People frequently tell me that they would love to have my job as a children's librarian. "It must be so much fun. And you get to read all of those great books," they invariably say. Some days I look at them with polite appreciation for their ability to idealize the life of the well-read yet under-paid guardians of the kiddie books. Other days I respond with affirmation and the kind of unfiltered joy I feel this week for I have been reading and listening to Coraline over and over and over again. With the girls book group, the boys book group, and all the kids that came into the library at odd times with their books and an earnest, whispered request to listen to just a bit more. (The audio book read by Neil Gaiman is fantastic. The kids are chanting menacing rat style all over school today. Listen and you'll understand.)
Neil Gaiman appears to understand children much in the same way as my favorite children's author Roald Dahl did. And children get that. They understand the distinction between a children's author that writes to satisfy their own sensibilities or idealized notions of childhood and one that sees children for whom they are and celebrates every inch of that. And they know an adult that still believes in magic, in possibilties in the same way they do. Dahl once famously stated, "And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." Gaiman knows some wonderful secrets.
I love what the New York Times review of the movie had to say:
There are many scenes and images in “Coraline” that are likely to scare children. This is not a warning but rather a recommendation, since the cultivation of fright can be one of the great pleasures of youthful moviegoing. As long as it doesn’t go too far toward violence or mortal dread, a film that elicits a tingle of unease or a tremor of spookiness can be a tonic to sensibilities dulled by wholesome, anodyne, school-approved entertainments.
Although I have not seen the movie yet, I feel that the whole Coraline experience will be very satisfying to both children and adults alike aching for a less homogenized entertainment experience.
Obviously, this is not a review today. Thanks to some stellar marketing, most reading this know the story line here. Just some observations from someone with some firsthand experience. Read this with kids, without them, just read it. A lot of stores have found themselves short of copies, so if need be, go online and read it for free for a limited time thanks to Harper Collins. Pick up that audio book and let the wee ones follow along in the text as they listen. Two simultaneous access points to a story is heaven to many children. And maybe I will see you at the movies this weekend as all of us disappointed by plentiful portions of trite get a big helping of magic.
