Why I write for children

The other day, someone asked me once again the question every writer for children gets asked at least once, if not twenty times: Why do you write for children? And don't you feel that one day you might want to 'move up to' writing for adults?
It's the kind of question that tests a person's social graces, not to speak of their temper, that's for sure. It's never a question asked, in reverse, of those who write for adults. And it's a depressing reminder  of just how anything to do with children gets shunted off into the 'unimportant' basket.
But in some ways it's a fair enough question too. Go into a bookshop and see how the 'children's section' is shoved off down the back, crammed into a few shelves. Look in any newspaper review section and see how many children's books get reviewed, compared to adult fiction and non-fiction. Look at how, when a novelist who's written mostly for children, writes an adult novel, it's described baldly as his or her 'first' novel, even though that author may have many novels for young people out there. Think of how seldom children's writers are thought of as Great Writers, of the sort that define a nation's identity, or set literary trends--an article in 2000 about the '100 Greatest writers of the Twentieth Century', for instance, didn't mention one writer for children, though I strongly suspect that there were more true 'Greats' in that field than any other, more really timeless work: think of AA Milne, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Philip Pullman, Alan Garner, JK Rowling, for instance; and in Australia, writers like Patricia Wrightson and Ruth Park.  Think of all those things and conclude, well, it's a low-status, low-importance, almost invisible kind of literary work. So why would a writer really choose to do such a thing? And why on earth wouldn't you want to move quickly into the 'grown-up' arena?

Well, for me, it's like this. I've written both for adults and for children, but far more for children than for adults. And that's first and foremost because I enjoy it more. Not because it's easier--it's certainly not--but because it's freer in terms of imagination and invention, more fun, more versatile, more elastic. It's the way my imagination works. Like most children's writers, I remember very well what it's like to be a child, and also what children enjoy reading--and that can range very widely. I can write many more different sorts of books, tackle all kinds of  genres, periods, stories: children's publishers are open to all kinds of ideas.
On a pragmatic level, you also tend to get more books accepted, because there's always new child readers coming up, and younger ones who move into your books once they get older, so always more writers needed,. more stories, more books, bigger backlists for writers. There are more copies of children's books in libraries, hence more public lending right. Despite often getting lower advances, more children's writers can make a living from their books than other writers can, for those reasons.

Despite what many people seem to think, it's also a more disciplined kind of writing--children will not have the patience to persist with wooly, obscure or incoherent writing, even if the book has a gold prize sticker on the front, so you have to think more clearly, and sharpen your prose. Story matters above all to children. so there's no getting away with something that meanders, or that is plain boring. Characters matter too--whether archetypal or not, they must be vivid, strong, memorable. What's more, the constraints that do exist in children's literature, due to the age of your readers, can even, in my experience, act as a spur to your creativity, making you approach things in a more subtle way than would otherwise be the case.  Language wise, too, it's a delight, as far as I'm concerned: for the challenge is both to write clearly, and imaginatively--that is, full of images. The discipline imposed by that is, I think, the secret to the particular and timeless pleasure of the great children's books, which combine freshness, clarity and beauty in a striking way that never leaves your mind and heart.
And that's the other reason I love writing for children: I dearly loved reading as a child. For me, it was an escape from difficult family situations but also liberation into new worlds. And it was absolute fun. That pure pleasure of reading, of losing yourself in a good book, a book you read over and over again, is something that's very common in childhood, and happens less often in adult life.  People remember the books they read as a children, in a way that they will not always remember  what they read as adults. The plain truth of the matter is that people generally read a lot more as children than they do as adults: many never read again once they leave adulthood, and even those who, like the readers of this magazine, keep devouring books right into adulthood, read less than they did as children.
Quite a few times over the last few years, I've been approached by people in their twenties or late teens, who want to tell me how much they enjoyed reading my books when they were kids. One young woman told me how my books had become part of the memories of her childhood, and that she would never forget what it felt like, opening a new book of mine and plunging into it. That was such a beautiful thing to hear, such a validation. It was an extraordinary thrill, too, for I remembered feeling precisely like that, when as a kid I'd come home from the library with a new book by an author whose work I loved, and the fantastic, scalp-prickling sensation of plunging into a magical world of adventure and experience.

UPDATE: This post seems to be striking a chord with people, both writers and those interested in children's literature generally.  Do click on to comments to read what people are saying, and to make observations of your own.

Can you hear me cheering from across the world, Sophie? Well said! I agree with absolutely evertything you say and you say it very well indeed. There is also the matter of LENGTH...not to be sniffed at! Children's books are shorter, generally speaking and that's a good thing but also forces you to concentrate harder. I reckon that the fewer the words, the harder it is to achieve excellence. A picture book, read aloud a zillion times, has to have the heft of poetry or the reader-aloud will go crazy. How many people know paragraphs of the latest hyped-up adult book by heart? Not many, I reckon. That's because children INHABIT books in a way that becomes impossible when you grow up. I'm going to send the link to many people.

And I'm echoing Adele cheers. I don't write for children but all my academic career has centred around fiction written for and by children and, if you were to listen to the reaction of many of my colleagues, you would think that this completely invalidated my doctorate and the work that I do. In fact, as anyone who takes the time (I was going to say 'and trouble' but how can the pleasure of reading children's books be described as trouble?) to read the many brilliant writers working in the field knows the skills need to write well for children are manifold.

If it's any consolation the same type of things is true in teaching. As anyone who has done it recognises, teaching is more demanding the younger the children involved. But it is the bane of a reception teacher's life being asked if they wouldn't rather do something more challenging, like teaching older children.

Thank you very much for your comments, Adele and Ann. It seems that the piece has struck a chord with people; below I'm also appending the comments made by another writer, Richard Harland, who asked me to add his comments to the blog:
'Read your blog posting and found myself nodding in agreement all the way through. What I liked best were the lines where you said that it's a more disciplined kind of writing...etc. I agre with that. I've been a poet and writer of literary short stories in the past, and one of the most refreshing things about writing for YA and kids is that they're a totally genuine audience. They don't tell themselves, 'I ought to be liking this, it's highly respected and admired by clever people, it's supposed to be good for me--and if I don't quite understand it or get interested in it, I'll certainly never admit that to other people in case they look down on me. NO! If young readers don't become involved or find enjoyment in what they're reading, they'll put the book down, no matter how many medals or awards it's won. They won't pull the wool over their own eyes. As an author, you have to hold them, you have to make them see what's happening, you have to make them care and feel. there's something invigorating to a storyteller in a challenge like that!
And the challenge to tell a story--don't even get me started on the subject! When people who think about novels more than they actually enjoy them saythat narrative is passe and old-fashioned, I become very irate!
I write fantasy for adults and fantasy for YA and children--I don't value one above the other. At the same time, I'd be very wary of a writer for adults who was actually INCAPABLE of writing books for YA and children.'

Marvellous post Sophie, albeit both depressing and uplifting. (Hi Adele! by the way) I really liked Ann's comments about the challenges of teaching younger children -I think in the great children's books the younger the age group often the deeper, the fiercer, the more crucial the writing - although this as Ann says is so very far from popular perception.

Well said, everyone. Zeroing in on the snobbery writers of children's literature receive, we only need to look at most Australian newspapers' Top 10 Bestseller lists. For some unfathomable reason kids' books aren't on them, when we all know JK Rowling, Emily Rodda, John Marsden, Andy Griffiths (I could go on) should be there. It's false representation to omit the word "Adult" from those headings. I might add that the compilers do not take into account the entire education system as "buyers", either. Add those numbers and kids' books completely swamp the sales of books for adults. An eye-opener is the top 100 PLR recipients (http://www.dcita.gov.au/arts_culture/arts/lending_rights/highest_scoring_books_plr_2004_05)
and you'll see half of the top 20 are kids' authors (Matthew Reilly might write for adults, but his fan base is kids). It's a fact that some major publishing houses' children's authors keep them afloat, and yet the children's publishing department receives less budget and kudos from the publisher. Go figure. I'm wondering too when newspapers will come around to realising that a vast majority (if not all) of their readership has children or nephews/nieces/grandchildren for whom they might need advice as to which books to get them as presents etc. Why then is so little space devoted to kids' books in their pages? I wonder why some writers of obscure prose is thought of more highly than someone who writes for children. It's a puzzle I doubt anyone will solve.

I suspect writers of adult literature also resent the success we children's writers get in spite of little publicity in the media. Meanjin, for all its so-called clout and big-naming, barely exists with less than 2000 subscribers. It's also heavily funded by local and federal entities (well over $100,000 a year I believe). Many of my colleagues can walk tall and say we're full-time writers who don't need grants nor social security to spread our word.

Everything said so far rings very true to me, also. I have just finished my first book for adults after 17 books for kids and YA, and although it was very hard to make the switch, I don't think in the end it is as hard as writing a really good children's novel. There is the issue of 'shared understanding' - adults share an understanding of how the world works; kids are just developing that understanding. So you can't assume that your child readership will understand a subtle message, yet you can't hit readers over the head with stuff, either, because some of your readers will definitely understand. This requires a light touch and an emotionally authentic (I hate that word, but it's the mot juste here)depiction of character.

Like Sophie, I am currently writing for both kids and adults, and sweating blood over both. The REAl advantage of children's books is that they're short! (I write fantasy for adults, and the books are very very long...)

In respone to Paul - the reason children' writing is looked down on is that anything to do with children is 'women's work' and always has been - even when it's done by men it's still lower status.

Good stuff, Sophie and others.
The implication of that dreaded question is always 'Well, when are you going to do some real writing.' Sigh.
Something else we're doing, as writers for young people, is taking care of the readers of tomorrow - of course.
With tongue firmly in cheek, I ask you - where would writers for adults be without us? We're providing them with a steady stream of readers because we turn young people onto reading, then they grow up and continue the habit.
<irony on>Adult writers owe us, big time.</irony off>

An enjoyable, thought-provoking article!! The worst thing I find about children's books is that the children's section in most stores (in stores that are spread over more than one floor, of course!) is almost always up or down a flight of stairs, hardly ever on the main, ground floor. I'm lazy -- I don't want to have to walk up or down steps to get to the good stuff!!!!!!!

:-)

There has been an interesting discussion this afternoon (Sunday 17th June) on BBC Radio 4 with Penelope Lively. She was asked if she what she had learnt about writing from her children's books had helped her to 'graduate' to writing for adults in a manner that made it clear that the interviewer thought her children's writing had been an apprenticeship. Lively soon put her right and said that there was no way she could go back to writing for children now as she would find it too hard. If you get the chance to hear this it's repeated at 4.00pm on Thursday and is, I expect, available on the BBC website. Follow the links for Open Book.

I thought perhaps that when Philip Pullman won the Whitbread Prize for The Amber Spyglass, things might change in terms of recognition of children's literature--and also the fact that so many adults seem to read Harry Potter..Not a bit of it, it seems. Adults who like to read children's books are sniffily dismissed as 'kidults', that's all, or it's explained as a slur against adult novels--as if the children's books can't win because of sheer excellence! Wonder if there'll be any comment in the literary press here about Shaun Tan winning the overall NSW Premier's Prize and WA Premier's Prize--maybe people will say, well, The Arrival isn't _reallly_ a children's book, that's why it could possibly win..
it's also interesting to note that in Australia anyway children's writers are rarely asked to talk in the main part of literary festivals--you get to speak in the schools programme, which is always fun, and terrific--don't get me wrong, i love speaking to audiences of children and teenagers--but we rarely seem to get asked onto the other parts of the programme...as if the organisers fear we might not know how to speak to adult audiences..

Well said, Sophie. The NSW Premier's Literary Awards do deem to honour children's writers mopre often than most: Leslie Rees & Ruth Park have received the special award, and The Binna Binna Man got Book of the Year in its time. It was gratifying at the Awards dinner this year when John Nieuwenhuizen, accepting the Prise for Translation, said he saw it in part as an acknowledgement of people who write and translate for children. (Self promotion moment: I wrote an account of the evening <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/shawjonathan/iblog/C891102405/E20070529143638/index.html">on my blog.</a>

Comment sent by Natalie Jane Prior:
'I suppose my answer to the question of why I write for children is that I've never seriously wanted to write for anyone else. I vividly remember standing in the Mt Gravatt South State school library when I was about nine, and promising myself that when I grew up I was going to write books for children and that I was not going to betray kids and write dumb books for grown ups. It pleases me greatly to say that I have stuck to that promise and I think that it's very interesting that it's precisely that upper primary age group I was in when I made that decision, that I find myself most drawn to write for today. For me, upper primary is the classic age of children's fiction, and the age at which I first read many books and authors which affected me very deeply then and still do today. (Seven Little Australians is still, in my estimation, the Great Australian Novel). Growing up in the early 70's, I benefited enormously from the great heritage of superb books written for that age group in the fifties and sixties, and I was tremendously influenced by people like Leon Garfield, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rosemary Sutcliff and CS Lewis. I think it's sad that today many writers neglect this market, or cannot write for it effectively. To do this, you have to be able to think like a child and an adult simultaneously, and in our fast-paced modern world, I don't think there are many people out there who can unselfconsciously do that.
To me there is absolutely no second best about writing for children. I firmly believe it is what I was put on earth to do, and I consider myself truly blessed to have been able to make a living out of it all these years. I don't know many other people who have fulfilled their childhood dream. I think, if my nine year old self saw where she would be at the age of forty-three, she would have been very happy indeed.'

amen to that, Natalie!

Hi Sophie and others who have commented,
Yes, I agree that it is the books that I read over and over as a child that became a part of me as a person. I loved the adventure in them and everything about them. The best time of each school day in Primary school was when the teacher read to the class for the last 15 minutes. I was lucky enough to have teachers who found good books to read to us. It was because of that introduction to literature that I wanted to be a writer and it was for children I wanted to write - to give something to others that I'd been given.
Helen

I like kids. I enjoy their company. I liked being a kid (and was in no hurry to grow up and sit at the adult's table, adults are <i>boring</i>) and when I look back along the continuum of child to adult I can't quite see where I stopped being one - maybe I haven't. I still want to sit at the kids' table. Writing books for kids is a way of still being one. Kids are a bit wild...I like their lack of discipline. It means they behave in much more interesting ways than adults, so they're a lot more interesting to write about. I think it's one of the great appeals of children's and young adult literature for me - it's heavily populated by kids and young adults... it's hard to write for adults about kids and childhood (marketing-wise for instance), which is weird when you think about it because childhood is the one thing every adult has in common; even taking into account the diversity of individual experience it's a country we all lived in, with certain commonalities.

I also think there's more craftsmanship in children's writing (generally speaking), I think it's a more rigorous art form than contemporary adult fiction. I think it can be an apprenticeship in a way, because you learn more about characterisation, structure, plot, language, voice etc, than in the often more wafty arena of adult writing (which can be rigorous, of course, bit often isn't). I think children's writers do make better adult writers (whereas I don't think writing adult fiction necessarily makes you a better children's writer). I see new adult writers who really resist the idea of character development for example, as if it's some kind of cheap trick or gimmick, but I hate reading a big bumper adult book, only to feel like all the characters have been treading water for 400 pages. Also, I've been criticised online for saying that the possibilities in YA fiction is limitless, but I honestly believe that there is no topic that is completely out of bounds in YA literature (look at Margo Lanagan's breathtakingly difficult, challenging and beautiful <i>Touching Earth Lightly</i> for example, or anything by Sonya Hartnett, or in picture books Beth Norling's <i>The Stone Baby</i>, a book my four year old loves, but haunts me on another level entirely), and I think form, structure, language and place are without bounds too. Verse novels, graphic novels, textless picture books, genre bending... It's exciting. Plus comedy, hope, redemption and joyfulness, things that are really difficult to find in the groaning, sombre weight of adult fiction.

Besides, children's publishing is a really nice industry. The Christmas parties are great. Ssh, don't tell everyone or they'll all want to come.

When I told friends a few years ago that I was changing jobs from editor to a more senior position as a commissioning editor, many of them asked me if that meant I'd now be editing books for adults. Aaargh! I've also spoken to someone who loves her job in kids magazines and who's come up against the same expectations - that advancing in your career means moving away from children to dealing with adults. So frustrating.

I love editing children's books, for the same reasons you all love writing them: imagination, variety, wonder, and real STORY. How can you do a structural edit on a book with no plot?

Margaret Mahy changed my life. When I read The Changeover at the age of 23, I had just finished a science degree and was working as a research assistant. That book led me to rediscover children's literature, and some years later (through a circuitous route) I changed careers to work in children's publishing. I felt like I'd come home. It was even worth the pay cut :)

Thanks for directing us to this beautiful post. I enjoyed reading that.

As a young adult book reviewer, I've noticed this kind of snobbery about children's books has had an effect on the kind of books written for children. Many newer writers seem to have lost their confidence, trusting more in writing didactically and letting theme triumph over plot. Children's writing succeeds when writers trust in their stories, and their readers' ability to take whatever they (the readers) want from them.

I think it's significant that books read as a child are remembered and loved long into adulthood. This does not always happen with books read in adulthood.

Three cheers Sophie and all you other children's writers who have commented on the joys (and difficulties) of writing for children. So true! Speaking as one who discovered reading through the page-turning stories of Enid Blyton, I delight now in the freedom of being able to TELL STORIES without the dead hand of postmodern literary expectations weighing down on me. Why has telling stories become such a degraded notion in our society? (If you tell a cracking great story, it must be rubbish, right?) But we all respond to stories, particularly children, and we should never underestimate their power. This is a way of learning about the world and about the people who inhabit it, about their culture and their society as well as the individual passions that motivate them to action, be it to the heights of chivalry and great-heartedness or the depths of cruelty and depravity. We read to know where we've been and where we might go, we read to know what we might be capable of, if only we have the courage to try. Michael (Pryor) is right; our stories help to instil a love of reading in future adult book buyers, but I think it goes further than that. Our stories can also inspire children to extend themselves, to find new interests, to question how they live and find their true path. Being a children's writer is a blessing, but it's also a terrifying responsibility. As a writer of timeslip and historical crime fiction, my greatest reward is to receive emails from readers who tell me they've discovered a new interest in the stories of King Arthur (after reading my Shalott trilogy), in history, and/or in herbs and healing (the Janna Mysteries) and/or - best of all - have discovered the joy of reading. (Of course, being able to tap into the inner child and have new imaginary friends is a bonus!) Felicity Pulman

Comment sent by Beverley Naidoo:

'I often think that I write the kind of books that I wish I could have read as a child. I loved my Andrew Lang books of fairy tales(the Red, Yellow, blue) my Hans Andersen and those adventures set in boarding schools and forests of the north but they reflected nothing of my own African environment. The few stories that were set in my home country South Africa were incredibly limited. Of course I loved the stories of tricky little hare getting its own back on the bossier, bigger animals(indeed I had fun retelling some of these in the Great Tug of War) and I loved glimpsing the bush that I recognised from real life. But much of what we read was steeped in a subtle and not-so-subtle poison thar of course our parents didn't recognise. It was only years later that I realised how animals were humanised and people brutalised in almost all of the local literature that I read. My compatriot black South africans were mostly represented in 3 ways--as savages, comic buffoons or faithful servants. Of course this wasn't just in South Africa. This was across the colonial world and that was a pretty big swathe. We still suffer the legacy of this corruption of the imagination. You have experienced it too in Australia.
I write to explore something for myself in the first place. Looking at situations through the eyes of young people can open up very interesting perspectives and situations. That alone requires leaps of imagination on my part. So it's a journey and I want to take myself and hopefully my readers into places that have been shut to them--and that were certainly shut to me as a child. I have a novel coming out on July 5th called Burn My Heart. It's set in 1950's Kenya, a favourite colony for English settlers before the Mau Mau took to the forests and led the fierce resistance to the settlers who had occupied their land and taken their freedom. It's about two boys--an English settler boy and a Kikuyu lad--and it is a tale of friendship, loyalty and betrayal. The story behind them is one that has been largely hidden in the dust of the past. Perhaps it is the shame of the past. But I believe that young people are entitled to question how we live in the world. I feel passionately about this entitlement because I did not ask such questions as a child myself. It horrifies me to think what a narrow, restricted mental and emotional life I might have led had I not been challenged to see the world around me in new ways.'

I have loved reading your article Sophie and all the comments, I have to be honest I never really gave it any thought how children's books are viewed/valued in the literary world. All that I can say is that at 38years old I always have a childrens book on the go! Dont get me wrong I have of course read plenty of adult novels but when no ones looking revert back to the childrens books! It all started with Harry Potter, everyone was talking about it but I thought I should read it first to ensure it was suitable for my son before handing it to him. Well that was some years ago now and I really cant use that excuse any more and so I hide in my room at night and read with great delight the amazing adventures found in childrens literature. However I still cant bring myself to be seen publicly on the train or a flight with a childrens book  why is that? I end up spending money at the airport or station on a adult book only to be disappointed. Why do I love childrens books so much? I used to think it was because I simply was an immature reader but that really is not the case. When you look at the greats that have been mentioned you can see how easy it is to get sucked into the wonderful world of make believe that can only be found in the mind of a child or a great writer  Sophie I admire you! Please keep doing what you do so well! Lots of love the Trews xxxx

This is wonderful to read - both Sophie's original post and the comments. Michael said "Our stories can also inspire children to extend themselves, to find new interests, to question how they live and find their true path." And other people's comments took me back to when I was a mad reader as a child. That experience of going into another world was the most marvellous thing, and the sense of loss when I had to emerge back into the real world was awful.
That's what I want/hope my books will do - take the reader into another world. And all the other things that everyone has mentioned. I'm about to start on Draft No. 7 of a children's novel, and the discussion here has re-energised my determination to "get it right" this time. Not an easy task, but definitely enjoyable.

Going by the number of comments, and the fact that most commenters are writing/working in the area, the lack of recognition we get is obviously a very large bone of contention. Part what also faces children's/YA writers is that what we write is mediated by grown-ups - teachers, librarians, parents - and because we don't have enough of a robust debate about what books are for, the response can mean that particular types of books get put forward or not (Lili Wilkinson writes wonderfully about this on one of her recent blogs). I've been in the frustrating situation of writing books that teenagers loved yet (some) adults were a bit nervous about on account of their content, but then, when I wrote something in a different style, it was praised/criticised as being 'really' an adult book, and has got lost in the cracks to some extent as a result. I have found this quite dementing, and I know many, many YA writers have been in the same boat. We need to talk more about what books are for generally, and get rid of the notion of 'suitability' altogether - let the kids decide what it is they want to read!

It's been wonderful reading, Sophie and others, and I can only agree with what' s been said. So I just want to make ONE comment and that is, when a boy or a girl looks at you and says they 'LOVED' your book - you know that's exactly what they mean.

I think I write for children because it's much closer to oral storytelling than writing for adults could ever be. the inevitable slight distance between an adult writer and a child reader gives a strong sense of audience and, I believe, brings us very close to the essential power of story. In a culture which tends to over-intellectualise many things, I value the surprises and insights that exploring stories brings to me and (I hope) to my readers. I like working in a field where people aren't always trying to prove how clever they are. It's not really surprising that children's authors are largely ignored by the media. Few of our readers write newspaper columns or host chat shows. But they show their appreciation in other, excellent ways. (And it's true about the parties, as well.)

Comment from Catherine Jinks:

'I only write for children because ideas for children pop into my head. When I get an idea, it could be for any age group. I have to look at it and classify it. If it's what you might call a 'high-concept' idea--ie, science fiction, or full of vampires or witches, or particularly action-packed--and the main character can be made to be a teenager or a child, then it'll robably fall into the children's basket. If the main character has to be an adult, and it's full of sexual references and really, really sicko stuff(like the endless roadkill in 'The Road'), then it'll fall into the adult category. It just depends where the chips fall.'

I hear you in the re-reading of books as a kid: I loved re-reading Richard Scarry's books, "Harry the Dirty Dog", "The Tiger Who Came to Tea" and many others as a very young boy, then various Enid Blyton stories & series, followed by an 'addiction' to the Hardy Boys series in Primary School; but I haven't really remembered or re-read more than a quarter of the books I've read while in a book group within past few years.

There's certainly nowhere to hide -in terms of style - for the author of kids' books: no footnotes/index to use as extra 'dumps' of information, very few or no cultural references that can be so easily over-used or slotted in to 'save' the effort of really explaining why a particular idea or chacracter would need such supporting material, etc etc. Some picture books for very young readers, in the under-5 years range, even seem to have as much in common with haiku poems as they do with book-length stories: a very small word count, each word so carefully chosen and a specific focus for the story.

As a lifetime daydreamer, it's been great to see in the comments that many others haven't stopped it since leaving school or have resumed the habit.:)

I think its a wonderfull thing you do writeing for children.

You my dear have a wonderfull gift!!

Yes, we do get ignored by the media, we sit at different tables at the festivals, people look down their noses at us (even if we are smiling all the way to the bank) but life could be worse ...

We could be POETS!!

;)