EDU 280

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EDU 280

• Childrens Literature
• Genre

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Children's Literature

• both fiction and non-fiction books
• written especially for children 0-12 years old.
• Genre
• A category of literature defined by their shared
  characteristics.
• Within each genre, there are many sub-genres.

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Picture Books

• Definition  A book in which the picture is as
  important as the text. 
• This is a genre based on a physical format, so it
  can contain titles from many of the other
  genres. 
• It includes picture books, illustrated
  storybooks, wordless storybooks, concept books,
  and informational books. 
• In picture books, both text and illustration are
  fused together, to provide more than either can
  do alone (the whole is greater than the sum of
  the parts).

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Wordless picture books and nearly wordless
picture books

• communicate the plot of the story through
  illustrations.  
• These books are excellent for promoting language
  development and developing a concept of how
  stories work (with beginning, middle, and end).

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Concept books

• use pictures to explore or explain an
  idea/concept, object, or an activity.  They do
  not tell a story.
• These books introduce young children to single,
  focused concepts.
• The books may be about size, color, or shapes
  that are best taught with illustrations, or they
  may be about more abstract concepts like time or
  emotions that are best described using words.
• Concept books help young children see
  relationships between objects and become aware of
  similarities or differences

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Counting Books

• present the numerals, their shapes, and pictures
  of objects to show what the number
  represents. Examine counting books for clear
  number styles and logical sequencing. Books that
  count from 1 to 10 then jump to 20 or one hundred
  will confuse young readers.

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• One book mentioned over
• and over again as wonderful
• example of a counting book
• is Anno's Counting Book by
• Mitsumasa Anno. It includes
• the number zero which is
• rare, has numerous sets of
• objects to count on each
• page, and gives readers a
• chance to count to twelve
• rather than the customary
• ten.

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Alphabet books

• present the alphabet letter-by-letter in order to
  acquaint young children with the shapes, names,
  and sounds of the letters. 
• Although alphabet books will not help children
  learn the alphabet, they can help children learn
  to distinguish different styles of lettering.
• The words, letters, and pictures should all match
  with the best alphabet books using clearly
  identified objects.

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Informational Books

• Informational books can also be called
  non-fiction books.
• Informational books must be accurate, authentic,
  up-to-date, factual, clearly organized, and
  include illustrations when needed.
• These books should avoid anthropomorphism,
  stereotypes and generalizations.

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Informational Books

• Sub-genres include
• photo documentaries,
• narrative texts,
• how-to books,
• question and answer books,
• activity books,
• field guides/identification books,
• survey books,
• concept books and
• life-cycle books.

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Biography

• Biographies are a type of informational book.
• They can be about scientists and inventors,
  political leaders, entertainers (in music, art,
  and literature), sports personalities, explorers
  and frontiersmen, humanitarians, people who
  overcome tremendous odds, villains, and ordinary
  people.
• Biographies should be authentic to the
  historical period with the subject's rather than
  the author's views coming through the words.

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Historical Fiction

• The genre of Historical Fiction in the field of
  Children's Literature includes stories that are
  written to portray a time period or convey
  information about a specific time period or an
  historical event. Usually the event or time
  period is about 30 years in the past.
• Examples are Train to Somewhere written by Eve
  Bunting and illustrated by Ronald Himler Lyddie
  by Katherine Paterson and Across the Wide Dark
  Sea written by Jean Van Leeuwen and illustrated
  by Thomas B. Allen.

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Historical Fiction

• In Historical Fiction, setting is the most
  important literary element. Because the author is
  writing about a particular time in history, the
  information about the time period must be
  accurate, authentic, or both. To create accurate
  and authentic settings in their books, authors
  must research the time period thoroughly. They
  must know how people lived, what they ate, what
  kinds of homes they had, and what artifacts were
  a common part of their lives.

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Historical Fiction

• Historical Fiction books, whether they are
  picture story books, transitional books, or
  novels, may have characters who are either
  imaginary or who actually lived during the time
  period.
• Settings also may be real or imaginary. The plot
  events may be documented historical events or
  they may be fictional.
• If they are fictional, it means that the author
  created the events for the telling of the story.
  The fictional characters, settings, and plot
  events must be portrayed authentically as if they
  actually could have happened.

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Poetry Books

• Definition  Poetry books can range from poetry
  that rhymes to free verse and concrete verse. It
  takes the sound of language and arranges it in
  beautiful forms. Each word is chosen carefully
  for its sound and its meaning. It appeals to both
  the thoughts and feelings of the reader.
• Most small children love nursery rhymes, jingles,
  and songs, yet many adults have an aversion to
  poetry. In numerous studies, children have
  indicated that they like poetry that rhymes,
  tells a story, or is funny. They do not like to
  memorize, find hidden meanings, or recite poems.
  Guard against future generations losing interest
  in the lyrical language of poetry by reading
  poems aloud with them. Poetry is meant to be
  heard.

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Contemporary Realistic Fiction

• Definition  Titles dealing with the problems and
  joys of living today.  There is often an element
  of character growth or self-realization in the
  book.
• Titles can promote tolerance and understanding of
  others and their experiences. It "extends
  children's horizons by broadening their
  interests, allowing them to experience new
  adventures and showing them different ways to
  view and deal with conflicts in their own lives"
  (Through the eyes of a child (2003), p. 363)

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Traditional Literature, Folk and Fairy Tales

• This literature is born of oral tradition, and is
  passed orally from generation to generation. 
• It often has "retold by" or "adapted by" in front
  of the author, on the title page of the book. 
• It often starts with the phrase "Once upon a
  time..." and often has a happy ending.

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Traditional Literature, Folk and Fairy
Tales

• The story often includes patterns of 3 (3
  characters, 3 tasks, 3 events, etc.).
• There are many versions of the same story.
• Good always conquers evil.
• Sub-genres of traditional literature include
  fairy tales, folk tales, Mother Goose rhymes,
  legends, myths, proverbs, epics, and fables.