I know of Rabbit Room Press and Waxwing Books by reputation and admire what they are both doing – they exist for exactly the reason we've been discussing, because their founders care about quality, well written living books. The fact that presses like these exist, and more and more of them are emerging is encouraging. The appetite for not only children's books, but all kinds of books that aren't drowning in twaddle and identiy politics is growing.
Brilliant distillation of a very real problem, Vincent! You noted that "the same moral lessons are embedded" in books published today, and this in and of itself was a problem for Charlotte Mason. She did not believe children should be manipulated to have a pre-determined take-away from any text, yet modern publishers routinely cudgel readers with just that. There is real danger in preventing the development of a child's moral imagination when they aren't allow to grapple with a text and make sense of it without such heavy-handedness.
I also very much appreciated your remarks about sensitivity readers. Looking forward to the next installment!
This is such an interesting article. I’ll be thinking about it for a while. I wish there was a way to help guide parents to non-Big Five publishers for their kids. There are so many wonderful small publishers creating excellent works for kids (and that care less about profit & more about the moral imagination of our kids)! We need to amplify those publishers!
Hi Kailyn. Yes indeed, and as C.S. Lewis said ‘The world does not need more Christian literature. What it needs is more Christians writing good literature.’
“Twaddle” is such a perfect word because it sounds harmless until you realise how much damage it describes.
I especially liked the point about children not needing language to be pre-chewed for them. A good book should give a child something to climb, not just something to consume.
Thank you very much! That means a great deal, especially coming from you.
Your piece made me feel that education, at its best, should leave a child with a sense of height — not intimidation, but invitation. Something worth reaching for. Something that asks for attention, patience, and a little courage.
I was especially moved by the way you resisted making childhood small. So much writing about education tries to make things easier to digest; yours made the case for giving children something with a bit of mountain in it.
That, to me, is a rare and generous kind of seriousness.
A good essay does not simply explain an idea. It restores dignity to it. Yours did that beautifully.
Thank you so much. To hear that this resonated with you in Japan is genuinely moving.
Your phrase about 'a sense of height – not intimidation, but invitation' is beautiful, and captures exactly what I was reaching for. The conviction that children deserve something with real weight and beauty in it – something that asks a little of them rather than flattening everything down – seems to be a quietly universal instinct. The fact that it crosses cultures and languages so naturally tells us something important about the truth at its centre.
Thank you for taking the time to write. It matters enormously.
Hi Alisha. This something I think about a great deal, and in my opinion self-publishing is the strongest option in 2026 and going forward, despite the enormous amount of work involved. As far as I see it, it is the only way to go for authors who care about the quality of their finished book and who are not writing twaddle. Traditional publishing increasingly optimises for market categories and the bottom line, rather than quality, as touched upon in the essay. Besides which you have to get past the gate keepers, which is currently extremely difficult. Blessings and best wishes Vincent.
Thankyou for the input, very helpful. What are your thoughts on smaller boutique publishers like Rabbit Room Press, Waxwing books, etc? Or are they just as hard to get into as the bigger publishers?
This was so interesting to me. Thankyou for writing this! I love children’s books, but find myself only reading the ones from my own childhood to my kids. I am so rarely drawn in to a newer book.
I know of Rabbit Room Press and Waxwing Books by reputation and admire what they are both doing – they exist for exactly the reason we've been discussing, because their founders care about quality, well written living books. The fact that presses like these exist, and more and more of them are emerging is encouraging. The appetite for not only children's books, but all kinds of books that aren't drowning in twaddle and identiy politics is growing.
Hi @Shannon Richardson Thank you so much for restacking. Best wishes Vincent.
Absolutely! It’s excellent!
Brilliant distillation of a very real problem, Vincent! You noted that "the same moral lessons are embedded" in books published today, and this in and of itself was a problem for Charlotte Mason. She did not believe children should be manipulated to have a pre-determined take-away from any text, yet modern publishers routinely cudgel readers with just that. There is real danger in preventing the development of a child's moral imagination when they aren't allow to grapple with a text and make sense of it without such heavy-handedness.
I also very much appreciated your remarks about sensitivity readers. Looking forward to the next installment!
Thank you Dawn and you won't have to wait too long for part two.
This is such an interesting article. I’ll be thinking about it for a while. I wish there was a way to help guide parents to non-Big Five publishers for their kids. There are so many wonderful small publishers creating excellent works for kids (and that care less about profit & more about the moral imagination of our kids)! We need to amplify those publishers!
Hi Kailyn. Yes indeed, and as C.S. Lewis said ‘The world does not need more Christian literature. What it needs is more Christians writing good literature.’
Twaddle -- a word that sounds exactly like what it is.
Indeed it is.
“Twaddle” is such a perfect word because it sounds harmless until you realise how much damage it describes.
I especially liked the point about children not needing language to be pre-chewed for them. A good book should give a child something to climb, not just something to consume.
ありがとうございます。「消費するだけのものではなく、登るべきものを」という表現、とても美しいです。まさにそこが核心です。イングランドより、心を込めて。
Thank you – ‘something to climb, not just something to consume’ is beautifully put. That's the heart of it. With best wishes from England.
Thank you very much! That means a great deal, especially coming from you.
Your piece made me feel that education, at its best, should leave a child with a sense of height — not intimidation, but invitation. Something worth reaching for. Something that asks for attention, patience, and a little courage.
I was especially moved by the way you resisted making childhood small. So much writing about education tries to make things easier to digest; yours made the case for giving children something with a bit of mountain in it.
That, to me, is a rare and generous kind of seriousness.
A good essay does not simply explain an idea. It restores dignity to it. Yours did that beautifully.
With warm regards from Japan.
本当にありがとうございます – 言葉では言い尽くせないほど嬉しく思います。日本でこの文章が響いたと知り、心から感動しています。
「高さの感覚 – 威圧ではなく、招き」という言葉はとても美しく、まさに私が伝えたかったことを捉えてくださいました。子どもたちには本物の重みと美しさのあるものを与えるべきだという確信 – すべてを平易にするのではなく、少しだけ背伸びを求めるもの – それは静かに普遍的な感覚のように思えます。それが文化や言語を自然に超えていくという事実が、その核にある真実の大切さを物語っています。
お手紙をくださり、本当にありがとうございます。心より感謝いたします。
サセックスの海辺より、温かい気持ちを込めて。
Thank you so much. To hear that this resonated with you in Japan is genuinely moving.
Your phrase about 'a sense of height – not intimidation, but invitation' is beautiful, and captures exactly what I was reaching for. The conviction that children deserve something with real weight and beauty in it – something that asks a little of them rather than flattening everything down – seems to be a quietly universal instinct. The fact that it crosses cultures and languages so naturally tells us something important about the truth at its centre.
Thank you for taking the time to write. It matters enormously.
With warm regards from the Sussex coast.
Do you have any publishing suggestions for children’s book authors that are writing books that aren’t twaddle?
Hi Alisha. This something I think about a great deal, and in my opinion self-publishing is the strongest option in 2026 and going forward, despite the enormous amount of work involved. As far as I see it, it is the only way to go for authors who care about the quality of their finished book and who are not writing twaddle. Traditional publishing increasingly optimises for market categories and the bottom line, rather than quality, as touched upon in the essay. Besides which you have to get past the gate keepers, which is currently extremely difficult. Blessings and best wishes Vincent.
Thankyou for the input, very helpful. What are your thoughts on smaller boutique publishers like Rabbit Room Press, Waxwing books, etc? Or are they just as hard to get into as the bigger publishers?
Twaddle is being pushed in adult literature as well.
Hi Abby. It’s awful isn’t it, it’s just everywhere. Blessings and best wishes Vincent.
This was so interesting to me. Thankyou for writing this! I love children’s books, but find myself only reading the ones from my own childhood to my kids. I am so rarely drawn in to a newer book.
That is the problem right there, too many books today are twaddle.
This. This. This.
Thank you Miss Evelyn, really kind of you. The essay is written from the heart and I absolutely believe in it.
Hi Holly, thank you so much for restacking. Best wishes Vincent
Hi Stacie, thank you so much for restacking. Best wishes Vincent
Hi @Serena Thank you so much for restacking. Best wishes Vincent.
Hi @No3rdWay Thank you for restacking, really kind. Best wishes Vincent
Hi Courtenay. Thank you so much for restacking.
This was a great read, Vincent. I’m looking forward to part two!