Kate DiCamillo—the author of Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, The Beatryce Prophecy, and many other novels—speaks with Harper’s Magazine editor Christopher Beha about discovering her vocation in children’s literature. DiCamillo discusses how her writing for children is shaped by a sense of responsibility toward them, and what children’s literature can offer to adults. Rather than trading on double entendres and other devices that enliven children’s stories for the parent reading at the bedside, DiCamillo recovers a child’s sense of magic for adult readers—one that isn’t displaced into a realm of fantasy. DiCamillo’s first published story for adults, “On a Winter’s Night,” appears in the December issue.

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