--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: if a book is not good enough for a…" description: "\"if a book is not good enough for a grownup, it is not good enough for a child.\" — Madeleine L'Engle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/madeleine-l-engle-345_book_if-a-book-is-not-good-enough-for-a-grown_244388.png" --- # if a book is not good enough for a grownup, it is not good… ![“if a book is not good enough for a grownup, it is not good enough for a child.” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/madeleine-l-engle-345_book_if-a-book-is-not-good-enough-for-a-grown_244388.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/madeleine-l-engle-345_book_if-a-book-is-not-good-enough-for-a-grown_244388.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/madeleine-l-engle-345_book_if-a-book-is-not-good-enough-for-a-grown_244388.png) > “if a book is not good enough for a grownup, it is not good enough for a child.” [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If a story fails to engage adults, it likely fails for children too. **In simple terms:** Good books appeal to all ages. Key Takeaway Write for universal appeal. Themes literature education quality audience Mood thoughtful reflective instructive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - teaching children - publishing - family reading time Key Concepts storytelling developmental psychology writing Questions to Reflect On - How can you make a story accessible to both? - What elements engage adult readers? A Different Perspective Adults and children have different expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children 's literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-s-literature/) [Good enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-enough/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“he thinks that it is good to be a child, but it is also good to be a grownup and able to consider the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-thinks-that-it-is-good-to-be-a-child-but-it-is-also-good-to-be-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Election night is the easiest time to act like a grownup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/election-night-is-the-easiest-time-to-act-like-a-grownup/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [One foot in front of the other, wasn't that the grownup way of solving problems? Surely he ought to be a grownup at his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other-wasn-t-that-the-grownup-way-of-solving/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [When you're a child you never figure a grownup is going to be jealous of you. It's the grownups who seem to have everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-horvath/when-you-re-a-child-you-never-figure-a-grownup-is-going-to-be-jealous/) [Polly Horvath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-horvath/) > [“Grownups know things, said Piggy. They ain't afraid of the dark. They'd meet and have tea and discuss. Then things 'ud be alright--- They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/grownups-know-things-said-piggy-they-ain-t-afraid-of-the-dark-they-d/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [All any grownup expects of an adolescent is that he act like an adult and be satisfied to be treated like a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grant/all-any-grownup-expects-of-an-adolescent-is-that-he-act-like-an-adult/) [John Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grant/) > [Dave couldn't remember the last time a grownup had apologized to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-clements/dave-couldn-t-remember-the-last-time-a-grownup-had-apologized-to-him/) [Andrew Clements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-clements/) > [Don't forget that compared to a grownup person every baby is a genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/don-t-forget-that-compared-to-a-grownup-person-every-baby-is-a-genius/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Embracing the fear of freedom, deciding to determine your own path, this is the work of a grownup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/embracing-the-fear-of-freedom-deciding-to-determine-your-own-path/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [When I was very young every grownup was a hero. It's been all downhill since then, and I have only two left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/when-i-was-very-young-every-grownup-was-a-hero-it-s-been-all-downhill/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [“Adults who use big words in order to seem intelligent are annoying, especially those who are not intelligent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/adults-who-use-big-words-in-order-to-seem-intelligent-are-annoying/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The moment you decide that you're a grownup now, and therefore must put away foolish things like staying out all night or cruising down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-heimel/the-moment-you-decide-that-you-re-a-grownup-now-and-therefore-must/) [Cynthia Heimel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-heimel/) > [I think being young in a grownup world, I think it stunted me a little bit. I had to grow up too fast on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-benanti/i-think-being-young-in-a-grownup-world-i-think-it-stunted-me-a-little/) [Laura Benanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-benanti/) > [Life, just as we first thought, is playing grownup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-just-as-we-first-thought-is-playing-grownup/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [That's what my books are, now that I'm a grownup - mosaics of jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-s-what-my-books-are-now-that-i-m-a-grownup-mosaics-of-jokes/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More by Madeleine L'Engle > [“One of the hardest lessons I have to learn is how not to be judgmental about people who are judgmental. When I see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/one-of-the-hardest-lessons-i-have-to-learn-is-how-not-to-be/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Inspiration more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of an artist is to listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/inspiration-more-often-comes-during-the-work-than-before-it-because/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written-and-if-the-book/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Severe illness isolates those in close contact with it, because it inevitably narrows the focus of concern. 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He's the oxygen in my air, the sun in my universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-feel-as-though-i-m-not-breathing-when-i-m-out-of-his-presence-he-s/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Rather than feeling lost and unimportant and meaningless, set against galaxies which go beyond the reach of the furthest telescopes, I feel that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/rather-than-feeling-lost-and-unimportant-and-meaningless-set-against/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [My husband is my most ruthless critic... sometimes he will say, 'It's been said better before.' Of course it has. 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I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. 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