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'Zero' critical conversation narrowing children's book choice, says Cottrell Boyce
Children’s authors Frank Cottrell Boyce and Robin Stevens have said the lack of critical discourse and the under funding of libraries has resulted in a "narrowing down" of the choice of books parents are picking up for their children to read.
Cottrell Boyce took to Twitter to vent his frustration on the lack of critical discourse about children’s books, before being interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s "Today Programme", alongside Stevens, on Tuesday 13th December.
"Report after report has shown that reading for pleasure is a key thing of children achieving happiness — it helps attainments at school, but most importantly it makes them happy," he said.
He said the choice of children’s books on offer seems to be "narrowing down" and that there is no critical discussion about children’s books, which hampers their visibility in society.
"I don’t think that’s the fault of writers and publishers — there’s not the critical discussion there needs to be, around children’s books at all."
"There’s a books out there fore everybody, but nobody in the critical sector is [highlighting] this, apart from a few stalwart heroes."
"If I write a really bad movie that opens and closes in one weekend I am still guaranteed a lengthy review in each national paper and probably a slot on ’Front Row’, ’The One Show’," he said. "I write a towering work of comedy genius for children — which I do most years — I will be bloody lucky to get a sentence in a round up of summer reads."
On Twitter, the Millions author said without even leaving the ’p’ part of the alphabet "you can list books that are worth more to this country than most industries — Potter, Paddington, Winnie the Pooh — billions of income yet zero attention from the arts media. There is no longer a widely known prize for children’s literature now that the Guardian has dropped theirs and the Carnegie has been repurposed as a YA prize."
People moan about celebrity authors but the reason publishers turn to big names is that there is ZERO national converation about children's books.
— Frank Cottrell-Boyce (@frankcottrell_b) December 11, 2022
Stevens, author of The Ministry of Unladylike Activity series (Puffin), said underfunding public libraries is making the problem worse.
"I think its the name recognition is a problem — it means that children don’t have access to people who know books, who can recommend them, because we are missing that connection point, and so of course parents reach for established brands.
"We are not connecting kids and parents with new voices, and its a huge huge problem".
Stevens added: "Publishers really want to get books into the hands of children — but there is a lack of space in stores and supermarkets."
"What cuts through is names that already have recognition."
She added that schools should place more value on reading in the curriculum, and in society generally. "I think that would [make] the conversation change".
Children’s authors recommended by both authors included Sharna Jackson, Elle McNicoll, Joe Coelho, Patrice Lawrence, Phil Earle, Serena Patel, Maisie Chan, Nadia Shireen, Polly Ho Yen, M G Leonard, A F Steadman, Liz Pichon, Louie Stowell, Sam Sedgman, S F Said, Ross Montgomery and Sarah Todd Taylor.
