out at the insane asylum of writing. T'is an addiction I cannot be cured of. I am a slave to its vagaries. What does it say about you when you know all the drawbacks and you still insist on queuing up for another round of craziness - if the strait jacket fits?

I checked out a lovely post on Libba Bray's blog t'other day. She waxed lyrical about the movie version of Where the Wild Things Are seen the night before. Her review makes me want to see it. I want to watch the snow fort scene. But one of the things she said flicked a lightbulb switch on in my brain. Some adults have worried my picture book The Were-Nana might be too scary for their children. Folks, Ms Bray has this to say about such things...

"Some folks on Twitter asked if the movie was too scary for a five-year-old/seven-year-old/fill in with age here. I loved Maurice Sendak’s response. Apparently, he said that if the adults were too scared, they could go and let the kids stay. LOL. But it’s true. I think kids are much less afraid of the darker, sadder aspects of life than we give them credit for. It’s the adults who can’t quite bear that sadness. It’s as if we, too, fall victim to magical thinking; we think we can protect kids from life’s inherent injustices and cruelties, from the knowledge that things fall apart, that our anger is powerful, and that, ultimately, underneath it all, we are alone in a big world in a vast universe. And we try to bridge that loneliness with our connection to other people, people who disappoint us as much as they love and complete us. Life is hard. Growing up is hard and it never stops. Thank heavens for art."

I wish I had been this eloquent on this subject in the past. And isn't it better too, to come across difficult topics in a book or movie where they can be discussed and understood and learnt from, rather than facing them, unprepared, in real life. Books can teach you all sorts of unexpected things that can help you overcome all sorts of troubling and difficult things in life. Don't fear books that deal with hard subjects. And children value these book experiences. Children love The Were-Nana. They are not afraid to be a little afraid.