What's Missing From Children's Books .. if Anything

[Michael]

Greetings everyone,
As a publishing company, we’re interested in knowing what you all think is missing from children's books, if anything is missing. What would you like to see more of .. Or less of. What have you seen that you love? We want to hear all of your opinions!

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Narrative fiction that incorporates non-fiction subjects, especially beyond historical.

Historical beyond the usual (Dickensian, WWII, covered wagons).
History that's more recent and can be more readily recognized by kids as relevant to their lives.

Say, for example, a chapter book about a young girl who wants to wear bloomers and support suffrage, for example if your writers still want to do historical.

Better yet, a boy and girl who are friends because they both think that Marie and Pierre Curie are doing nifty work. History + Science.

Or, a family's experiences living in Dayton, Tennessee, during the Scopes Monkey Trial. Also History + Science.

More like Katherine Paterson's work, such as The Master Puppeteer, about non-Occidental cultures. What is it like to be a child now in South Africa, hearing about the bad old days of Apartheid? History + World Culture.

I think you get the idea. If not, I've got more.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Also more about alternative families and non-white children that aren't 'issues' books. Have your main character be black, and her sidekick be white, and have it be matter-of-fact. Or your main character can be bi-racial, or have two dads, or be from an extended family. Please no more 'broken marriages' that traumatize kids, though.

Address your diverse audience. Don't show your WASP audience the exotic 'others.'

Let's Get a Pup! Said Kate by Bob Graham has cool parents you can use as examples.

ETA - Gundula's post reminded me, we need more books about people with physical and mental challenges who are people first, who aren't defined by their challenges, and which do not revert to stereotypes. Autism has been covered pretty well, and there are a few good books about ppl who are deaf, but I don't know of any contemporary books that are matter-of-fact about a kid in a wheel-chair, or who is blind, or whatever. If your writers do choose a subject like that, they *must* use several sources for research, and make sure that the kids is "normal" in every way except for the challenge s/he faces.

[Alex]

There is little history for the 3-7yo age group. I have one book on ancient Egypt which is done as a short story following a day in the life of two children, with really age appropriate subject matter and text. It doesn't get bogged down in lengthy explanations or big words but grabs interest from my daughter with things like the kids sleeping on the roof of their house. It avoids the shock-value details of texts aimed at upper primary schoolers, and is a narrative (rather than a dry list of facts) but I'd still call it non-fiction. I'll have to check the name of the book when I get home to link to it.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

All the previous suggestions!!

Classical literary figures beyond individuals like Shakespeare, Jane Austen and the like, and beyond English language literary figures

Books about time travel that show a more diverse scope of time lines, historical periods

Less stereotyping when writing about visible and not so visible minorities

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Alex, that sounds like a good book. More of that would be good, I agree.
There are some biographies for young children that capture something of the context of the time & place the person lived in, but not a lot, I agree. I'm not real good at judging age-apt, but maybe Galileo's Leaning Tower Experiment would be interesting to your daughter? If that looks good, I can come up with a few more like that.

[Angela]

Well-written, attractive picture books with stories pertaining to holidays other than Christmas/Halloween.
We don't have enough good Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's Day, or New Year's Day books - and these are holidays that get cultural attention in America.

There are a handful of nice Hanukkah, and now Ramadan books. Adding some other religious holidays would be wonderful. Holi & Diwali, perhaps? Vesak?

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Good thinking, Angela!
+1