ENG 360 Children’s Literature

1. ENG 360 Children’s Literature Dr. Shirley Pauler House on Mango street

2. Kitten’s first Full MoonCaldecott Medal Winner • Setting: outdoors on a summer Night • Character: Kitten

3. More Reviewer Comments… • (about Kitten’s Frist Full Moon

4. Henkes’ Books Title/Topic Match • Chester's Way • Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse • Kitten’s First Full Moon • Sheila Rae, the Brave • Julius, the Baby of the World • Chrysanthemum • The effects of teasing • Accepting a new sibling • Making new friends • Asking for forgiveness • Overcoming sadness about moving • Bravery overcoming timidity • Pursuing a reward that only comes after the pursuit is abandoned

5. Plot • Expectations vary with age • Strict chronological order for young audience • Older: can follow “flashbacks”, more complex plots • Conflict draws reader in – engages the reader • Criteria: • Natural (believable) • Not predictable all the way through

6. Good Characterization… • Invites identification • Shows weaknesses as well as strengths (believable) • Is interesting, unique – Ramona, not Nancy Drew- create a character that is one of a kind • Shows change over time (longer books) – Does not always happen in a picture story book.

7. Setting (2 aspects) • Criteria: • Supportive of characters & plot • Accurate (if specific) • Contribution: • Creates mood • May be antagonist • Can provide historical background • May symbolize aspects of plot or character • Adds credibility to story

8. Theme • Unifies plot, characterization, and setting • Sometimes stated by a character • Often value – laden • Criteria: • Worthwhile • Relevant to a child’s experience

9. Writing Style • Choice of words, their arrangement, kinds of sentences. • Use of figurative language, interesting sentence structures, reputation, rhythms to evoke mood. • Should trust reader to “fill in the gaps” (understatement)

10. Point of View (Narrator) • First person (usually main character) • Lends an immediacy to the telling • Second Person • “You” to address the reader or a story character • May establish a conversational tone • 3rd person • Omniscient (can get into the head of all the major characters) • Limited omniscient • Criteria • Consistency • appropriateness

11. Other Story Aspects: • Tone – author’s attitude toward subject or audience • Mood – atmosphere of the story, feelings it evokes

12. Traditional Literature…Dewy 398 • Is a body of ancient stories & poems preserved & passed down by storytellers • Is attributed to entire groups of people or cultures • No identifiable author • Includes many types of stories • Most are fantasy, but some are realistic • Has common characteristic of the literary elements(plot, characters, setting, wiring style, themes…) • Functioned to pass on cultural values on through generations

13. Plot • In traditional tales, story… • Is shorter that in other genres • Quickly introduces conflict • Often has recurring actions • Has a quick resolution & ending • Storyteller used this element to hold attention of audience

14. characterization • Less developed that in any other genre • Uni-dimensional – just one major characteristic • Good characters: completely good • Bad characters: completely evil • Consider: what actions are rewarded?

15. Setting (Time & Place) • Vague (In the beginning…) long ago in a land far away…) • May be “formulaic” (Once upon…) • Time the far distant past • Place: often symbolic: careful description not needed • As you read, consider • In picture storybooks, how is setting portrayed in illustrations? Who makes that decision? • In there anything in the setting that is symbolic? • Does it reflect the tension in the plot? • Does it symbolize the theme?

16. Theme • What is “theme”? • A universal truth or lesson to be learned • Reflects values of culture in time of story’s origin • Often involves moral issues • Consider • What character qualities and behaviors are rewarded… punished? • How do plot, characterization, and setting contribute to the theme?

17. Style of Language • Remember: stories all began as oral tales • Memory of storyteller is limited • Capacity of audience to remember is limited • Simple – only necessary description • Realistic conversation • Often enriched with repeating refrains • Some stories us dialect of tine/place (Uncle Remus Stories) • Motifs – recurring features such as the number three ( three little pigs, three Billy goats gruff

18. Choosing/evaluating trade lit • Dies it preserve the storytelling style? • Does it preserve the flavor of the culture or culture country of its oragin? • Use of colloquiaisms, unusual speech patterns, propper names common to the culture, a few foreigh terns • Do illustrations (if present) fit well with the tone of the text and portray the essence of the culture of origin? Are they well done? • Does the writing exemplify a rich literary style?

19. Folktales • A sub –category of traditional literature • found in every culture • Originated in lives/imaginations of people or “folk” • Children’s favorite type of traditional literature (from age 3 on) • Vary in content based on original intended audience • King’s court and mobility – tales of valor, heroism benevolence of ruling class (called castle tales) • Common people –ruling classes are portrayed as unjust or hard taskmasters (called cottage tales) • Riches were considered “fair game” for common folk who were clever or strong enough to acquire them.

20. Multicultural Literature

21. Depictions of Ethnicity Found in Children’s Books: • Culturally Neutral– Include children from cultural minorities, but book is about other topics Examples inched illustrated non-fiction books, with pictures showing cultural minorities • Culturally Generic – “What Mary Jo Shares” – focus on characters (main character or supporting character who represent a cultural minority, but contain few details that would help reader develop greater understanding on the characters culture • Culturally Specific – characters from minority culture are depicted in ways that include specific cultural details; cultural themes are present, and may even be the prevailing theme of the book

22. Alphabet Books • May be for any grade level, pre-school – grade 5 because • Not all are intended to teach alphabet