I have noticed that quite few celebrities have written children's books in the past several years. Maybe it has been going on for longer than that, but I feel like it has become more of a trend lately.
I wonder whether these books get published because they are truly good books with strong messages/information for children, or if they get published simply based on the fame and connections of the celebrity authors. I have to admit, I have not read a lot of them. I guess I get somewhat annoyed when I see that yet another celebrity has written a children's book because I kind of feel like celebrities can do whatever they want simply because they are famous. They do not have to jump through the same hoops that a typical "regular" person would have to. Also, for some of the celebrity authors, it seems that writing a children's book is just another project they want to do in order to gain more fame from larger audiences or something that their name gets attached to, yet that was not truly created from their own personal hard work and inspiration.
I do think however, just from browsing on the list linked in above, that some of these books seem pretty terrific. Many of these stories emerged from celebrities as they embarked on the world of parenting and contain solid content about experiences and lessons to be learned in life. One example is Mr. Peabody's Apples which was written by Madonna.
About the book:
Description: Mr. Peabody is the beloved elementary school teacher and baseball coach, who one day finds himself ostracized when rumors spread through the small town. Mr. Peabody silences the gossip with an unforgettable and poignant lesson about how we must choose our words carefully to avoid causing harm to others.
Despite my initial eye roll when I come across yet another book written by a celebrity, I think that all books deserve a chance. Celebrities certainly have interesting lives and can offer perspectives that are quite different from my own, or those that my students/children would have. They too, are people with histories, talents, ideas, stories, and experiences. Surely, there are big differences between books written by various celebrities, so I would not want to base my decision to purchase or not to purchase only based on the fact that a book's author is famous. Surely, some of these stories are examples of rich literature and I hope to find some of those. I do think that a celebrity's credibility would affect my decision to purchase/read their book as I might not want to purchase a children's book written by Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears, however, I am sure I would be taken by surprise (in a good way) by some of the celebrity authored books out there.
What do you think? Are children's book written by celebrities credible or just another way for celebs to get more attention??
5 comments:
Haha, that shred is deceivingly hard huh? haha. I sort of agree with you about celebrity books also especially because writing a not-good kids book would be relatively easy (I know good ones must be very difficult to write). I think some are definitely better than others but I have to admit that like you I haven't put a ton of effort into reading them and making an informed decision about them.
I think it's both. Some are really good books while others sem like just a way to get their names out there.
I have not read any that will win any awards or become timeless tales. Madonna annoys me with her reinventions. I would never buy a book with her name on it for my children. With all the good literature out there, even if there are a few good celebrity books, we aren't really missing out. Know what I mean?
I have read the ones by Bill Cosby and the ones by Jamie Lee Curtis. Both authors have more books than what are on this list, and I thought they were all good.
The ones by Jamie Lee Curtis were at Kohl's a couple years ago, for just $5 and all of the money went to Chilren's Hospitals.
I think, as is true with all literature, it is hit or miss. Some are talented authors and some should stick to whatever made them famous. What gets me about children's books is the cost. I am always shocked at how expensive these books are for a family.
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