The author reflects on a teacher's request for 'safe' literature for students, prompting a critical examination of literature's role in childhood. Instead of comforting sentiments, literature should embrace complex emotions and realities, helping children navigate fear, grief, and uncertainty. The author invokes the perspective of their grandmother, Madeleine LâEngle, emphasizing that stories are not merely for evasion but a vital engagement with life. Comforting narratives may shield adults' fears but limit children's growth and understanding of the world.
"I haven't been able to stop thinking about that sentence. Because literature is not meant to make children-or their parents or teachers-feel safe. It is meant to prepare them for the world."
"Childhood is not a time of simplicity and ease. It is a time of deep questions, raw emotions, and the first encounters with life's great mysteries."
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