"Modern children's literature didactically explores cultural preoccupations concerning gender, sexuality, race, and other current societal problems."

-- Dr. Carolyn Wicks, from Trends in Didactic Children's Literature From the Twentieth Century to the Present As Influenced by Secular Educational Philosophy (March 2005), p. 22.

Many parents (and, sadly, teachers) follow the suggestions of various educational and literary organizations in choosing reading material for children believing that such organizations have the children's best interest at heart. Sadly, the case is often otherwise.

Many individuals and organizations that are called "authorities" on children's literature often have assumed the role of "authority" by default because no one else steps up to challenge their ridiculous contentions. As the parent you are ultimately responsible for what your children read.

Look at the quotation above again. Parents would do well to explore the contemporary issues examined by the books to which their children have access to be certain that the issues are handled in a way that is in agreement with the parent's goals for the children. Often, authors' (and academics') various senses of what children should or should not read are quite different from what many parents expect.

Dr. Carolyn Wicks (mentioned at the top of this article) gives parents and educators a stern warning:

A child's mind is a battlefield where didacticism is used by secular humanists to tear down parental authority and religiously inculcate in children the acceptance of all gender roles, all sexual orientations, and all segments of global human culture. This ideological struggle is waged within the print-filled pages of books that delight children while deliberately filling their mind[s] with the popular dogmatism of modern society. (p. 26) [emphasis mine]

Parents who feel responsible for their children's upbringing should make every effort to select for their children books that convey and promote right values, while handling with great care books that promote issues and ideas that are contrary to what is right.

©Copyright 2005-2014, Mr. Merrick J. Stemen. All rights reserved.