Part of my job 'thing' is to design information and leaflets about health and that. A few weeks ago we were coming up with the right phrasing to use for some reading materials to give to kids; one of us said "well, we obviously need to make it as easy to understand as possible."

There was little silence as the note dropped, and we all asked ourselves: "shouldn't we always be doing that, regardless of age?"

So one of the things I like about kids literature is the measured, straightforward tone of the language. It's generally very efficient, and more geared towards moving the story along than giving the reader time to reflect on the prose, and that.

Now, I'm not saying that all writing needs to be this way. To-the-point style writing needs to have a strong, clear point in the first place.

Am I advocating dumbing down? Maybe, maybe not. Writing in a clear, precise way can be very tough; I think I'm starting to appreciate it more than flowery prose. I'm increasingly finding myself going to poetry and verse to appreciate the beauty of language, and to books for simple escapism and knowledge. Any thoughts? Are kids books the new not-kids books?

Ladies and gents, I'd like to thank you for attending the most boring thread of the day; please pin notes of your displeasure to the host's lapel or rump on your way out. Offensive cheesecakes should be placed in the atrium next to the mug tree.