ED 3322: Children's Literature Exam

Personification

Giving animals or inanimate objects the qualities of humans. (ie. The wolf cried in pain.)

Closed Ending

In a story, when the reader is assured that all is well.

Meaning

In poetry, the underlying idea, feeling or mood conveyed

Polygenesis

Theory that early humans had similar urges and motives, asked fundamental questions about themselves and the world around them; "many origins."

motif

a symbolic feature that recurs in a story (e.g. the number 3 in folktales)

cultural styles

artistic styles developed over time within the traditions of particular cultures (e.g. painting on silk and rice papers with flat designs for scenes in traditional Japanese art)

fictionalized biography

based on careful research, but the author creates dramatic episodes from known facts using imagined conversation

abstract art

uses intrinsic geometric forms/surface qualities (indirect representation of objects) to emphasize mood and feeling

reader response theory/transactional view of reading

what the reader brings to the reading act -- his or her world of experience, personality, cultural views, and current frame of mind -- is just as important in interpreting the text as what the author writes

New Criticism/structural criticism

when reader subject a work to deep analysis through exact and careful reading; the analysis of the words and structure of a work is the focus; the goal is to find the "correct" interpretation

expository writing

writing that explains; used in informational books

narrative writing

writing that tells a story; usually used in fiction books

graphic novels

novel-length books that feature text written in speech bubbles or as captions similar to comic-book illustrations; appeal to young people and reluctant readers

cartoon art

often features rounded figures, exaggerated action, and simplified backgrounds

organization

paragraphs and transitions, length of chapters, headings and chapter titles, preface, endnotes, prologue, epilogue, length

minor or secondary characters

partial or incomplete characters

shifting point of view

permits the reader to see events from different characters' POV (difficult for young readers - needs a cue)

picture books for older readers

picture books that are generally more sophisticated, abstract, or complex in themes, stories, and illustrations, and are suitable for children age 10 and older

interactive books

picture books that invite a child's verbal or physical participation as the book is read

episodic plot

plot which ties together separate short stories or episodes, each an entity in itself with its own conflict and resolution [see fig. 3.2 p. 36]

progressive plots

plots in which the first few chapters are the exposition (characters, setting, and basic conflict established) and following this the story builds through rising action toward a climax [see fig. 3.1 p. 35]

complex multiple plots

plots in which the traditional chronology is replaced by nonlinear plots that occur simultaneously (e.g. Louis Sachar's novel "Holes")

chronological plots

plots which cover a particular period of time and relate the events in order within that time period instead of moving back and forth across time

counting book

presents numbers, usually 1-10, to acquaint young readers with the numerals and their shapes, the number names, the sense of what quantity each numeral represents. and the counting sequence

alphabet/ABC book

presents the alphabet letter by letter to acquaint young children with the shapes, names, and, in some cases, the sounds of the letters; use a theme (e.g. animals, fruit), or device (e.g. finding objects in the illustration) to create cohesion

reading interest inventories

provide teachers and librarians with helpful information about students' current interests and introduce children to new genres, topics, and books

efferent reading

reading that focuses on taking knowledge or information from the text

aesthetic reading

reading that involves living through a literary experience and immersing yourself within the world of the story

historical fiction

realistic fiction set in a time remote enough from the present to be considered history

inference

reasoning to derive one idea from another

technique

refers to how an illustrator uses a particular material, like watercolor

space

refers to the distance from one point to another in illustrations (shallow v.s. deep)

characterization

refers to the way the author helps the reader to know a character

literature across the curriculum

refers to using literature as teaching materials in social studies and history, science, health, and mathematics

reading interest

suggests a feeling one has toward particular reading material

interior monologue

telling what someone probably thought or said to himself or herself based on known actions

biographical fiction

the known achievements of the person are reported accurately, but in other respects these works are as much fiction as fact; authors use invented dialogue, fictional secondary characters, and some reconstructed action

protagonist

the main character (round character)

artistic media

the materials and technical means used by artists to create pictures

reading choice

the materials that children select and read from a specific collection

style

the way an author tells the story; the writing itself as opposed to the content

person-against-society

this conflict is most often either about the environment being destroyed by new technology or changing times or about children caught up in a political upheaval such as war (e.g. Lois Lowry's "Number the Stars")

foreshadowing

this device gives clues to a later event, possibly the climax of the story

activity books

this format of informational book is organized around directions for activities, such as crafts, recipes, or experiments

international literature

to books that are set in countries outside of North America

Jingle

A catchy repetition of sounds heard in commercials.

Motif

A distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition.

Epic

A long poem or story, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation; grounded in mythology; setting is earthly but not realistic; characters are human and gods.

Retold Tale

A version of a tale written in a style that will appeal to a contemporary audience but otherwise remains true to the ancient tale.

Limerick

Five line verse; 1,2, and 5 rhyme and same length as 3 and 4

Religious Stories

Stories based on religious writings or taken intact from religious manuscripts; include parables.

Tall Tales

Stories that are highly exaggerated accounts of the exploits of persons, both real and imagined

Fairy Tales

Stories that contains elements of magic or enchantment in characters, plot, or settings.

Pourquoi Tale

Stories that explain a phenomena of nature.

Beast Tales

Stories that feature talking animals and overstated action with occasional human characters.

Folktales

Stories that grew out of the lives and imaginations of the people or "folk."

Myth

Stories that recount and explain the origins of the world and the phenomena of nature

Realisitic Tales

Stories whose characters, plot, and setting could conceivably have occurred.

first-person narrator

(the use of 'I'), generally the main character of the story

Fables

A simple story that incorporates characters, typically animals, whose actions teach a moral lesson or universal truth.

Legend

A story based on real or supposedly real individuals and their marvellous deeds.

Variants

A story that shares elements of plot or character with stories in the same "story family" but differs mainly by culture.

Parables

A succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles; type of analogy.

Hyperbole

An exaggeration. (ie. She was as big as a whale!)

Rhythm

Beat or regular cadence of a poem.

Jataka

Collection of tales from India

Panchatantra

Collection of tales from Persia

Simile

Comparison using "like" or "as." (ie. She was as quiet as a mouse.)

Oral Tradition

Cultural material and tradition transmitted orally from one generation to another.

reference books

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and atlases serve as references and provide an overall coverage of a large topic with many facts

Nursery Songs

Heavily illustrated collections of traditional and modern verse with musical notation

Nursery Rhymes

Heavily illustrated collections of traditional verse.

Setting

Historical moment in time and geographic location in which a story takes place, and helps initiate the main backdrop and mood for a story

Ballad

Long narrative poem; popular; can be sung

Humorous Tale

Story that revolves around a character's incredibly stupid or funny mistakes; also known as noodleheads, sillies, drolls, and numbskulls

Metaphor

Implied comparison without a signal word. (ie. She was a mouse.)

Sound Patterns

Include rhyme, assonance, alliteration, consonance, and onomatopoeia.

Figurative Language

Includes simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole.

Climax

Peak of action in a story.

Choral Poetry

Orally interpreting the poem through your voice by saying a poem together as a group.

third-person narrator

POV in which the reader can know whatever the narrator knows about the events of the story; uses he, she, it

Lyric Poem

Poem that captures a moment, feeling, or scene.

Narrative Poem

Poem that tells a story or sequence of events.

Concrete Poetry

Poem written and printed in the shape of the subject of the poem.

fact books

Presentation of information in these books is mainly through lists, charts, and tables in almanacs, books of world records, and sports trivia and statistics books

photo essay

Presentation of information is equally balanced between text and illustration with excellent information-bearing photographs and a crisp, condensed writing style

Consonance

Repetition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession, as in "pitter patter" or in "all mammals named Sam are clammy."

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences.

Falling Action

Resolving the conflict of a story.

Plot

Sequence of events inside a story which affect other events through the principle of cause and effect

Cumulative Tale

Story that uses repetition, accumulation, and rhythm to make an entertaining story out of the barest of plots. (ie. "The Gingerbread Man").

Verse

Simple thoughts or stories told in rhyme with distinct beat or meter (ie. Mother Goose)

Onomatopoeia

Sound words in writing; includes animal noises, "bang," "crack," and "burrr."

Alliteration

Stylistic literary device identified by the repeated sound of the first consonant in a series of multiple words, or the repetition of the same sounds of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables of a phrase

Theme

Subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic.

Anthropomorphism

The attributing of human characteristics and purposes to inanimate objects, animals, plants, or other natural phenomena, or to God.

Traditional Literature

The body of ancient stories and poems that grew out of the oral tradition of storytelling before being written down.

Poetry

The concentrated expression of ideas and feelings through precise and imaginative words, carefully selected for their sonorous and rhythmical effects.

Monogenesis

The theory that the first humans created stories and passed them along as they populated the earth; "single origin."

multigenre books

These books combine elements of both fiction and nonfiction and present accurate factual information alongside an entertaining ribbon of fiction or poetry

concept picture book

This type of picture book presents only one or two scientific or social concepts through brief, uncomplicated text accompanied by numerous large illustrations

Sijo

Three line poem, each 14-16 syllables, contains twist.

Haiku

Three line poem, syllable count of 5, 7,5; commonly about nature.

Free Verse

Unrhymed poem; light and rhythm; abstract and reflective.

Sense Imagery

When a poet plays with one or more of the five senses in descriptive and narrative language.

Rising Action

When events in a story rise by building suspense to a peak.

picture storybook

a book in which a story is told through both the words and pictures

round character

a character that is a complex individual with both good and bad traits, like a real person

flat character

a character that is described in a one-sided or underdeveloped manner

epilogue

a concluding statement telling events that occur after the story has ended

person-against-nature

a conflict usually found in survival stories in which the character struggles with the forces of nature (e.g. Gary Paulsen's "Hatchet": Brian v.s. the Canadian Wilderness)

character foil

a direct juxtaposition to another character (usually the protagonist) who serves to highlight the characteristics of the other individual

flashback

a literary device used to convey information that occurred earlier, often before the beginning of the first chapter [see fig. 3.3 p. 36]

biography series

a multivolume set of books with each book containing one separate biography

symbo

a person, object, or situation that represents an abstract or figurative meaning as well as literal meaning

concept book

a picture book that explores or explains an idea or concept (e.g. opposites), an object (e.g. a train), or an activity (e.g. working) rather than telling a story

doublespread

a picture that extends across the two facing pages and gives the effect of motion, grandeur, openness, and expansiveness

naming book

a type of concept book which presents simple pictures of people, animals, and objects that are labeled for young children to identify

authentic biography

all factual information is documented through eyewitness accounts, written documents, letters, diaries, and audio and video recordings

memoirs

although related to autobiographies, focus on the authors' reflections on the meaning of a particular set past experiences in their lives rather than on the events themselves

symbolism

an artistic invention that authors use to suggest invisible or intangible meanings by analogy through association, resemblance, or convention

readability

an estimate of a text's difficulty based on its vocabulary (common v.s. uncommon words) and sentence structure (short, simple sentences v.s. long, complex sentences)

frontispiece

an illustration facing the title page which is intended to establish the tone and to entice the reader to begin the story

prologue

an introductory statement telling events that precede the start of the story

textbook

book for the purpose of instruction, such as the basal reader used in many classrooms for reading instruction

trade book

book that is primarily for the purposes of entertainment and information

transitional books

books for children who can read but have not yet become fluent readers; feature uncomplicated writing style and vocabulary, illustrations on about every third page, and text divided into chapters

picture books

books in which both words and illustrations are essential to the story's meaning

global literature

books that are set in international contexts but are written in North America

predictable/pattern books

books that have repeated language patterns, story patterns, or familiar sequences that encourage children to chime in on repeating phrases (e.g. "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?")

easy-to-read books

books that help the beginning reader read independently with success; feature limited text per page, large print, double-spacing, short sentences, and words that are short and familiar

culturally expansive curriculum

builds from awareness of students' own cultural identities to considering points of view that go beyond their own

expressionistic art

communicates an emotional experience rather than an external reality; exaggeration and eliminating competing details

person-against-person

conflict between two characters (e.g. Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are": Max v.s. his mom)

person-against-self

conflict that occurs within the main character

informational book series

consist of multiple books that share a general topic, format, writing style, and reading level

partial biography

covers only part of the life of the subject; biographies for young children will often be of this type as are biographies of living persons

complete biography

covers the entire life of the subject from birth to death

perspective

creates the point of view from which an artist observes a scene and gives a sense of action

wordless book

depends entirely upon carefully sequenced illustrations to present the story

impressionistic art

depicts natural appearances, fleeting visual impressions, emphasis on light

attribution

interpretation of known actions to determine probable motives

culturally critical curriculum

disrupting the commonplace, considering multiple perspectives, focusing on sociopolitical issues to examine societal systems and unequal power relationships and to get at the root causes of social problems, and taking action and promoting social justice

informational books

give verifiable factual information or explain some aspect of the biological, social, or physical world

biography

gives factual information about the lives of actual people, including their experiences, accomplishments, and influences, and legacies

children's literature

good-quality trade books for children from birth to early adolescence, covering topics of relevance and interest to children through prose and poetry, fiction and nonfiction; reflect children's life experiences, understandings, and emotions

quality in writing and illustration

has to do with originality and importance of ideas, imaginative use of language and image, and beauty of literary and artistic style that enable a work to remain fresh, interesting, and meaningful for many years

Poetic Form

ie.couplets, tercets, quatrains, cinquains.

reading preference

implies making a choice from two or more options

collected biography

includes the life stories of several people in one book, organized into chapters

surrealistic art

juxtaposing incongruous dreamlike and fantasy images with realistic ones

literary vocabulary

literary terms that act as tools that students can use to initiate and sustain conversations about literature with each other

multicultural literature

literature by and about groups that have been marginalized and disregarded by the dominant European-American culture

limited omniscient narrator

narrator that can only provide the perspective of one character in the story; third-person POV

omniscient narrator

narrator that can see into the minds of all the characters and be at many places at the same time

conceptual difficulty

related to the complexity of ideas in the book and how these ideas are presented

indirect discourse

reporting the gist of what someone said without using quotation marks

folk art

representative of the artistic style prevalent in the culture of that story (varies)

realistic art

represents natural forms and accurate representations without idealization

integral setting

setting which is essential to the comprehension of the events; the story could not be the same in another setting (settings in historical fiction for example)

backdrop setting

setting which is vague and general; meant to convey a universal, timeless tale, one that could have happened anywhere and almost anytime but the present or very recent past (settings in folktales for example)

autobiography

similar to biography, except that authors tell about their own life

baby books

simply designed, brightly illustrated, durable picture books that are intended for use with children ages 0 to 2

composition

the arrangement of all of the visual elements and the way they relate one to the other and combine to make the picture

book design

the artful orchestration of all components of a book into a coherent whole

character development

the changes the character undergoes in the story

antagonist

the character or force in direct opposition to the main character

plot

the events of the story and the sequence in which they are told

cultural authenticity

the extent to which a book reflects the core beliefs and values and depicts the details of everyday life and language for a specific cultural group

verso

the reverse side of the title page; contains the publishing history of the book and copyright notice

conflict

the struggle found in a piece of literature that can arise from different sources

typeface

the style of print used throughout the book

texture

the tactile surface characteristics of pictured objects

setting

the time and place in which the story occurs

theme

the underlying meanings or significance; better expressed by a complete sentence than by a single word

informational chapter book

type of informational book that features a large amount of text that is organized into chapters along with graphics and illustrations

informational picture book

type of informational book that features brief text and large, uncomplicated illustrations that are integral to conveying the information

postmodern picture books

unpredictable picture books that feature multiple storylines, multiple perspectives and page planes, and irony and contradiction; reflect the fragmented and multimodal nature of modern society

engineered books/toy books

use paper that is cut, folded, constructed to provide pop-up, see-through, movable, changeable, foldout, or three dimensional illustrations (e.g. "The Tickleoctopus" by Audrey and Don Wood)