When I was about 10, I became aware of a kind of book for children that I'd not heard of previously. This may have just been new to me - or it might have been a completely new kind of book. The books of this kind appeared in the 'boys' section of the catalogues of children's books that my primary school had started to give each student each month. And they appeared in the section for children several years younger than I was. So I felt that these books doubly were not meant 'for me'.
I wasn't able to make a case for any of them being bought for me - and I wasn't aware of anyone at school who'd bought any of them - so I never actually looked inside.
I've just realised that I've not said what these books were. They were adventure books where you would start at the beginning but, based on your response to choices you would be offered at specific points, you would be taken to a specific part of the book. These were books, then, where the readers could move back and forwards, perhaps returning to specific sections under different circumstances.
The books seemed exciting but also daunting - and I'm wondering whether I never pushed hard enough to get the books because I was afraid of being overwhelmed by them. It could be a bit like how I like the idea of video games but am too daunted by the sense of now knowing where I would be in them ever to play them.
I am writing this because I have been enjoying reading a new book that is lending itself to being dipped into and read in any order. It is an A-Z of mythological-inspired children's literature and it is the latest in the series of books in the series Our Mythical Childhood.
 |
| The cover of An Alphabetical Odyssey |
It is written by Liz Hale and Miriam Riverlea and illustrated by Steve Simons: all of whom have ben part of my life over the past few years. Indeed, I witnessed some of how the book came together thanks to Liz's updates in Warsaw at some of our project workshops.
It must be a lovely print book to own, but I'm reading it online, where anyone can access it freely as it's available as an Open Access book, as are all the books in the series.
 |
| Screenshot of the landing page for An Alphabetical Odyssey |
It is organised so that the reader can dip in as they want, and, as I am reading it online I am making use of the 'find' facility to read around the book by putting in particular words and phrases. Here's hit 10/117 for 'hercules':
 |
| Searching in An Alphabetical Odyssey |
Actually, now that I think of it, I like the idea of an academic book where the reader is given a choice at the end of each chapter/section and where, depending on what they choose, they are sent to a particular place in the book. Could such a book work? Could it be written in the first place?
Also, could there be books on classical myth organised this way? I am aware of 'choose your own' books on classical myth already, but those that I've seen have been structured in a linear way. In one, for instance, on Hercules, I recall that the book is structured around the twelve labours. I also recall that the reader has to make a choice during each labour and is told either that they have succeeded in the task in question and can move to the next one, or that they have failed and have been killed. If the latter happens, I think that they need to start all over again - until, presumably they get each labour 'right'.
But could a book be written where the reader can be sent on their own path though classical myth? Has such a book already been written? Such a book could have a really good fit with one reason why, I think, classical myth can appeal to autistic people. This reason is that, for all its fixed points, the potential for variation in myth is huge. There might be twelve labours for instance, but what happens in each can vary, the ordering can vary and who is in them can vary. There don't even need to be 12 - sometimes there are 10, or a vase painting will zoom in on just one. Or some labour will be being depicted that seems not to be one of the 'canonical' ones.
I just put 'choice' and 'choose' in the search facility of Liz and Miriam's book. A number of hits came up, including to a text book headed 'Choose your own adventure' on page 405 which includes four examples, written between the 1980s and 2018. The introduction to the textbox starts with the detail that these books were 'initially popular in the 1980s'. This would fit with when I first heard of them - I was 10 in 1980.
Aha... 'These interactive adventure stories', they continue' in which the reader determines the course of the narrative, have had a recent resurgence'. And indeed, a few months ago, I heard from a colleague about online tools for writing interactive 'choose your own' books. I've done a quick search - and am going to look at some of the templates, and maybe even have a go...
This is Autism Acceptance Day Eve Eve - I'm aiming to do a further posting tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment