Choosing Quality Children’s Trade Books. Free powerpoint template: 2 Time for a little thinking… Think of one of your favorite books

Choosing Quality

Children’s Trade Books

Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com2

Time for a little thinking…

• Think of one of your favorite books from Grades 3-6.

• What makes a quality piece of children’s literature?

• What kinds of books are in a high-quality classroom library in Grades 3-6?

• Think/pair/share with your group.


What Constitutes “Children’s” Literature?

• A child protagonist and an issue that concerns children

• A straightforward story line, with a linear and limited time sequence in a confined setting

• Language that is concrete and vivid and not overly complex

Temple, C., Martinez, M., Yokota, J., & Naylor, A. (1998). Children’s books in children’s hands. Boston: Allyn and Bacon


How Do We Recognize “Quality” Children’s literature?

• Good books:– expand awareness– provide an enjoyable read that doesn’t overly

teach or moralize– tell the truth– embody quality– have integrity– show originality


Expand Awareness

• Good books:– Give children names for things in the world

and for their own experiences– Take children inside other characters’

perspectives – Broaden children’s understanding of the world

and their capacity for empathy


Provide an Enjoyable Read

• Good books provide a lesson in a way that is not overly contrived or moralistic

• Good books show the lesson rather than tell it


Tell the Truth

• Good books:– Usually deal with significant truths about the

human experience– Characters are true to life– Insights the books imply are accurate, and,

perhaps, wise


Embody Quality

• In good books:– The words are precisely chosen, often poetic

in their sound and imagery– The plot is convincing– The characters are believable– The descriptions are rich and telling


Have Integrity

In the sense of both:

• “Wholeness or completeness” – Genre, plot, language, characters, style,

theme, illustrations (if any) come together to create a satisfying whole

• “Soundness of moral character”


Show Originality

• Excellent books– Introduce children to unique characters or

situations or show them the world from a unique viewpoint

– Stretch children’s minds, giving them new ways to think about the world and new possibilities to think about


How Can We Judge “Quality”?

• Originality

• Importance of ideas

• Imaginative use of language

• Beauty of literary and artistic style that enable book to remain fresh, interesting, and meaningful for years


Get to know children’s literature • Read and enjoy children’s books.• Read children’s books with a sense of

involvement.• Read a variety of book types.• Read books for a wide variety of ability

levels.• Share with your colleagues how your

students respond to particular books.• Start by reading several books

considered to be of “good” quality.• Talk with children about books.

Children’s Literature Awards


For the Book:• John Newbery Award

– The book judged to be the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature published in the U.S. during the previous year.

• Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan• The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman• Holes, by Louis Sachar

• Boston Globe-Horn Book Award– One outstanding example of Fiction and Nonfiction

• Fiction: Poppy, by Avi; Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant• Non-Fiction: Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman,

by Patricia & Fredrick McKissack


For the Illustrations:

• Randolph Caldecott Award– Awarded to the illustrator of the most

distinguished children’s book published the previous year

• Officer Buckle and Gloria, by Peggy Rathman• Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen

• Boston Globe-Horn Book Award– One outstanding example of illustration

• Grandfather’s Journey, by Alan Say• Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, by John

Steptoe


For “New Talent” in Children’s Writing • International Reading Association Children’s

Book Award– One author who writes for older readers

• Letters from Rifka, by Karen Hesse

– One author who writes for younger readers• Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, by Deborah Hopkinson,

Illustrated by James Ransome

– One author who writes informational books• Brooklyn Bridge, by Elizabeth Mann

• Ezra Jack Keats New Writer’s Award– Promising new writer who has had six or fewer

children’s books published• Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold


African American Authors/Illustrators

• Coretta Scott King Award– For books that encourage understanding and

appreciation of people of all cultures and the pursuit of “the American Dream”

• The Friendship, by Mildred Taylor• The Young Landlords, by Walter Dean Myers


To Author/Illustrator for Entire Body of Work:

• Hans Christian Andersen Award– One author and one illustrator in recognition

of an entire body of work• Authors: Paula Fox, Virginia Hamilton, Scott O’Dell• Illustrators: Mitsumasa Anno, Lisbeth Zwerger

• Laura Ingalls Wilder Award– Author or illustrator whose works have made

a substantial and lasting contribution to children’s literature over a period of years

• Dr. Seuss, Virginia Hamilton, E. B. White

Creating a Classroom

Library


A Well-Rounded, Interesting Classroom Library

• modern, realistic literature as well as more traditional literature

• books with different types of themes• books of varying difficulty• a variety of genres• informational books• books whose characters realistically

depict various cultural groups and life circumstances

• books that meet students’ reading interests


Genres• Traditional Literature

– Myths and religious stories– Fables (proverbs explicitly stated at the end)– Folktales (word of mouth, unknown origins)– Pourquoi Tales (explain phenomena)– Tall Tales and Legends (greatly exaggerated

accounts of heros and legends) – Cumulative tales (repeating and adding lines)– Fairy tales (folktales that involve magic) – Apprenticeship/Hero tales (character rises from

a lowly to high estate, or from ignored/ threatened to recognized/rewarded for good qualities


Genres

• Realistic fiction

• Historical fiction

• Fantasy and science fiction

• Biography (depending on structure)

• Drama

• Diaries

• Personal narrative


Different types of texts require different ways of

understanding and recalling the most important ideas…

Narrative?Expository?


What is a narrative text?– Tells a story– Based on life experiences– Person-oriented using dialogue and familiar language

(written in first, second, or third person)

• Purpose(s)– To entertain– To tell a story– To provide an aesthetic experience

• Organization – Uses story grammar


Story Grammar/Story Structure

• Characters

• Setting

• Problem

• Events

• Resolution

• Theme


Less Complex Story Grammar

• Beginning (characters, setting, problem)

• Middle (events)

• End (resolution)


More Complex Story Grammar

• Beginning:– characters (antagonist/protagonist), setting,

problem (conflict), initiating event

• Middle: – turning points, crisis, rising action, climax,

subplot, parallel episodes

• End:– resolution, falling action, ending


What is an expository text?– Non-fiction – Informational books– Biographies– Photographic essays

• Purpose(s)– To convey information about the natural and social

world– Uses facts, details, opinions, and examples to inform or

persuade

• Organization – Has varied text patterns (e.g., time order, enumeration,

compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution)


But across both types of texts, good readers use at

least five metacognitive comprehension strategies…

Your homework is to find out what these are (Chapter 1). And come

prepared with 2 questions predicting what Thursday’s readings will be

about (preview Chapter 2).

Documents

Choosing Quality Children’s Trade Books. Free powerpoint template: 2 Time for a little thinking… Think of one of your favorite books