Many aspects of life are characterized by three defining factors, and in the case of popular children’s books, these are often the combination of fact, fiction, and fun. The fact usually comes from a real life setting, either contemporary or historical. This provides a background that the young reader recognizes, at least in part, either from life experience or from school lessons. In this context an element of fiction is established that is an impossibility, like the so familiar talking animals. The fun comes from the juxtaposition of fact and fiction, as well as characterization and plot.

All three elements are clearly seen in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The setting is the contemporary middle-class England of summer garden parties with cucumber sandwiches, and while access to Wonderland is via a rabbit hole, the action returns outdoors on a croquet lawn. The fictional element is manifested essentially in talking animals that are in constant dialogue with human caricatures such as the Mad Hatter, the Duchess and the Queen of Hearts. The fun comes from the humorous situations that arise from these interactions, as well as the memorable characters and the philosophically funny things they say.

In Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows, the talking animals are again set in contemporary England, but it’s almost real England, not a wonderland. The four main characters are more well-rounded and more seriously dedicated to facing realistic challenges. It is a fantasy, but not as extreme or oneiric as the one experienced by Alicia. While Alice is always in the sunlight, Toad, Mole, Rat and Badger seem to be living their adventures in the shade of the riverbank, but the humor is still abundant.

Not only are the animals given voices to enhance the fictional element. In Reverend Wilbert Awdry’s tales of Thomas the Tank Engine, all the engines can talk as well as the railway staff, and sometimes even the coaches and carriages find their tongues. Much of the fun comes from the distinct personalities bestowed on the engines, each with recognizable human attitudes and characteristics. At the time the stories were written, most children would have been familiar with railways and steam engines, but in addition to laughing at the funny situations, readers would have learned a great deal about how railways work and the purposes they serve.

All good children’s books have an educational element that is both painless and unconscious. It is painless because it is unconscious. With the reader preoccupied with enjoying the stories and laughing at the jokes, the learning continues unnoticed. Although children love fantasy, they have an instinctive filter to separate it from reality, and much of the fun comes from the moment of separation; the realization of the impossible. This is how good fiction can be for children, not only helping them learn to read, but playing a key role in intellectual development.