On The Power of Kid Lit

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My Secret Weapon for Knowledge - Kid Lit

I recently read the PW article about James Holzhauer.

I have not watched Jeopardy lately, but I had to take a look at this man's performance.

All I can say is WOW!

Why this caught my attention: I have used Holzhauer's strategy on many occasions to learn something new.

So what is his strategy? Children's non-fiction

Children's non-fiction are excellent sources to turn to when learning a completely new topic. For example, that is how I mastered SQL, HTML5, CSS, Python, and JavaScript.

While this is his ‘secret weapon’ (link to PW article ), it is no secret to readers that these books are great starting points. However, as James mentioned, certain topics are not available in the children’s section. But, you may find them in the Teens/YA section.

Children’s books also give the basics, with a little sprinkling of history. In the New York Times post, he mentioned that his strategy allowed him to gain knowledge. (link to NYT article) Quite naturally, this is accurate. But, again, you may have to go to the Teen section for topics that are kid-appropriate.

Finally, children's’ books are often more inviting and entertaining. James also told the New York Times children's' books “tailored to make things interesting for uninterested readers.”

Sure, I could read the Dummies’ series for topics not found in either the children or teen section. But, I have found that even this series takes the fun out of learning.

So...what does this mean for me?

I am going to start sharing my insights on the non-adult books I read! Yes...you will get to see all the other books I have been too afraid to share publicly. But...if Holzhauer can admit to millions of people that he too uses children’s books to learn, then I can too!

Have you ever read a children's book, or other non-adult oriented text, to learn something new?