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I believe that the formative years of childhood are relatively brief but very important segments of a person’s life. The parents, the teachers, the librarians, and, yes, the writers and illustrators of children’s books must take their responsibility most seriously, for the images, the verbal patterns, and the patterns of behavior they present to children in these lighthearted confections are likely to influence them for the rest of their lives. These aesthetic impressions, just like the moral teachings of early childhood, remain indelible. They will, most likely, be the bedrock upon which (or in opposition to which) a person’s spiritual existence, consciously or unconsciously, will be based.
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