Children's literature has always been a favorite of mine. I knew as a young adult that "The Velveteen Rabbit" was special. It wrapped up love, hope, loss, loyalty, grief, and healing in a way that adult fiction could not without being depressing.
"There are some themes, some subjects. too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children's book." Philip Pullman
Perhaps it is because children do not tiptoe around the hard stuff. They dive right in. They cry the tears. They feel the pain. They get mad and sad, but they press on until they get to a better ending. They celebrate the little things, too.
Winnie the Pooh has not been in a gratitude post for a while, but it may be time to revisit some of my favorite quotes. That bear of "very little brain" had much wisdom about living life well with an eclectic group of characters surrounding him.
Even in our Sunday School lessons, we pull out the scriptures with powerful stories of God's willingness to not give up on humans. Some of my favorites are of the ones who endured hard situations and trusted His heart. From a mother putting her baby in a basket to be found by an Egyptian princess in order to save his life to three young men who faced a fiery furnace before they would bow to an idol, the Bible passages made into children's stories deal with some hard stuff. Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers and David, the shepherd boy who would be king, taught us about God's presence in the good times, the hard times, and in the details of our daily lives.
Jesus used stories when he wanted people to understand hard concepts.
"Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable." -Matthew 13:34
As young parents, the book "I Love You, Forever" could barely be read without choking up and Chase asked for it over and over one trip to Michigan (before Walker was born). Even in our twenties, we had seen enough of the circle of life to be impacted by the story.
Feel free to add your favorite children's books in the comments.
Today, I am grateful for children's books.
No comments:
Post a Comment