A few years ago a mom came to me and said she was disappointed that one of the books her third grade daughter had borrowed from the public library dealt with inappropriate topics. For the life of me I can't remember what the topics were but I was relieved to find out her daughter hadn't borrowed the book from the school library. Well, we actually had five copies of the same book - it was a Nutmeg nominee. What this mom was dealing with is what a lot of parents deal with - children who are capable of reading books far above their maturity level.
Authors today are dealing with serious subjects. Good authors treat these subjects with care and sensitivity. They create characters who you want to root for and want to be friends with, characters who make you laugh and may make you cry. This is the reality of the 21st century.
I think the two toughest things to be these days is a kid or a parent. I am not an expert on either (although I am a pretty good aunt) but cannot emphasize enough the importance of keeping open the lines of communication. As I spoke with the parent I mentioned earlier, I realized that her daughter had come to her with questions about the book and as it turns out a wonderful dialogue ensued - how great a gift is that? Whether we are parents or teachers (or aunts) we need to be open to the gifts of conversation.
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