Don’t Hit Me Over the Head with that Book-Avoiding the Lesson at the Cost of a Good Story

A lesson is good - as long as the story is better

When did children’s books get so preachy? Honestly, I feel like I can’t open a picture book these days without being hit over the head by a "Very Important Lesson." It’s like every story has been replaced by a thinly veiled therapy session or a high-strung lecture on moral superiority. Since when did we decide that kids need a manual for living instead of a reason to dream?

I’ll be the first to admit that I write about "big feelings" and life lessons. I’ve written books like Sometimes I Feel Lonely: Dealing with Big Feelings and

Santa Says "You Can Do It!": A Christmas tale of perseverance. But there’s a massive difference between showing a child how a character navigates a tough moment and preaching at them about how they "should" feel. When a book is too busy being a sermon, it forgets to be a story. And let me tell you, if you lose the story, you’ve lost the kid. There should be no cost to a good story.

A good story is a Trojan horse. You pack it with wonder, humor, and maybe a few "yummy" marigolds—yes, I’m looking at you, picky eaters from MMM... Marigolds!. You let the child live through the character. When Blitzen Bounces Back! deals with tenacity, it isn't because a narrator is wagging a finger; it’s because kids can see themselves in that reindeer’s struggle. They feel the frustration, the "bounce," and the eventual win for themselves.

The value of a story isn't in the "moral" at the end—it's in the journey. Stories are where we build empathy, not by being told to be kind, but by feeling what it’s like to be someone else. Whether it’s a dog named Dewey teaching the alphabet in

ABCDewey or Sparkle the snowflake celebrating her unique gifts in

Merry to Be Me!, the goal is to connect, not to correct.

We need to stop treating children’s literature like a checklist of social virtues and start treating it like the gateway to imagination it’s supposed to be. Kids are smart—they can smell a "lesson" from a mile away, and they’ll close the book faster than you can say "educational value." Let’s give them back the magic. Let’s give them back the story.

Do you have a favourite children's book that focuses on the joy of the story rather than a heavy-handed lesson?