'Reviewing the job of reviewing' by Hazel Edwards

Children’s book reviewer Hazel Edwards adds her thoughts to the debate. In Australia, few publications regularly review children’s books for the information of the general reader/buyer. ASA chairman, Ken Methold, suggests that Australian writers need to advertise their varied skills and publicise their works. I agree. For the past five years, I have been reviewing children’s books for The Sun in Melbourne. Faced with irregular and limited space, I tend to concentrate on good Australian books. The bad ones I leave out. This is not parochialism; it’s expediency. Kids’ books are low on the priority list of national newspaper feature editors. Since it is an achievement to get the reviews published at all as many become ‘lost in the computer’, reviewing or ‘advertising’ local literature is vital. The ethics of reviewing worries me at times. I don’t know how others feel. ‘Which hat are you wearing? Your reviewer’s hat or your writer’s one?’ In vain, I try to explain that I don’t even wear a sunhat and that space limitations determine descriptive rather than evaluative reviews. Reviewing is time-consuming, and poorly paid. I could easily be working on other projects which earn a reasonable fee. The books have to be read right through. Admittedly as the parent of a twelve and a nine-year-old, I often combine evening serials with reviewing. Children’s reactions during school author visits or neighbourhood story times can also be helpful. ‘You could review your own books’ commented a teacher. Again I try to explain that although I write children’s books and I review them, the activities are not simultaneous. In fact, I am handicapped by ethics. I can’t review my own. On two rare occasions I have mentioned anthologies in which I had stories because it was unfair not to publicise the rest of the book. Each time, I added a declaration of my own interest. These were ‘eliminated’ by the mysteries of ‘the computer’. The world of Australian children’s literature is a small one. Friends’ books must arrive by the regular channels, that is, via the publisher. They are treated just the same as other books. I try to blend a description and an evaluation of the book, knowing that the article could be reduced to two line commentary on each book anyway. What are my criteria? Stories which ‘work’ for the children. Thoughtful, imaginative themes, action, and a manageably sized book. Price matters. Covers which are easily photographed in black and white contrast have a better chance of accompanying the article. My background includes several years of lecturing in children’s literature at teachers’ college, but often children’s books are ‘dished out to anyone on the staff for pre-Christmas or Children’s Book Week special features. ‘Anyone can do kids’ books’. I’ve reviewed books on radio and television occasionally, but there’s a need for a regular ‘spot’ where a variety of reviewers comment. It’s dangerous to have all reviews concentrated in the typewriters of only a few. Would it be possible to have a team of reviewers whose articles are syndicated to local and national papers? Alternatively, could reviewers sign for an annual contract and rotate around the major publications? This would provide a variety of views, publicise more books, and create more links between authors, the reading, and even the non-reading public. For example the readership of The Sun tends to be different from the readership of The Age. Each Book Week, I organise a group of children to review the short-listed titles. It’s time consuming and not cost-effective on my part, but all the friends, neighbours, and relations of those children read the reviews and often the books. Reading Time does a great job in reviewing children’s books and their panel is effective. But many parents and some teachers have never heard of Reading Time which is a Children’s Book Council publication. It’s time to review the job of reviewing.

Hazel Edwards

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