As an adult, I might
read a review of a book or hear about it from a friend. It sounds good, so I
buy it or check it out of my local library. I also read all kinds of blogs with
thoughts straight from the author’s head and heart—no editor at all.
But most kids don't have access to any book they want. There are gatekeepers between them and the books they
read. Lots of them. And as passionate and well-intentioned as those gatekeepers
are, their own ideas and biases can prevent some children from finding the kinds of books that will help them develop into life-long readers. Gatekeepers vote with their wallets. The books they buy affects not only what titles end up in a child’s hands but also what books are
published in the future.
I worry that the
collective biases of the kidlit gatekeepers are weighted in a particular
direction.
Think about it. Most
editors and children's librarians and literacy educators are naturally drawn to stories and storytelling. They're what I call narrative thinkers.
But there is a whole
different way of interacting with and experiencing the world. Analytical thinkers are straight-line thinkers—scientists, engineers, mathematicians,
computer programmers, accountants, plumbers, electricians, carpenters. Logic, not emotion, rules in the land of the
analytical.
Research shows that these kids aren’t drawn to story in the same way that narrative-thinking kids
(and adults) are. They don’t crave an emotional connection with the
main character in a novel or a central figure in a picture book biography. They want the data,
and then they will interpret it for themselves. They appreciate books
with elements like patterning, analogies, metaphors, and calculations.
I strongly believe that analytical thinkers are currently being underserved
by the children's literature and literacy education communities. We need to honor them by:
—appreciating the value of existing books that meet the needs of these
students
—purchasing more books that will appeal to them (even if they don’t appeal
to us)
References
Caswell,
Linda J. and Nell K. Duke. “Non-Narrative as a Catalyst for Literacy
Development.” Language Arts, 1998, p. 108-117.
Updated in January 2016 to replace the outmoded terms left-brain and right-brain thinkers with narrative and analytical thinkers, which I now prefer.
Updated January 2018 to add references.