To all those who love children’s books, sometimes we wonder what it is about a book that captivates children and adults. Books should always have good themes, valid characters, and always be believable. Stories should be people centered, not problem centered. Too many stories have society’s problems dumped into them.

Good books should contain heroes and role models for children to imitate. Our culture’s survival depends on the children of today. If they are to make a difference in the world, children need to learn about love, justice, courage, and compassion.

Stories should entertain and arouse a child’s curiosity. Children should hear and read stories for pleasure, laughter, and fun, and sometimes nonsensical and imaginative stories that have no useful information or lesson, just plain and delightful fun.

Whatever the genre, a great book should be an enjoyable read, make the world a better place, and incorporate heart, humor, hope, and help others in the process.

We spend large amounts of money and time teaching children to read, but we have failed to teach them the enjoyment of reading. Today, two out of three children either can’t read, won’t read, or hate to read.

By fourth grade, most children lose interest in reading altogether. However, studies have proven that there is a definite link between reading aloud and future reading skills.

Reading aloud is one of the most important gifts to give a child. It is the first step on the road to their becoming life-long readers. With the decline of moral values in the world, and the high rate of illiteracy (the inability to read on a fourth grade level), it is critical that our children learn good values and reading skills.

Our culture’s survival depends on the children of today. If they are to make a difference in this world, children must be taught love, justice, courage, and compassion. Through literature, children learn about people who contribute something of value to others’ lives, who make hard decisions, and who have the courage to overcome adversity. Books should entertain, arouse curiosity, and shape and sharpen concepts about other people. Children need heroes and role models, and literature is one of the best ways to teach these values.

Very few children learn to love books without help. They need to be shown the joy and pleasure found in exploring the world of children’s literature. The joy and warmth from being read to should be every child’s birthright. It gives dignity, intelligence, and love to the reader and listener.

Stories are marvelous gateways to a world of delight, laughter, wonder, and adventure. Children cannot always discover these books on their own. They need adults to introduce them to books with well-chosen worlds that communicate wonder excitement, and pleasure. Books are not a substitute for life, but a grater life can be experienced because of them.