I very much enjoy the fantasy literature found in many children's books. I think one of the greatest aspects of this genre is the escape from the real world. This is especially useful for those children who are growing up in a troubled environment.

Children who have real world problems (i.e. low-income, racial inequality, physical, mental and sexual abuse, and other similar problems) can read a realistic fiction book and find many of the same problems in these books. This reading offers little escape from their real problems, and will often only elevate their awareness of their problems. However, when they enter into fantasy worlds, the problems become more about fighting dragons and evil spirits which are not real world problems, and thus allow the children the escape that they so desperately desire.

Also, fantasy books begin rotating the gears of a child's imagination. The more a child is allowed to delve into his/her imagination, the more likely the child will be to accept and understand intellectual concepts learned in school. Also, these children can often become great artists and writers.

I plan to encourage my children to read fantasy beginning at a very young age.