爱读书的儿童

There are five hundred reasons why I began to write for children, but to save time I will mention only ten of them.

Number 1) Children read books, not reviews. They don't give a hoot¹ about the critics.

Number 2) Children don't read to find their identity.

Number 3) They don't read to free themselves of guilt², to quench³ the thirst for rebellion, or to get rid of alienation⁴.

Number 4) They have no use for psychology⁵.

Number 5) They detest⁶ sociology.

Number 6) They don't try to understand Kafka or Finnegans Wake.

Number 7) They still believe in God, the family, angels, devils, witches, goblins, logic⁷, clarity, punctuation⁸, and other such obsolete⁹ stuff.

Number 8) They love interesting stories, not commentary, guides, or footnotes.

Number 9) When a book is boring, they yawn¹⁰ openly, without any shame or fear of authority.

Number 10) They don't expect their beloved writer to redeem¹¹ humanity. Young as they are, they know that it is not in his power. Only the adults have such childish illusions."