awesome kids
I cannot post or share this enough!
If you haven't already seen these kids talk about the absurdly controversial Cheerio's commercial, then take a couple minutes and watch.
http://www.dailydot.com/lol/kids-react-cheerios-commercial-race/
These kids have more sense and heart than most adults I know. That's why I choose to write for these kids. It's also why writers and authors for children shouldn't feel the need to worry about censorship issues.
Recently, I took a webinar via Writer's Digest and the presenter said that we should veer from the explicit in Middle Grade, but we can include more controversial issues through a secondary character. The reason being, librarians, booksellers, and teachers are the ones who put our books into the hands of kids. If they find it too risqué, they won't order it an they won't recommend it.
I get it and it's not my mission to corrupt ten year olds through an inappropriate novel, but I do think that kids fall in love with characters who are real and relatable. Real and relatable can include people who aren't going to meet the approval of adults.
It was also very interesting to listen to the interviewer ask these kids, "What did you think about the parents in this commercial?" He then had to go on and ask, "Did you notice anything different about the parents in this commercial?" He had to ask many leading questions and then just come out and say, "Did you notice that they were biracial?" The kids didn't even notice. They just saw a cute kid pour cereal into her Dad's pocket so he'd have a healthy heart.
Kid's have opinions and so much hope. I love that these kids had solutions and ideas to get others to stop worrying about this trivial issue of a commercial with a biracial family. They don't need my writing to tell them how to think, they just need good books.
If you haven't already seen these kids talk about the absurdly controversial Cheerio's commercial, then take a couple minutes and watch.
http://www.dailydot.com/lol/kids-react-cheerios-commercial-race/
These kids have more sense and heart than most adults I know. That's why I choose to write for these kids. It's also why writers and authors for children shouldn't feel the need to worry about censorship issues.
Recently, I took a webinar via Writer's Digest and the presenter said that we should veer from the explicit in Middle Grade, but we can include more controversial issues through a secondary character. The reason being, librarians, booksellers, and teachers are the ones who put our books into the hands of kids. If they find it too risqué, they won't order it an they won't recommend it.
I get it and it's not my mission to corrupt ten year olds through an inappropriate novel, but I do think that kids fall in love with characters who are real and relatable. Real and relatable can include people who aren't going to meet the approval of adults.
It was also very interesting to listen to the interviewer ask these kids, "What did you think about the parents in this commercial?" He then had to go on and ask, "Did you notice anything different about the parents in this commercial?" He had to ask many leading questions and then just come out and say, "Did you notice that they were biracial?" The kids didn't even notice. They just saw a cute kid pour cereal into her Dad's pocket so he'd have a healthy heart.
Kid's have opinions and so much hope. I love that these kids had solutions and ideas to get others to stop worrying about this trivial issue of a commercial with a biracial family. They don't need my writing to tell them how to think, they just need good books.
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