Yes, I specifically used this number, 94.7%, from Barnett’s book, Make Believe, mostly “about children’s books for adults” who consume, share, make, and sell children’s books. And yes, I am well aware of how this particular line got him in deep water with the world of children’s book creators: “Maybe more like 94.7% of children’s books are crud.”
Do I think he seriously believes that almost 95% of children’s books are trash? I think he is attempting at humor, trying to shock his readers into paying more attention to the rest of the book to see if he could justify this claim. However, I do think that Barnett truly feels (instead of conducting thorough quantitative research) that there is almost a state of emergency that so many children’s books published in the past 5-10 years fall short of being brilliant, innovative, expansive, revelatory, and soul nourishing.
Since I already knew about this sentence, appearing on page 27 of the 143-page short book, and some people’s extremely hostile reaction to it online, I read it, and moved on. I wanted to see for myself what he has to say about the craft of telling stories to children.
What I discovered is that, I basically agree with almost every point made in this book – especially how bland literature for young readers have been for a while and I wish, as hard as he does, for a new wave of children’s books that, instead of trying to “do good for society” to just be really good books. I equally wish for books that defy convention, get deeper into the human condition, and truly move readers to revelations and epiphanies. What I also discovered is that Make Believe as a persuasive essay is not brilliant, innovative, expansive, revelatory, or soul nourishing. It’s just, fair. Definitely not on the top 5% of books or essays written on crafting literature for children such as those from Philip Pullman or Ursula le Guin, or the wise author-editor duo cited amply in this book: Margaret Wise Brown and Ursula Nordstrom. Does that make Make Believe a “crud” of a literary criticism? Nope. It’s just – mediocre and didactic. It’s kind of ironic that the publisher included the Kirkus Review blurb which calls it a “loving sermon” nodding at its preachy tone (which Barnett finds so undesirable.)
For people who are unfamiliar with children’s literature criticism, this book serves as a quick overview of what might make for good children’s books but I will definitely recommend other books and sources to truly enrich one’s understanding of this vast and beautiful field, such as Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom, compiled and edited by Leonard Marcus (indeed all of Marcus’ titles on children’s literature); Daemon Voices: On Stories and Storytelling by Philip Pullman; and articles published in The Horn Book.
Fairrosa Press 