Children’s Books can be the Best Teachers

Learn Like a Kid!

When it comes to topics you don’t understand, reading a children’s book can be incredibly helpful. When you have a very vague idea of a certain topic, you should start from the basics to get a better understanding of the concepts.

I often choose books written for kids on various topics to introduce myself to new ideas. If you want to learn about a new culture, a new place, or a complex concept, consider picking up a children’s book or even picture books.

Examples of Powerful Children’s Books

These are some of the children books I have read which gave me a different perspective:

• Born on the Water by Nikkole, Nikole and Renee: Poetic explanation from a grandmother’s point of view about her ancestral heritage. How the first Africans were enslaved and brought to North America, many refused to eat, many plunged themselves into the sea. But many chose to live, and landed in America as if reborn and that’s how the book gets its name. A compelling narrative in black history in America.
  

  

• Poor Economics for Kids by Esther Duflo: This book can be a tool for parents and teachers in guiding conversations regarding poverty, inequality and social responsibility in young minds.The Nobel prize winning author emphases on critical thinking and empathy. Instead of presenting poverty as a distant issue, the book encourages young readers to look at it as a solvable problem.
  

  

• Mummy, Susu! By Neha Singh: A story about a little girl and her adventures revolving around the worry of having a safe and clean washroom accessibility in India. This little picture book is narrated as a journey of a little girl traveling on train and bus. How she is afraid of having coconut water, juices and oranges in the fear of going through a traumatic experience of using the toilets in train and her inability to explain this to her younger brother.
  I could say that I knew intellectually the importance of clean toilets for females but reading this book was an eye opener for me to see their plight in a different light.
  

  

• Save it for later: Promises, Parenthood, and the Urgency of Protest by Nate Powell: Through compelling visuals, the award winning cartoonist, shares his endeavours to inspire courage in his daughters amidst the changing realities of our times. He narrates actual experiences of going to protest with his daughter. And his struggles to explain why standing up is important for what is right and just. I got to learn the dilemmas faced by common people, the impact of growing ultra-nationalistic sentiments of the white supremacists in America and the rise of Trump MAGA politics in America.
  

  

Why Adults Should Read Children’s Books

Writing for children is no small feat. A children’s book author does a remarkable job of simplifying complex ideas. It’s not easy to explain things to a 5-year-old. Which is why the phrase – “Explain it to me like I’m 5”, carries so much gravity. There are amazing books for kids, written by brilliant authors. Who put in extraordinary efforts to break down topics in the simplest way possible. 

I love visiting book fairs and bookshops to explore such books and discover new topics, and I’m seldom disappointed. The best teachers are those who can explain concepts to kids in a simple manner, sparking their curiosity. I believe authors of great kids’ books are also such exceptional teachers.

Connect to your inner child

Reading children’s books as an adult is also a wonderful way to reconnect with your inner child. For me, that often means slipping back into comic books or losing myself in an old atlas. As a kid, I could spend hours tracing countries and cities on those maps. Today, with Google Maps and AI at our fingertips, atlases have almost disappeared from our lives. But whenever I stumble upon one in a bookstore, I can’t resist flipping through the pages—and suddenly, I’m transported back to those childhood afternoons.

I am sure as you read this, you might be remembering a book from your own childhood. Why not pick it up again sometime? You’ll be surprised how comforting it feels.

And the next time you go to a bookstore or a book fair, take the time to look for these books and add them to your collection. 

PS: These books also make great gifts to anyone. Give it a shot! 

I would like to know which children’s book has taught you something new?

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