Monday, October 17, 2005
Thinking about Ethics
I have been asked to be on a panel for the Virginia Library Association Conference this week concerning ethics in children's literature. The dictionary says that ethics is the study of the rules or standards governing conduct.
Since I write for middle grade readers, I've been reading books for kids eight to twelve with ethics in mind. What I have found is a lot of lying, cheating, and stealings in kids' literature. Sometimes such moral failings are justified. Let's say, for example, that it is okay to lie if the Nazis are looking for your mom. But what I am finding is that in a number of books, there is no real necsessity for kids to lie, cheat, or steal. But they do so without consequence. That is very upsetting because my gray hairs have taught me that actions have CONSEQUENCES.
Since I write for middle grade readers, I've been reading books for kids eight to twelve with ethics in mind. What I have found is a lot of lying, cheating, and stealings in kids' literature. Sometimes such moral failings are justified. Let's say, for example, that it is okay to lie if the Nazis are looking for your mom. But what I am finding is that in a number of books, there is no real necsessity for kids to lie, cheat, or steal. But they do so without consequence. That is very upsetting because my gray hairs have taught me that actions have CONSEQUENCES.
