The Birth of the Little Critic

Field: Arts and Humanities (Social Sciences)

The Birth of the Little Critic Fatemeh Farshchi (bio), Fatemeh Jafari (bio), and Seyedeh Mahsa Mahdavian (bio) We were three Persian literature undergraduates in Iran who chose to pursue a postgraduate program in children's and adolescent literature because of our desire to gain expertise in this area of our interest. By the end of the first year of our program, we realized the need to address the existing limitations in this field, and our goal became that of restoring children's literature to its rightful audience—the children. The idea of launching the "Little Critic" educational platform in social networks evolved, and on June 7, 2018, the idea was put into action with the following motto: "Take the Children's World Seriously." Why Little Critic? At the beginning, the main goals of Little Critic were introducing top children's and adolescent books, communicating with children's literature activists, encouraging children and adolescents to read books, and, most importantly, providing an appropriate space for children to analyze and review books, relying on the theoretical notion of "children as critics." Little Critic's organizing members read books available in the global book market, including poetry and storybooks, for all age groups from young children to adolescents, and introduce the ones they believe are the best to share with children. In Iran, various organizations, institutions, and approved individuals are doing the same thing. However, what distinguishes Little Critic from the others is paying special attention to its audiences, applying children's and adolescents' ideas to their own books, and publishing those ideas. Accordingly, each week we introduce a suitable book for a particular age group and ask the audience to read the book and comment on it. Throughout the week, we receive a number of book review videos from children and share some of them after obtaining parental permission. The following week, we share all of the comments on the book. Finally, we post our own ideas and reviews on the book for parents to learn more about effective children's books and the criteria for choosing a good book for their children. Engaging in children's literature in this way can help develop children's critical and evaluative attitudes as well as improve their self-confidence by inviting them to critique whatever they have been offered to read in [End Page 56] informal venues. This will encourage them to develop a critical perspective as they grow into adulthood. As children are offered the stage to critique, they will have a deeper and more critical reading of the text as they take ownership of the texts. Children will potentially read wholeheartedly and confidently should they know that their ideas will be heard and their critiques read and contemplated. They will use their creativity while critiquing a text and simultaneously will raise both positive and negative issues; they may even suggest to delete parts and scenes they find unsavory. As authors, poets, and other creators of children's books acknowledge these intellectual ideas and critical readings by children, they ultimately might be influenced to create richer and more refined works of literature that would fit the intellectual demand of their young audiences. This is the case with Farhad Hasanzadeh and Tahereh Eybod, who accompanied Little Critic projects from the beginning of their professional careers. They both noted the comments and critiques they received from their audience and as a result, crafted more mature texts based on the children's responses. Moreover, this feedback will benefit not only authors and literary professionals but also researchers and parents. For instance, it is important to know what interests children. What are their likes and dislikes? What are the concepts that attract them, and what repels them? How do they reveal their growing values and understandings? It is essential for almost everyone involved with children to be aware of children's tastes, interests, and opinions. What Has Been Learned So Far What we have learned so far from the Little Critic project is significant as we learn about children's engagements with books when given a voice and a venue to share their responses. Below are some of our key insights: • What created a concern or made...