I hope children will be happy with the books I've written, and go on to be readers all of their lives.
Beverly ClearyRead
I don't think children themselves have changed that much. It's the world that has changed.
Interpretation
Children remain fundamentally the same, but their environment and the world around them have evolved significantly.
Beverly Cleary's quote reflects the idea that while the intrinsic nature and characteristics of children may stay constant over time, the societal and environmental contexts in which they grow up can dramatically transform. This emphasizes the influence of external factors—such as technology, culture, and societal expectations—on the development and experiences of children, suggesting that understanding them requires an awareness of the changing world they inhabit.
In practice
In a discussion about parenting styles during different generations.
I hope children will be happy with the books I've written, and go on to be readers all of their lives.
I don't think children's inner feelings have changed. They still want a mother and father in the very same house; they want places to play.
I know that when I was a children's librarian, that was about 1940, boys particularly asked where were the books about kids like us, and there weren't any at that time.
I didn't start out writing to give children hope, but I'm glad some of them found it.
Over the years, I have been approached about making Ramona into a cartoon or movie, but I was afraid that no one could really capture the spunky character of Ramona.
I think the best teachers had a real interest in the subject they were teaching and a love for children. Some of the teachers were just doing their job, but others had that little extra. They really cared about children and they wore pretty dresses.
Whether or not you welcome it, moving house requires you to make choices about the past as you move into the future. What of all of your bits of stuff is truly valued? What should be left behind?
When you have that window of opportunity called a crisis, move as quickly as you can, get as much done as you can. There's a momentum for change that's very compelling.
Most kids just follow the cycle. My grandfather didn't finish high school. My father didn't, and I didn't. But you can break the cycle. You can have a successful marriage and be a good father.
All beginnings are involuntary.
My top priority is for people to understand that they have the power to change things themselves.
This is how a revolution begins. It begins when someone grows tired of standing idly by, waiting for history's arc to bend toward justice, and instead decides to give it a swift shove. It begins when a black seamstress named Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in the segregated South.
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