This is a reply I posted on the blog of James Gurney.
You can find the post here.

Some time ago I emailed the writer of a children's book 
that I illustrated some comments that I'd gathered.
I kept the children's comments for last (my sister is a 
teacher so I had lots of 'em) and I introduced those comments 
with something like : 
"...and now the toughest critics to deal with...".

Kids being the toughest critics, I actually appreciate their 
view much more that adults, at least when it comes to children's 
books. I can't accept that their view is inferior, it's just different 
and in case of children's books I dare say superior.
I've been thinking a lot about that lately (philosophy was my 
favourite subject in school and antropology and sociology are 
subjects that keep me fascinated).

I noticed that children are extremely quick at picking up tastes 
of fellow humans - being their parents or class mates.
Somehow I feel their personal taste is quickly poluted by their 
environment and I guess it's virtually impossible to re-discover 
your deepest most personal taste again at a later age (adulthood).

I good example is given in this interview (at the very end) with a 
price winning animation artist ("The Pearce Sisters").
http://www.pearcesisters.co.uk

The artist's daughter didn't like the film a bit : she gave her dad 
some drawings of her own and told him that's how he should do it : 
fairies and princesses.

It's a good example because it's got me puzzled : 
where did the preference for fairies and princesses come from ?
Is this a clear cut case of influence or are these fairies and princesses 
so architypical that we children's book artist should humbly give in to?

I only have questions. No answers.