Much of children's literature is designed to teach children: 1. The alphabet 2. New words or concepts 3. Social mores or traditions and 4. of course to teach them or "edumacate" them about the world we live in (or wish we lived in) :)
Children's books are often written for elementary readers. That means that smart and talented authors target children (and thier parents) as their potential audience. Techniques of elementary reading (since the focus is on new words, letters, and concepts) include several of the following tropes (or patterns):
1. Young protagonists
2. Colorful pictures that help match vocabulary to image
3. A lesson
4. Short paragraphs (sometimes a picture book has only pictures) Sentence construction and syntax is simple or paired down.
"Children's" literature, therefore, is NOT meant to be read by adolescents, since adolescents often find it difficult to appreciate simplicity or wild imagination, searching primarily to fit into a common crowd and resenting being treated like young "children."
As you go about completing the library research project on Children's Literature, consider HOW you approach a children's book. If you are open, this can be a lot of fun. If you are close minded (this often happens in a group setting since you don't want your peers to know you actually enjoy kids stuff) you may find yourself overly critical.
At the end of class, please respond to this entry about the books you read and your experience reading. As a writer, what have you learned about children's books?
PLEASE POST A COMMENT BELOW - Please include your real NAME to get full credit!
21 comments:
I nautica graham have learned that children books aren't meant for people like me. I myself enjoy children books because they allow me to hae broader imagination, and have fun with fictional characters. In my opinion the books that are meant for readers like myself are only meant to have one meaning, and one path of things.
I've learned that children's books are biased, and differ by cultures. They also tend to have a morbid side, and can be very sad with unhappy endings. Children's stories are very philosophical, and are meant to brainwash your children.
Children books to me, are for people who have a wild imagination and like thinking about the tthings they are reading. If your going to read a children book, you need to be ready to picture things in your head. Because I feel children's book are more about the imagery than the lirature and vobaulary.
Monica Berhe
I've learned that there are different ways to catch children's attention with books. Most books have beautiful and descriptive pictures to help understand the books. Others may have poetry in it. Some also have no writing in it they just have pictures. An example of that is "Noah's Ark", there is mostly ictures throughout the book and hardly no words. But you can still understand the meaning of the book.
I have learned that children's literature was designed to teach younger children about the world, and that the books also designed to help to identify certain aspects of life that one should learn about.
Wade Walker
As a writer, I am more into the dark, murder stories. I'm not into childern stories that much, but I do understand them. But, I learned that I may be kind of interested in childern stories more, because it's easy reading.
Alaina
I have learned that childrens books are very simple and sweet. They often have theories that young kids can relate to and they often will make them feel better or happier. I liked that pictures were very colorful and interesting. They also helped the kids reading the books to understand what was going on a lot better or help to catch what they missed in the text.
I learned that children's books are more fascinating in a sense than regular books because their luminous colors describe detail rather than words and they lack complex situations. No drama,confusion, mixed emotions are in there, just clean fresh oblivious innocence and humor.
Whitney Lora
I think reading children books was an enhancing experience, I liked reading the elementary books because it kind of took me back like I remembered reading some of those books when I was younger. I also liked kind of poking fun at the books, I had some good laughs with those books. I didn't think it would take me so long to get through some of the books I read. I only was able to read 5 books, I didn't really finish the assignment.
I have learned that, Childrens books, no matter the age level are great stories that teach people things that are worth remembering. Unless you already know your ABC's then you dont really need to read a children's ABC book. But for example a book like coirderoy, teaches you that nothing can defeat the power of love, even if it is for an adoreable teddybear.
Ta'Shae Roundheart, have learned from reading childrens books that they are more attention catching than other books. They consist of bigger words and they have alot more pictures to understand whats going on in the book. alot of the characters are funny and made up but some of them are mellowed and sweet.I enjoy reading some childrens books because they are somewhat interesting.
I think that this time in the libray was a great time. i have really learned that the elementary books are really good for little kids but they are not that good for older people. the books ahve a lot of information which i really dont remember that they had so much information. these books are good for little kids because of the information. i also like the rhyming in the books.
I've learned that as I get older I often over analyze children books because I'm prone to think more than is actually needed. I actually enjoyed reading these books because I haven't read a child's book in so long I forgotten how it feels to read a children's book. They're so simple and easy to read..it's just very relaxing.
-Brianna Corbitt
I Shayla Sanders have learned that i have gone through a lot of maturing because i remember when i used to read those books and i had so much fun and they took me so long to finsh them but now they seem so corny and stupid. i dont know how i spents all myyounger days being entertained by those books. But some of them are really funny and i enjoyed them a lot. Childerns boooks are defintely made for childern
I have learned that, Childrens books, no matter the age level are great stories that teach people things that are worth remembering. Unless you already know your ABC's then you dont really need to read a children's ABC book. But for example a book like coirderoy, teaches you that nothing can defeat the power of love, even if it is for an adoreable teddybear.
I learned that childrens books have simple obvious plots, but don't always have to be centered around morals, life lessons or lessons in phonics or reading. They can be as simple as desibing a snowy day. They can also have a more complex plot. I guess what I learned is that it varies greatly from book to book and from what the author is to achieve.
Children's books are short and to the point, easily teaching normally teach a lesson or moral. These stories widen your imagination and can suggest opinions. The more imaginative and interesting the picture in a picture book, the better. The pictures should be able to tell you more about the story than the words alone. To enforce a lesson, an edge of doom can have a nice effect on your story.
the thing that we have learned today about children's book is that basically bit's like we are writing the book but just in children form ,and also i really like the the haikus and the children poems it was very unique and performance.I would really like to do more of this on what we have done today:)
I learned that childrens books can entertain me alot. Some bore me with all their big words and thw ones with awesome pictures make me happy. They ones that teach kids about rules and things are really good for kids. This was a fun activity, well enjoyed.
Childerns books are necessary step in literature. Its true that they teach kids the basic things, such as the simpe words, and with that knowlegde move on to more complex things. In step and without one cannot move on.
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