The Surprising Reason Hawthorne Wrote for Children
Sheila Carroll
Many years have passed since I first sat in a patch of sunlight reading the Greek myths.
Since then I have read thousands of books, raised a daughter, homeschooled for many years, and now find myself reading aloud to grandsons.
Yet those stories remain.
I have forgotten countless details from books I once enjoyed, but the myths have never entirely left me. Their heroes, dangers, triumphs, and warnings still live somewhere within me.
That is a remarkable thing when you stop to consider it. Why do some stories fade while others stay with us for a lifetime?
Nathaniel Hawthorne pondered that question long before I did.
What many readers do not realize is that Hawthorne wrote The Wonder-Book for Boys and Girls and Tanglewood Tales after he had already become one of America's most respected authors. He had written The Scarlet Letter and secured his reputation as a serious novelist.
He could easily have continued writing for adults and left children's literature to others. Instead, he turned his attention to ancient myths and young readers.
At first glance, it seems an unusual decision. Why would a novelist known for exploring the complexities of human nature spend his time retelling stories about winged horses, enchanted gardens, gorgons, and golden apples?
I think the answer lies in something Hawthorne understood about childhood.
Children do not begin with abstract ideas. They begin with stories.
Long before a child can discuss courage, he admires a courageous hero. Long before she can define wisdom, she encounters wise and foolish choices. Before children can explain virtue, they see it embodied in the actions of men and women who face temptation, danger, sacrifice, and loss.
The imagination often recognizes truth before the intellect can put it into words.
Charlotte Mason understood this as well. She believed children grow upon ideas and that ideas are most often carried through living books. A child who meets noble characters, difficult choices, and enduring truths in story is receiving something far richer than information. He is beginning to perceive the world itself in a particular way.
This is why the old myths have endured.
For thousands of years, children have listened to the adventures of Perseus, Pegasus, Pandora, and King Midas. The stories continue to speak because they touch realities that never grow old. Every generation must learn courage. Every generation must wrestle with pride, greed, fear, loyalty, sacrifice, and hope.
The names may be ancient, but the human heart has not changed very much.
When I watch my grandsons listening to these stories, I see the same wonder that captivated me as a child. They lean forward at moments of danger. They laugh at foolish choices. They rejoice when good triumphs over evil. Without realizing it, they are beginning to furnish their imaginations with images that may remain with them for years to come.
That, I suspect, is why Hawthorne wrote these books.
Not because he wished merely to entertain children, but because he believed certain stories were worth passing on. He understood that imagination is not an escape from reality. Properly nourished, it helps us recognize reality more clearly. It prepares us to see courage when it is required, wisdom when it is offered, and beauty when it appears.
Some stories are good to hear at night.
Others remain with us in the morning.
The best stories do both.
Build a Family Library of Wonder
Our Moral Imagination Series was created to place these enduring stories back into the hands of families.
The Wonder Book for Boys and Girls
Nathaniel Hawthorne's beloved introduction to the great myths of Greece.
The companion volume that continues the adventure with six additional myths and an expanded reader's guide.
Purchased together, these companion volumes save $6 and offer a wonderful doorway into stories that have nourished generations of readers.
Because some books are more than books.
They become part of who we are.