| One of our specialties has always been our room for young people, which has passed the test of all our children. Its focus is not so much on what young people should read, or have to read, but love to read. Attached to the doorway is this expression of our basic philosophy: |
In a speech following the ceremony at which he was given the 1978 Nobel Prize in literature, Isaac
Bashevis Singer said, "There are five hundred reasons why I began to write for children, but to
save time I will mention only ten of them:
Number one, children read books, not reviews. They do not give a hoot about the critics.
Two, children don’t read to find their identity.
Three, they don’t read to free themselves of guilt, to quench their thirst for rebellion, or to get rid of
alienation.
Four, they have no use for psychology.
Five, they detest sociology.
Six, they don’t try to understand Kafka or Finnegan’s Wake.
Seven, they still believe in God, the family, angels, devils, witches, goblins, logic, clarity,
punctuation, and other such obsolete stuff.
Eight, they love interesting stories, not commentary, guides, or footnotes.
Nine, when a book is boring, they yawn openly, without any shame or fear of authority.
Ten, they don’t expect their beloved writer to redeem humanity. Young as they are, they know it is
not in his power. Only adults have such childish illusions."
Bashevis Singer said, "There are five hundred reasons why I began to write for children, but to
save time I will mention only ten of them:
Number one, children read books, not reviews. They do not give a hoot about the critics.
Two, children don’t read to find their identity.
Three, they don’t read to free themselves of guilt, to quench their thirst for rebellion, or to get rid of
alienation.
Four, they have no use for psychology.
Five, they detest sociology.
Six, they don’t try to understand Kafka or Finnegan’s Wake.
Seven, they still believe in God, the family, angels, devils, witches, goblins, logic, clarity,
punctuation, and other such obsolete stuff.
Eight, they love interesting stories, not commentary, guides, or footnotes.
Nine, when a book is boring, they yawn openly, without any shame or fear of authority.
Ten, they don’t expect their beloved writer to redeem humanity. Young as they are, they know it is
not in his power. Only adults have such childish illusions."
Why Issac Bashevis Singer Writes for Children
Children and Reading
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Scapbook
