Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Age Banding - Let's Take It Further

One has to wonder what all the fuss is about re the suggested mandatory age banding on children's books. I mean, I know it's a free country, but really wouldn't it be great to give the purchaser an indication of what reading and maturity level the book is pitched at? The thing is, we know all six year olds are the same. They have the same reading level and interest and understanding of life. That's why Prep classes are so homogenous. There are no stars, no reluctant readers, no sporty kids or jokers. I think age banding should be stretched further to adult titles. It should be mandatory. No adults reading YA or kid's fiction or 50-year-olds reading the latest pink fiction aimed at 20 year olds. Forget just age banding books, let's move it on to the food types, moisturisers, cars and TV shows. This could be a revolution...