When I was young, I was so interested in baseball that my family was afraid I'd waste my life and be a pitcher. Later they were afraid I'd waste my life and be a poet. They were right.
Robert FrostRead
I believe that a good children's book should appeal to all people who have not completely lost their original joy and wonder in life. The fact is that I don't make books for children at all. I make them for that part of us, of myself and of my friends, which has never changed, which is still a child.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Children's literature should resonate with the inner child in everyone.
In this quote, Leo Lionni emphasizes that true children's literature transcends age and is written for the joy and wonder that exists within all of us, regardless of our age. He believes that the essence of a good children's book is its ability to reawaken the child's spirit that resides in every adult, making it a universal experience rather than a mere children's genre.
Themes
ChildrenBooksJoyWonderCreativityArt
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote to inspire writers at a workshop focused on children's literature.
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