--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a sort of patronizing idea that…" description: "\"It's a sort of patronizing idea that literature for children has to feature role models of exemplary behavior. I think not only is that bogus, but it l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/mac-barnett-23936_behavior_it-s-a-sort-of-patronizing-idea-that-lit_2548348.jpg" --- # It's a sort of patronizing idea that literature for… ![“It's a sort of patronizing idea that literature for children has to feature role models of exemplary behavior. I think not only is that bogus, but it leads to really boring books.” quote by Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/mac-barnett-23936_behavior_it-s-a-sort-of-patronizing-idea-that-lit_2548348.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/mac-barnett-23936_behavior_it-s-a-sort-of-patronizing-idea-that-lit_2548348.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/mac-barnett-23936_behavior_it-s-a-sort-of-patronizing-idea-that-lit_2548348.jpg) > “It's a sort of patronizing idea that literature for children has to feature role models of exemplary behavior. I think not only is that bogus, but it leads to really boring books.” [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that insisting children's literature only showcase perfect role models is unrealistic and makes stories dull. **In simple terms:** Perfect role models make kids' books boring. Key Takeaway Allow flawed characters to engage readers. Themes children's literature role models creativity authenticity Mood thoughtful critical inquisitive Type analytical reflective inspirational When to use this quote - classroom reading - parental guidance - author workshops - curriculum design Key Concepts character development realism engagement Questions to Reflect On - Should children's books always teach morals? - How can flawed characters still inspire? A Different Perspective Some argue that role models provide moral guidance for young readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Patronizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patronizing/) [Role models](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/role-models/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I think they're bogus, honestly. How utter garbage like Crash and Million Dollar Baby can win best picture, where true works of art such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/i-think-they-re-bogus-honestly-how-utter-garbage-like-crash-and/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [There are no gatekeepers in children's literature. There are children who like what you write because it's funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baddiel/there-are-no-gatekeepers-in-children-s-literature-there-are-children/) [David Baddiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baddiel/) > [“The fairy tale is accused of giving children a false impression of the world they live in. But I think no literature that children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-fairy-tale-is-accused-of-giving-children-a-false-impression-of/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“How can they possibly know such things? No member of this family reads novels, except for mass-market bestsellers, clichéd thrillers with contrived plots, idiotic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/how-can-they-possibly-know-such-things-no-member-of-this-family-reads/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“What happened to the classics?" you may ask. "Don't you believe in reading great literature to children?" Nothing happened to the classics-but something happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/what-happened-to-the-classics-you-may-ask-don-t-you-believe-in/) [Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/) > [Children's books are often seen as the poor relation of literature. But children are just as demanding as adult readers, if not more so.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walliams/children-s-books-are-often-seen-as-the-poor-relation-of-literature/) [David Walliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walliams/) > [Show me a character totally without anxieties and I will show you a boring book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/show-me-a-character-totally-without-anxieties-and-i-will-show-you-a/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I really don't want to be boring, and so many books are so boring!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-really-don-t-want-to-be-boring-and-so-many-books-are-so-boring/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I think the number of books published by Mr. Disney has nothing to do with whether or not he is bringing literature to children.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-clarke-sayers/i-think-the-number-of-books-published-by-mr-disney-has-nothing-to-do/) [Frances Clarke Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-clarke-sayers/) > [I don't like to write boring books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-peretti/i-don-t-like-to-write-boring-books/) [Frank Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-peretti/) > [“I got mixed up with some oddness in my youth, and the long and short of it is that I can't shuffle off this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/i-got-mixed-up-with-some-oddness-in-my-youth-and-the-long-and-short/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [I think any good literature, whether it's for children or for adults, will appeal to everybody. As far as children's literature goes, adults should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/i-think-any-good-literature-whether-it-s-for-children-or-for-adults/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) > [Only idiots or snobs ever really thought less of 'genre books' of course. There are stupid books and there are smart books. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-marche/only-idiots-or-snobs-ever-really-thought-less-of-genre-books-of/) [Stephen Marche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-marche/) > [Scholarship was one thing, drudgery another. I very soon concluded that nothing would induce me to read, let alone make notes on, hundreds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-raven/scholarship-was-one-thing-drudgery-another-i-very-soon-concluded-that/) [Simon Raven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-raven/) > [It's not that a literature for children of color doesn't exist; it's that so much of the extant literature is lacking in the essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumaan-alam/it-s-not-that-a-literature-for-children-of-color-doesn-t-exist-it-s/) [Rumaan Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumaan-alam/) ## More by Mac Barnett > [I'd much rather have a book that a few people love intensely than a book that a lot of people like okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/i-d-much-rather-have-a-book-that-a-few-people-love-intensely-than-a/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [Kevin Cornell and I have worked together a bunch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/kevin-cornell-and-i-have-worked-together-a-bunch/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [“I live well! I may have been swallowed, but I have no intention of being eaten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/i-live-well-i-may-have-been-swallowed-but-i-have-no-intention-of/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [“A clue! From M!" "Who's M?" "Maybe M is for Mackintosh! Maybe Grabes ans Mackintosh are in cahoots!" "Or maybe M is for Mom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/a-clue-from-m-who-s-m-maybe-m-is-for-mackintosh-maybe-grabes-ans/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [Danger is the snack food of a true sleuth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/danger-is-the-snack-food-of-a-true-sleuth/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [I think the trick of writing a good picture book manuscript is to leave that space for illustration. An illustrated novel can do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/i-think-the-trick-of-writing-a-good-picture-book-manuscript-is-to/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [Every Librarian is a highly trained agent. An expert in intelligence, counterintelligence, Boolean searching, and hand-to-hand combat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/every-librarian-is-a-highly-trained-agent-an-expert-in-intelligence/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [Not only is a good prank harmless, but, like a good story, it reveals an essential truth that would otherwise be hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/not-only-is-a-good-prank-harmless-but-like-a-good-story-it-reveals-an/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [Too often we tell kids pleasant stories devoid of truth, and stories without truth are not good stories. Our audience deserves more from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/too-often-we-tell-kids-pleasant-stories-devoid-of-truth-and-stories/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [We put authors on such a pedestal, and it's a moment that humanizes the whole thing, and lends an absurdity to what otherwise is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/we-put-authors-on-such-a-pedestal-and-it-s-a-moment-that-humanizes/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [Pranking is a great way to indicate the underlying absurdities of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/pranking-is-a-great-way-to-indicate-the-underlying-absurdities-of-the/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [“He checked out his surrounding. More books. A drinking fountain. A poster showing a guy slam-dunking a basketball with one hand and holding a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/he-checked-out-his-surrounding-more-books-a-drinking-fountain-a/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [ I love those adult writers with the pranking ethos, \[Don\] DeLillo and \[Donald\] Barthelme and David Foster Wallace. I don't see any reason not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/i-love-those-adult-writers-with-the-pranking-ethos-don-delillo-and/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [“Dana was what Steve called a "silent partner" in the Brixton Brothers Detective Agency. Being a silent partner meant that Dana didn't carry a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/dana-was-what-steve-called-a-silent-partner-in-the-brixton-brothers/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) > [“I may have been swallowed, said the duck, but I have no intention of being eaten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/i-may-have-been-swallowed-said-the-duck-but-i-have-no-intention-of/) [Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) [Explore all 25 Mac Barnett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/) ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) J. Willard Gibbs > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I think we've told a lot of lies about human behavior through film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-think-we-ve-told-a-lot-of-lies-about-human-behavior-through-film/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The strongest rebellion may be expressed in quiet, undramatic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-strongest-rebellion-may-be-expressed-in-quiet-undramatic-behavior/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 4,218 Behavior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's a sort of patronizing idea that literature for children has to feature role models of exemplary behavior. I think not only is that bogus, but it leads to really boring books.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mac Barnett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/it-s-a-sort-of-patronizing-idea-that-literature-for-children-has-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behavior" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/it-s-a-sort-of-patronizing-idea-that-literature-for-children-has-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/mac-barnett-23936_behavior_it-s-a-sort-of-patronizing-idea-that-lit_2548348.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/mac-barnett-23936_behavior_it-s-a-sort-of-patronizing-idea-that-lit_2548348.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/mac-barnett-23936_behavior_it-s-a-sort-of-patronizing-idea-that-lit_2548348.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's a sort of patronizing idea that literature for children has to feature role models of exemplary…” — Mac Barnett", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mac Barnett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's a sort of patronizing idea...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/it-s-a-sort-of-patronizing-idea-that-literature-for-children-has-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/it-s-a-sort-of-patronizing-idea-that-literature-for-children-has-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```