Christopher Paul Curtis by Wendy Lamb

Wendy Lamb gives us background and meaning behind the works of Christopher Paul Curtis such as The Watson's Go to Birmingham and Bud, Not Buddy. Why were these books so well received when they are about issues that many children don't fully understand or are unfamiliar with?
According to Lamb, Curtis makes his characters real. Children can relate to them on a personal level. His main characters in the two books are both young boys, they are both growing up in times of struggle, and they are both humorous. Curtis incorporates the humor and innocence of children into his stories in order to catch the attention of his readers; otherwise issues like the South in the 1960's and the American Great Depression may be hard to swallow or even hard to understand.
"Each book is carried along by the exaggerated tone and the heightened childlike energy of the voice, and by the tension created when Christopher sets each boy up against a great, dark force: the bombing, the depression, racism. In Bud, Not Buddy the rules are funny and to the point, but they also show us what inspired them--Bud's hard, hard life in the hands of strangers." (Lamb, 400)
Christopher takes social issues like the ones above and lets his readers explore how these issues and troubles of the times affect everyday people. Readers are also introduced to other important trends of the time period like music. Above all, Curtis implements the importance of family into his novels; "family is the goal; family is the salvation; family is Bud's right and he must demand it from the world." (Lamb, 400)

I agree with Wendy Lamb's portrayal of this author. While reading the novel Bud, Not Buddy, I was reminded of old history lessons from years ago as well as taught some new things about the way things were. Bud does have an intense sense of child humor that starts out in the very first chapter. The story is told from his account and he is faced with trials and tribulations that many kids would crumble against. Christopher Paul Curtis takes issues like homelessness, poverty, racism, etc. and makes them easy to understand and fun to learn about.
Lamb, Wendy. "Christopher Paul Curtis." The Horn Book 2000: 397-401