Kidz Book Buzz – Jimmy Stars, Day 3

Are kids’ books just for kids?

Hardly. Yet many adults distain reading children’s literature. I can only speculate as to the reasons. Perhaps because of the child protagonist, perhaps because of the coming of age nature of so many of the stories. Perhaps the plots seem too simple or too straightforward.

Yet great children’s books are among the classics. Parents who read to their children often discover these great stories first, then spread the wealth to their friends. Teachers, too, and librarians mine the gold in these great books.

For those resistant to children’s literature on principle, it might be helpful to point out some of the strengths of the best kids’ books.

First, the really good kids’ book have universal themes, something that is certainly true about Mary Ann Rodman’s Jimmy’s Stars, the debut feature of Children’s Book Blog Tour, set up by Kidz Book Buzz. Death, promise keeping, war, sacrificial suffering—these themes in Jimmy’s Stars are timeless and timely. They are important for adults to think about as much as for middle graders.

Second, the really good kids’ books have really good characters, including the adults of the story. Since all adults were once kids, there ought to be elements of the kid characters that remind an adult reader of what they once thought or what their own growing up process entailed. They can also view the interaction of the young characters with the adults through the eyes of the children—always informative.

The adult characters in Jimmy’s Stars are the perfect example of well-written adult characters in a children’s book. Including hero Jimmy, they were written in such a believable way—shown as the child point-of-view character saw them, but with enough action to let the adult reader realize the child was an unreliable narrator. What Ellie saw was not the whole story about these adults. Toots wasn’t just boisterous and aggressive. Jimmy wasn’t just attentive to Ellie. Miss Granberry wasn’t out of touch with her students.

In addition, well-written adult characters make choices that impacted the children. This in itself is a reason for adults to read children’s literature. It is never a bad thing to be reminded that children are people, that they listen and learn from adults, even when adults are just being themselves and not trying to make an impression.

Which leads to the next point. Even adults who have already come of age can learn, grow, and change. In fact, I tend to think learning is a hallmark of life.

Two quotes from Jimmy’s Stars: “P.S. Don’t forget to let the joy out.”
“There are worse things than dying, Jimmy had said. Like not really living while you are alive.”

There’s something to think about, something to learn from. Was Jimmy right to think that living is letting the joy out? Or might living be letting the learning in?

Take some time to see what others are saying about Jimmy’s Stars.

01 Charger, A Childhood of Dreams, A Mom Speaks, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Book Review Maniac, By the Book Reviews, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Buzz, Looking Glass Reviews, Maggie Reads, Maw Books, Small World Reads, The Friendly Book Nook