I am a big defender of 'Harry Potter,' and I think any book that

When Judy Blume declares, “I am a big defender of ‘Harry Potter,’ and I think any book that gets kids to read are books that we should cherish, we should be thankful for them,” she speaks not only as a writer but as a guardian of imagination. Her words resound like a call to arms, reminding us that in every age, the greatest treasure we can pass to the young is the love of reading. For in books lies the inheritance of humanity: wisdom, wonder, and the infinite worlds of the mind. To cherish such works is to defend the light of knowledge against the shadows of ignorance.

The origin of her defense lies in the power of stories that capture the hearts of children. For generations, critics have risen to condemn what they do not understand—fairy tales, comics, even novels once dismissed as trivial or dangerous. Yet these very works often become the gateways through which young souls first discover the magic of reading. Blume, herself a beloved author for children, knows this truth intimately: that the value of a book is not in the approval of scholars or the praise of the elite, but in its power to awaken curiosity. She looks at Harry Potter, a story that brought millions of children into the world of books, and rightly declares that we should be thankful for such a gift.

History bears witness to this wisdom. In ancient Greece, the poet Homer told the tales of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Some elders of his time might have scoffed at these epics as mere entertainment, filled with battles and fantastical gods. Yet through these stories, generations of Greeks learned courage, honor, and the craft of words. So too, centuries later, children pore over tales of wizards and castles, and while some dismiss them as frivolous, they in truth teach discipline of the mind, empathy for others, and the power of perseverance. Just as Homer’s tales seeded Western literature, so too modern stories may seed the minds of tomorrow’s thinkers.

Blume’s thankfulness is rooted in humility. She does not measure a book only by its complexity or its adherence to high art. Instead, she measures it by its ability to inspire a child to pick it up, to lose themselves within its pages, to crave the next chapter. This humility is a lesson in itself: that greatness is not always found in lofty towers of scholarship, but in the humble act of helping a child discover joy in reading. She is thankful because she sees the wider truth: every child who learns to love stories takes a step toward wisdom.

Her words are also a defense against cynicism. In every generation, there are those who criticize popular works, claiming they are unworthy of serious respect. Yet Blume reminds us that we must look not at the critics, but at the children whose eyes light up at the turn of a page. It is they who matter, they who carry the torch of learning forward. The books that awaken them are sacred, no matter how simple or fantastical they may appear to others.

The lesson here is profound: cherish the works that inspire the young. Do not despise what is popular simply because it is popular, nor dismiss what awakens joy simply because it is fantastical. For it is joy that first teaches the heart to love learning, and it is love of learning that sustains wisdom through life. As Blume reminds us, every book that sparks a child’s imagination is a treasure to be guarded, not condemned.

Practical wisdom follows. Place books in the hands of children—any books that delight them, that draw them into reading, that make them hunger for more. Speak not of judgment first, but of encouragement. Celebrate the stories that capture their imaginations, whether they are classics or modern tales. And above all, cultivate thankfulness for every author and every story that carries the flame of literacy into the next generation.

Thus, in the words of Judy Blume, we hear a timeless truth: that the measure of a book is not its place in the halls of critics, but its power to make children read, dream, and grow. To be thankful for such books is to be a steward of the future, for in every young reader lies the promise of tomorrow’s wisdom. Let us then defend, cherish, and give thanks for all the stories that awaken the hearts of children, for through them, the world itself is renewed.