Children’s Literature

“A little nonsense now and then is relished

By the wise man.” --Willy Wonka

Why Children’s Books?

• A bedtime story to help a child wind down

• Key for brain development• Helps a child learn abstract thought

• Helps children imagine objects and create images

• Connects adult and child to magical places“There are many little ways to enlarge your

child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” --Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

What is Children’s Literature?

What Makes a (kids) Book Readable?

• Usually offers a fantastic reality…an imaginative escape…a playful playground

• Usually about a child (or an animal)

• Usually a simple conflict• With a definite and clear resolution

• Compelling illustrations

• Yet still filled with all the elements of story

Characteristics

• Focuses on action

• Optimistic

• Fantasy

• Pastoral Idyll

• Viewpoint of innocence

• Didactic

Elements of Children’s Stories

• Theme

• Characters

• Setting

• Plot

• Dialogue

• Word Choice• Simile• Repetition• Metaphor• Alliteration

• Imagery (and images)

Plot

• Simple Plot

• Build through Conflict

• Offer a dilemma (moral and ethical?)

• Provide closure

Conflict

• Balance between idyllic and didactic• Teaching how to be a mature adult in

the world• Retain childhood and innocence

• Examples/ Home Vs. Away• Communal concern vs. self- concern• Good vs. Evil

It is through literature that we most intimately enter the hearts and minds and spirits of other people. And what we value in this is the difference as well as the human similarities of others: that way, as C. S. Lewis put it, we become a thousand different people and yet remain ourselves.     A. Chambers   

Character

• Protagonist • Little child• Animal• Inanimate objects

Characters

Traits of Protagonists

• Personal courage

• Caring for others

• Perseverance

• Resourcefulness

• A Belief in Others

• Optimism

Word Choice

• Lemony Snicket

• Alligator Under my Bed

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Lively Language

• Simple

• Sophisticated

• Lively

• Colorful

• Creative

• Alliteration

• Rhyme

• Challenging Word

• Simile

• Onomatopoeia

• Repetition

Word Choice Activity

The big bear stood by the water. He looked at his shadow in the big lake. He thought that he looked nice. He went to take a drink of water. A fish went by. The bear wanted to eat the big fish. He ate up the fish and went away.Revise the story by replacing precise, colorful words with the red and underlined words.  Share your new more interesting story.

Theme

Engaging the Enemy

Acceptance, devotion, loyalty, and loss -- and a spider and a pig!

Nazi occupation and the escape to freedom!

Common Themes

• Snugness

• Smallness

• Scariness

• Lightness

• Aliveness

• According to Feeling Like a Kid by Jerry Griswold

Where Ideas Begin

• Many people will try to write like Dr. Seuss;They try and they try, it just isn't much use

• Trust yourself…your siblings…your cousins…the books you read as a child…

• What Do Kids Like?