Round characters can also be undeveloped because of their personality or responses toward certain events they encounter Lukens, 1999:91. The development of the
round characters can be the means for children to identify the actions. They can give various responses toward the decision of round characters. The development itself is
actually when the characters can demonstrate new realization about their personal values through their actions. So, whether the characters may change or remain
unchanged, it shows that round characters are imperfect figures.
b. Children as the Reader
The problem in children’s literature is when children as young readers have to read books from adults’ perspective. Adults’ perspective in this case is how adults
control or direct children to read books chosen by adults, specifically parents, and how children’s books are composed through adult’s point of view as adults are the
authors. The action of parents’ control is based on their duty to teach children and limit the freedom of children to choose their own books because they afraid that their
children take wrong books Nodelman, 2008:134. Books that are composed through adults’ way of seeing are caused because the books are designed to be didactic or to
give only things related to messages or moral values. In fact, children’s literature should not be so because its function is not to educate children with conservative
values but to give them precious experiences in reading literature. When young readers hold the books and find out what is inside these books,
they should get more experiences in reading. Williams in Saxby 1987:16 implied that these young readers should have more space to explore both the stories and the
reading experience. It shows that it is beyond the quantities of demanding texts for children because the exploration ability of these young readers is more important to
make them more attached to the reading activity. It is normal for adults to have an interest to make children learn by reading
books but one thing that they should understand about children’s literature is that it is beyond didactic things. Most adults expect certain responses on children after reading
books. The lack is on adults themselves who probably only some of them professionally involve in reading and understanding children’s literature deeper.
Nodelman sees the result when adults do not professionally play a role in such activity is they tend to only look for the messages embodied in the books 2008:157.
That is why the active role of adults in understanding children’s literature is very important so that they do not assume it only as a piece of cake.
Every literary work has its targeted readers. Children’s literature is the only genre in literature which projects children as its targeted readers. Targeted or implied
readers are the ones expected to enjoy the books more and perceive themselves as being someone else in the stories Nodelman, 2008:18. This is the power that only
children’s literature mastering it: the power to take children out from their real life and jump into the world of imagination of the stories to be someone else they have
never been before. This is how children’s literature arranges the strategy to make children understand the stories. The decision of implied readers in children’s
literature makes it special and not similar to other genres in literature. The way to
compose it is also different because the authors have to release their adult’s perspective and change it into how children perceive things.
Unfortunately, some adults tend to neglect and do not aware about how children’s literature in nature. Their interest to teach moral values to children makes
them choose children’s books that are good for them not because of how children will enjoy the stories. It shows the powerlessness of children in having their freedom to
pick their own books. In the end, they are also powerless in reading because what adults expect they do is how they can get the messages only.
3. The Hidden Adults
