ENGL 310 Mid-Term

Abraham Maslow Research

*A person develops through a "hierarchy of needs" from basic animal-survival necessities to the "higher" needs that are more uniquely human and spiritual, self-actualization might take a life-time or it might never be achieved

Traditional Literature

*All of the stories born of the oral tradition, the stories most often labeled "folklore", "folk literature" or "mythology" *It is generally said that myths are about gods and the creation of things; legends are about heroes and their mighty deeds before the time of recorded history; folktales, fairy tales, and fables are simple stories about talking beasts, woodcutters ,and princesses who reveal human behavior and beliefs while playing out their roles in a world of wonder and magic

Teaching Controversial Issues

*Allows for content across the curriculum to be related in authentic ways to children's lives, providing an opportunity for children and teachers to reflect, analyze and critically comprehend more deeply *Teaching controversial issues brings about challenges

Choosing Artistic Conventions

*Artists may choose to borrow conventions or ways of depicting that we have come to associate with certain historical or cultural periods, such as Renaissance art or Impressionism, or art associated with a people

Jean Piaget

*Intelligence develops as a result of the interaction of environment and the maturation of the child *Children are active participants in their own learning *Distinct Stages in the development of logical thinking *All children go through these stages in the same progression, but not necessarily at the same age *He identified these stages as the sensory-motor period from infancy to 2 years old *The pre-operational period from 2-7 *Concrete operational period from 7 to 11 *Two-phase development of formal operations, which begins around age 11 and continues through adult life

The Tale of Despereaux

*Kate Dicamillo author *Book translated into 39 different languages *Newberry Honor for Because of Winn Dixie *Newberry Medal for the Tale of Desperaux and Flora and Ulysses

Lines and Shape

*Lines are a part of every illustration and convey meaning *Horizontal line suggests repose and peace *Vertical line gives stability *Diagonal line suggests action and movement *A line that encloses space creates shape

Why should children's literature be valued? (Intrinsic Values)

*Literature provides enjoyment *Literature develops children's imagination and helps them consider people, experiences, or ideas in new ways * Their experiences with literature give children new perspectives on the world *Literature reflects life, and has insight into human behavior * Literature asks universal questions about the meaning of life and our relationships with nature and other people

Myths

*Mythology evolved as indigenous peoples searched their imaginations and related events to forces as they sought explanations of the earth, sky, and human behavior *Deal with human relationships with the gods and other spiritual beings with the relationships of the gods among themselves , with the way people accept or fulfill their destiny, and with people's struggles with good and evil forces both within themselves and outside themselves *Myths can be characterized by the type of explanation they offer about the beginnings of the world or about some natural phenomenon

Graphica and the Graphic Novel

*Often have multiple images on one page that are separated into panels; the panels are divided by frames, which are typically a think black line with white space between *Often produced as a team effort *Typically focused on humor and superhero stories *Can be useful academically

James Britton proposes that in all our uses of language we can be...

*Participants or spectators *Participants- Read in order to accomplish something in the real world *Spectator-Focus on what the language says as an end in itself, attending to its forms and patterns

Format of the Book

*Picture book is not made up of a single illustrated pictures buy conveys its message through a series of images

Educational Value of Literature

*Plays a significant role in developing oral, language, reading, and writing abilities and should play a central part in the school curriculum *

Preschool and Kindergarten (Ages 3, 4, 5)

*Rapid development of language *Very active, short attention span *Child is center of own world. Interest behavior, and thinking are egocentric *Curious about own world *Beginning interest in how things work and the wider world *Building concepts through many firsthand experiences *Has little sense of time: time is before now, now, and not yet *Learns through imaginative play; make-believe world of talking animals and magic seems very real *Seeks warmth and security in relationships with family and others *Beginning to assert independence, take delight in own accomplishments *Makes absolute judgements about right and wrong

Erik Erikson

Human emotional and social development as a passage through a series of stages, each stage centers around the individuals meeting a particular goal or concern associated with that stage 1. A sense of trust must be gained during the first year 2. A sense of autonomy should be realized by age 3 3. Between 3 and 6 years the sense of initiative is developed 4. By 6 through 12 a sense of duty and accomplishment or industry occupies this period of childhood 5. Adulthood is characterized by a sense of intimacy, a parental sense of productivity, and a sense of integrity

Literature

Imaginative shaping of life and thought into the forms and structures of language

Nature Myths

Include stories that explain seasonal changes, animal characteristics, earth formations, constellations, and the movements of the sun and the earth

Point of View

Indicates the author's choice of narrators and the way the narrator reveals the story

The Bible as Literature

Our fears should not be that children will know the Bible; rather, it should be they will not know it

Author of Peter Pan

Sir James Matthew Barrie *o His older brother died when he was the younger o Relationship with mother was paramount o Always wanted to get the mother's attention after the brother died o He would wear his brother's clothes because he wanted his mother to love him, but she would call him Peter, the older brother's name o He had a very unhappy marriage o Bought a St. Bernard on the honeymoon, wife said it saved their marriage o She felt like his mind was always somewhere else o She had an affair with someone else, and she wanted a divorce o J.M Barrie did not want a divorce because he didn't want the attention o His personality is similar to Peter's, he sometimes could not make the difference between reality and make believe o Met the Llewelyn Davies Boys in London ♣ They had five boys ♣ Barrie began playing with them ♣ His connection became so intense with these boys, to the point where he called them his kids

Setting

Structure of a story including both the construction of the plot and its setting, may be in the past, the present, or the future and may take place in the specific locale or may be deliberately vague to convey the universal feeling of all communities

Value

The element of value can be defined as the amount of light and dark in a picture

Hero Myths

The hero myths, found in many cultures, do not attempt to explain anything at all, these myths have some of the same qualities as wonder stories- the hero is given certain tasks, or in the case of Heracles, labors, to accomplish, frequently the gods help or hinder a particular favorite or disliked mortal

Space

The illustrations in a picture book exist on a two-dimensional plane

Theme

The larger meanings that lie beneath the story's surface, theme reveals the author's purpose in writing the story and provides a dimension to the story that goes beyond the action o the plot

Peter Pan

o Tinkerbell was very jealous because Peter had been previously only hers, and now Wendy got some of his attention o Blue stockings meant that you were an educated woman, but this was not a compliment because they were supposed to be merely housewives o Peter never wants to think about death, so when Wendy is shot down, he simply wants to put her out of sight and out of mind o Wendy has become the mother and no longer acts like a child on Neverland o "To die will be an awfully big adventure"

Abraham Lincoln

"Teach the children, so it won't be necessary to teach the adults"

Middle Elementary (Ages 8 and 9)

*Attaining independence in reading skill, may read with complete absorption; or may still be having difficulty learning to read, wide variation in ability and interest *Reading level may still be below appreciation level *Peer-group acceptance becomes increasingly important *Developing standards of right and wrong, begins to see viewpoints of others *Less egocentric; developing empathy for others, questioning death *Time concepts and spatial relationships developing, this age level is characterized by thought that is flexible and reversible *Enjoys tall tales and slapstick humor in everyday situations, appreciates imaginary adventure *Cognitive growth and language development increase capacity for problem solving and word play *Improved coordination makes proficiency in sports and games possible and encourages interest in crafts and hobbies *Sees categories and classification with new clarity; interest in collecting is high *Seeks specific information to answer questions; may go to books beyond own reading ability to search out answers

Judith Kerr (1923-2006)

*British writer and illustrator *German born Jew, family fled from Berlin *The Tiger who Came to Tea, 1968 is one of th best selling children's books of all time *Also wrote when Hitler stole Pink Rabbit when her son was 8 to depict accurate child's view of WWII, won a prestigious award for book in 1974

Book Awards

*Caldacott Award- Most distinguished American Picture book for kids (Illustrator) *Newberry Award- Most outstanding contribution to children's literature *Geisel- Beginning reading books most distinguished (Dr. Seuss award) *Hans Christian Anderson Medal- One author, one illustrator is recognized for entire body of work, Given every two years, not just one book, but all books the author has done *American Library Association-Oldest and largest library association in the world annually, confers many books and media awards * Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award- Winner of this annual international award for a lifetime achievement in children's literature, receives 5 million Sweedish crowns *Michael L. Printz Award- Excellence in literature written for young adults *Shneider Family Book Award-Artistic expression of the disability experience *Mildred L. Batchelder Award- Published in language other than English, in country other than us, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States *Pura Belpre Award- Latino writer and illustrator that affirms and celebrates the Latino Culture *Robert F Sibert Informational Book Award- Most distinguished informational book *Stonewall Book Award- Mike Morgan and Larry Roman's Children's ad YA literature Award- Exceptional merit relating to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender award

Wonder Tales

*Children call wonder tales about magic and the supernatural "fairytales" *Traditionally we have thought of the fairy tales as involving romance and adventure *Long quest tales are complex wonder tales in which the hero, or heroine, triumphs against all odds to win the beautiful princess, or handsome prince, and makes a fortune *Part of the appeal of fairytales is the secure knowledge that no matter what happens, love, kindness, and truth will prevail, and hate, wickedness and evil will be punished. *Wonder tales have always been represented the glorious fulfillment of human desires

Early Primary (Ages 6 and 7)

*Continued development and expansion of language *Attention span increasing *Striving to accomplish skills expected by adults *Learning still based on immediate perception and direct experiences *Continued interest in own world; more curious about a wider range of things, still sees the world from an egocentric point of view *Vague concept of time *More able to separate fantasy from reality; more aware of imagination *Beginning to develop empath for others *Has growing sense of justice, demands applications of rules regardless of circumstances *Humor is developing *Shows curiosity about gender differences and reproduction *Physical contour of the body is changing; permanent teeth appear; learning to whistle and developing other fine motor skills *Continue to seek independence from adults and to develop initiative *Continues to need warmth and security in family relationships

Characteristics of Fables

*Fables are brief, didactic tales in which animals, or occasionally the elements speak as human beings *Characters are impersonal, with no name other than "Hare" or "Tortoise" and merely represent aspects of human nature *Fables seldom have more than three characters and the plots are usually based on a single incident, primarily meant to instruct, so they contain implicit or explicit moral *Fables appear to be simple because of their brevity, however they convey an abstract idea in relatively few words so they are actually highly complex

Why is fantasy important

*Fantasy endures *Fantasy helps the child develop imagination * Ultimate taproot of all fantasy is the human psyche, fantasy writers speak to our deepest needs, our darkest fears, and our highest hopes

Difference between science fiction and Fantasy

*Fantasy presents a world that never was and never could be, whereas science fiction speculates on a world that, given what we now know of science, might just one day be possible

Artist's Personal Style

*Few artists use only one style of art; the adapt their work to meet the requirements of a particular story *Style, then, is an elusive quality of the artist, which changes and varies over the years and with the particular demands of the work

Realistic Tales

*Few realistic tales included in folklore

Hans Christian Anderson

*Generally credited with being the first author of modern fairy tales

Artist's Choice of Media

*Illustrators's choice of original media can be as important to the meaning of the book as the choice of the elements of design *Printmaking, collage and construction, stitchery and cloth, paints, pen, and ink, drawing materials, computer-generated art, mixed media

Picture Books

*Images and ideas join to form a unique whole *May be a wordless book, an alphabet book, a counting book, a concept book, a graphic novel, or picture storybook *In a picture book that tells a story, the illustration does not merely reflect the idea or action on a single page, but shares in moving a story forward and in engaging the reader with the narrative on both an intellectual and an emotional level

Composition

*In good picture books, no single element of art exists apart from the others, rather the illustrator uses principles of composition to unify elements on each page and on each succeeding page, tries to find effective balance between unity and variety

Later Elementary (Ages 10-11)

*Rate of physical development varies widely, rapid growth precedes beginning of puberty, girls are about two years ahead of boys in development, both increasingly curious about all aspects of sex *Understanding of sex role is developing; boys and girls form ideas about their own and each other's identity *Increased emphasis on peer group and sense of belonging *Deliberate exclusion of others; some expressions of prejudice *Family patterns changing; may challenge parents' authority, highly critical of siblings *Begins to have models other than parents drawn from TV, movies, sports figures, books, beginning interest in future vocation *Sustained, intense interest in specific activities *A peak time for voluntary reading *Seeks to test own skills and abilities; looks ahead to a time of complete independence *Increase cognitive skill can be used to serve the imagination *Increased understanding of the chronology of past events; developing sense of own place in time, begins to see many dimensions of a problem *Highly developed sense of justice and concern for others *Searching for values; interested in problems of the world, can deal with abstract relationships; becoming more analytical

Style

*Selection and arrangement of words in presenting the story, good writing style is appropriate to the plot, theme, and characters, both creating and reflecting the mood of the story *Best test of an author's style is oral reading, does it read smoothly? Does it flow naturally? Does the author provide a variety in sentence patterns, vocabulary, and use of stylistic devices?

Pourquoi Tales

*Some folktales are "why" or pourquoi stories that explain certain animal traits or characteristics or human customs

Moral Development/Jean Piaget

*Special attention to developing ideas about fairness and justice *Difference between younger and older children's concepts is so pronounced that there are really "two moralities" in childhood *Young children judge if something is good or bad based on whether it will be punished or rewarded *In a young child's eyes behavior is totally right or wrong *Young children tend to judge an act by its consequences regardless of the intent *Young children believe that bad behavior and punishment go together

Literary Fairytales

*Traditional folklore or fairytale has no identifiable author but was passed on by retelling from one generation to the next

Characterization

*True characterization is a hallmark of fine writing, people portrayed in children's books should be as convincingly real and lifelike *Credibility of characters depends on the author's ability to show their true natures, their strengths, and their weaknesses *Character who is revealed in only one way is apt to lack depth (One-dimensional characters)

Evaluating Modern Fantasy

*Well-written fantasy, has a well constructed plot, convincing characterization, a worthwhile theme, and an appropriate style *Many authors firmly ground a story in reality before gradually moving into fantasy *Plots must be ingenious and creative

Middle School (12, 13, 14)

*Wide variation in physical development; both boys and girls reach puberty by age 14, developing sex drive, intense interest in sexuality and world of older teens, *Self-concept continues to grow, developing a sense of identity is important *Peer group becomes increasingly influential; relationships with family are changing *New aspects of egocentrism leads to imagining self as center of others' attention and feeling one's own problems are unique *Cognitive abilities are increasingly abstract and flexible, but not consistently, new capacity to reason from imaginary premises, manipulate symbolic language, and make hypothetical judgements *Able to apply ideas of relativity to questions of values; girls might see moral issues differently than boys do *Sensitive to great complexity in human feelings and relationships *Cumulative effect of development and life experience produce wide variation among individuals in abilities and interests

Language of Picture books

*Words of picture books are as important as the illustrations; can help children develop an early sensitivity to the imaginative use of language and add to their overall experience with a picturebook

Responses to Literature

*Younger children (Preschool to primary)=Motor oriented as listeners they respond with their whole selves, chiming in on refrains or talking back to the story *Children in transition(Primary to Middle Grades)=Children in transition from the primary to the middle grades develop from being listeners to becoming readers (Attribute personal reactions to the story) *Older children (Middle grades to middle school)=Older children express stronger preferences, especially for personal reading

Perspective or Point of View

Artist also thinks about the point of view, one way to obtain action in what might otherwise be a static series of pictures is to change the focus, just as a movie camera changes perspective or shows close-ups and then moves back to pan the whole screen

Imaginary Realms

Create believability by setting their stories in an imaginary society where kings and queens rule fedual societies that resemble Middle Ages

Characteristics of Folktales

1. Plot structure- Simple and direct, almost always success stories, repetition is in many folktale plots, and "three" is often the magic number, time and place are established quickly in folktale, setting of folktale is usually not specific but some faraway land, conclusion usually climax very quickly and includes few details 2. Characterization- Characters are shown in flat dimensions, symbolic of completely good or entirely evil, character development is seldom depicted , qualities of character or special strengths and weaknesses of the characters are revealed quickly because this factor will be the cause of conflict or lead to resolution of the plot 3. Style- Folktales offer children many opportunities to hear rich quantitive language and a wide variety of language patterns 4. Themes- Basic purpose of the folktale is to tell an entertaining story, yet these stories do present important themes, values of culture are expressed in folklore, humanity, kindness, patience, sympathy, hard work, and courage are invariably rewarded 5. Motifs and Variants- Motif is the smallest part of a tale that can exist independently

Ten Tips for Selecting Multicultural Children's Literature

1.The book avoids offensive expressions, negative attitudes, or stereotypical representations 2. The author of the book is from the culture being depicted 3. The events situations, and objects depicted are historically accurate 4. The book exemplifies good storytelling 5. The book avoids any suggestion that there is a single cause or simple answer to the socio-historical dilemmas of the culture being represented 6. The story includes words and phrases from the culture being depicted 7. The book is explicit and precise about the cultural roots of the group being depicted 8. The book does not set different cultures or groups in opposition to each other 9. The story accurately reflects the values inherent to the culture being depicted 10. The story acknowledges the diversity of experiences within a particular cultural group

Beast Tales

Animals act and talk like human beings

What type of book has wide appeal?

Animals and humor are popular across all age levels

Most obvious patterns in childrens' interest patterns

Age

Animal Fantasy

Children might first be introduced to fantasy through tales of talking animals, toys, and dolls

Colors

Colors can evoke strong emotional connections in readers, many classic picture books did not use color in the illustration, choice of colors should depend on the theme of the book

High Fantasy

Complex narratives which often extend into sequels are characterized by certain recurring themes and motifs, almost always the story of a search for treasure, justice, identity, understanding, and of a hero figure who learns important lessons in the adventuring

Aesthetic stance

Concern is for the experience of the reading itself, the feelings and images that come and go with the flow of the words

Cultural Implications

Consider evaluating the many aspects of cultural authenticity and cultural consciousness in children's books, it is important to show people from diverse groups playing and working together, solving problems, and overcoming obstacles, people still share some common as well as unique perspectives

Variant of Folklore

Do not derive from the same original source but share many characters, similarities, or motifs in common

What are many fantasies based on?

Eccentric characters and preposterous situations, extraordinary worlds, magical powers

Creation Myths

Every culture has a story about how the world began, how people were made, and how the sun and the moon got into the sky, these are called creation myths or origin myths, they give an explanation for the beginnings of things

Folktales

Forms of narrative written or oral which have been handed down over the years, usually relatively brief stories with simple plots, sometimes simplistic characters, and generally happy endings

Statistics about Girls/Boys Interest

Interests of Children vary according to age and grade level and girls read more than boys, but boys had a wider interest range and read a greater variety. Girls showed an earlier interest in adult romantic fiction than boys, whereas boys tended to prefer nonfiction from an early age

Two authors today strongly associated with folk Literature

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Epic and Legendary Heroes

Long narrative or cycle of stories clustering around the actions of a single hero, the epic hero is a cultural or national hero embodying all the ideal characteristics of greatness in his time

Didacticism

The attempt by an author to preach a moral lesson, however, the best books don't teach children, they reach children

Plot

The thread that holds the fabric of the narrative together and makes the reader want to continue reading

What does fantasy continue to ask?

The universal questions concerning the struggle of good verses evil, the humanity of humankind, and the meanings of life and death

Presentation

Total design, from front cover to the final endpaper creates a unified look that seems in character with the content and invites the reader to proceed

Fables Origins

Usually associated with Aesop, a Greek slave who is supposed to have been born in Asia Minor, other sources for fables are the Jataka tales, animal stories that told of the precious birth of Buddha, and the Panchatanta which was written for the purpose of instructing the young princes of India, also Jean De la Fontaine, a French poet, wrote fables in verse form

Cumulative Tales

Very young children are fascinated by them because the story itself is not as important as the increasing repetition of the details building up to a quick climax

Efferent Stance

We are most concerned with what information can be learned from reading

Version of Folklore

When a folktale is from a single source but interpreted differently by an illustrator