Children Should be Required to Read Weetzie Bat.
The quality of education for children in the United States has been questioned for many years. Educating children using novels about realistic portrayals of life broadens the minds of children by exploring diverse views of lifestyles to help each child make informed decisions when choosing a way of life. Each and every child should be required to read the short novel Weetzie Bat by Francesca L. Block in order to help them learn about the importance of hope and the power of love. Block writes about the struggles that people endure when searching for and losing significant loved ones. Children who read the novel will encounter educational lessons about the power of friendship, faith, and love. The significant ideas Block conveys to readers are centered around the realistic portrayals of life, having faith in what may seem impossible, and the importance of love for one another.
One of the most important roles an adult plays is to teach and prepare children to live happily, yet understand the realities of the world in which they live in. Block writes about people meeting and interacting with new diverse individuals who manage to make the best of what they have. The characters within the novel portray the realities of life by expressing genuine feelings of happiness that they share with loved ones and moments of sadness that take into account the inevitable complexities of life. The ability to establish and achieve goals in life is one of the many ideas Block conveys through the use of characters. The novel educates readers about the freedom and ability individuals have when searching for and finding companionship among diverse groups of people. Block uses the example of a homosexual relationship in the novel to illustrate the idea that being diverse is acceptable and allowable by society. The importance of children reading a novel that involves homosexual relationships is to help educate and introduce them to the fact that homosexuality certainly does exist in today's society and that these types of relationships must be respected.