“The first book that a child reads has a colossal impact.” FirstsChildrenBookImpactColossal Author:Joan Aiken
“A children's writer should, ideally, be a dedicated semi-lunatic, a kind of poet with a marvelous idea, who, preferably, when not committing the marvellous idea to paper, does something else of a quite different kind, so as to acquire new and rich experience.” ShouldKindChildrenDoeIdeasDifferentLiteratureRichPoetPaperAcquireDedicatedDifferent KindsMarvelousLunaticMarvellousChildren's Literature Author:Joan Aiken
“since each child reads only about six hundred books in the course of childhood, each book should nourish them in some way - with new ideas, insight, humor, or vocabulary.” WayShouldChildrenBookIdeasCoursesChildhoodSixHundredInsightNew IdeasVocabulary Author:Joan Aiken
“If reading becomes a bore, mental death is on the way. Children taught to read by tedious mechanical means rapidly learn to skim over the dull text without bothering to delve into its implications -- which in time will make them prey to propaganda and to assertions based on scanty evidence, or none.” IfsWayMeanChildrenReadingTaughtEvidenceBotherPropagandaDullBoresPreyImplicationsAssertionTedious Author:Joan Aiken
“Children read to learn - even when they are reading fantasy, nonsense, light verse, comics or the copy on cereal packets, they are expanding their minds all the time, enlarging their vocabulary, making discoveries - it is all new to them.” MindChildrenBookLightKidsPoetryReadingLiteratureFantasyLearningDiscoveryLibraryLabelsNonsenseCopiesReading BooksVersesComic BookVocabularyExpandingPackagesCerealChildren LearningNonsensicalEnlargementIntellectual Growth Author:Joan Aiken
