Children’s literature is the body of written works and accompanying illustrations produced inorder to entertain and instruct young people.The fundamental goal of children’s literature is to instruct and entertain. It covers various diverse themes such as mystery, fantasy and war. Some themes are discernible to the young reader, whereas some are more likely to be understood by an adult reader. This means that children’s literature is accessible to all ages, with different pieces of information within the text becoming clearer each time it is read. After studying various children’s texts, many themes, that most, if not all books shared, were noticeably alike. However, it is the lessons that children borrow from the portrayal of adult characters …show more content…
They have a significant influence on children’s socio-cultural development outside the family environment. Klein ( 1976) postulates that everything we read affects the way we think, considerably, the texts children are exposed to have a big influence on their thoughts and attitudes. Therefore writers should consider excluding stereotypes such as gender and racial stereotypes, from texts for children because the presence of stereotypical views can cause problems throughout children’s development. According to Sutherland (1997) children’s literature has been used to improve language literacy and inventive thinking skills. He further goes on to say that it works as character development tool to shape behavior and attitudes. Adulthood, like many terms we use for describing data, it is a very poorly defined and a somewhat arbitrary concept. When does an organism become an adult? The answer in general would be “it depends on how you define adult.” On that note it is of great importance that authors should give attention to the adult characters in as much as they give to the heroine/protagonist as the adult characters many a time represent the culture and embodiment of the people of older and past generations which are of paramount importance to the development of the child …show more content…
Weitzman (1972) states that: “through books, children learn about what boys and girls say and feel. They learn about what is wrong and they learn what is expected of children their age. In addition, books provide children with role models and images of what they can and should become when they grow
What I just read reminds me of The Maze Runner because they have similarities. Fahrenheit 451 is about a character named Guy Montag who works as a fireman. One day he met a girl named Clarisse McClellan, who is different from everyone and she made Montag realize that his job is not “justice”. The Maze Runner is about a boy named Thomas, who woken up in a maze and don’t know where he is. He doesn’t remember anything about him and there are other people like him.
Books about culture, religions, disabilities etc can be a way of showing a group of children different elements to each child’s life & the differences between individuals. This can help any confusion children have & can help prepare them for future situations they may come
There has been a lot of quarrels over the years about how children’s picture books are embracing traditions and presenting gender stereotypes. In an article I found, author Narahara May of “Gender Stereotypes in Children’s Picture Books,” discusses two major problems. One being that gender stereotypes and sexism has an emotional impact on the development of children’s identity and development. Secondly, she explains about how books in the last decade have portrayed gender negatively. Furthermore, I will be discussing May’s ideas further in depth by examining the portrayals of gender stereotypes found in the popular “Berenstain Bears” picture books.
Growing up we 've read picture books that have introduced us to literature, wildly funny characters and taught us how to use our imagination. However, have you ever thought maybe these children books aren 't just for entertainment? What if they have hidden messages with racist undertones or represent political movements. Sometimes what we see is not always what you get so I 've studied two popular children 's figures, Curious George and Babar the Elephant.
(Derman-Sparks, 2023, pg. 1). I included this quote from the article "Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias children’s Books” because it’s key to note that there are many different types of people included within this book. For example, at the end of the book the father talks to his son about the different types of people in the world and how from the outside perspective you can’t tell what they enjoy and what makes them, them. The book normalizes that some boys like to dance and do art, while some girls like cars and science, but by just looking at them, you wouldn’t assume that. The book is trying to make children and adults recognize that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
By the time they are able to read, their imaginations will be fully developed and they will not be able to seperate what is real from what is not in the books. At such a young age, students, especially elementary students, could become paranoid or scared of something in their reading that will likely never happen in real life. Children should not be exposed to certain information until mature enough. Society censors things in community already. For example, there is a reason that educators did not teach us growth and maturation until sixth grade.
Books can create portals to different life experiences and encourage reading. A few schools and libraries have challenged the educational value of some books, however, therefore leading them to eventually be prohibited in a particular place. Each reason may be different depending on the book and the location of the exclusions. Books are icons of literature and their value should outshine the occasionally offensive topic. Be that as it may, there are multiple reasons why books should be taught and included in a curriculum.
Books help us grow and learn and should be available to everyone. Without books we wouldn’t be able to learn some of the valuable lessons that we have learned. Always remember to give every book a fair chance, because you never know if that book will have an important lesson that will help you in
Different types of literature open new doors through which students’ can explore the unknown and expand their knowledge of controversial topics. The great examples found in literature have been the subject of much debate, as school boards wrestle with whether children should be allowed to read such difficult, harsh topics, as said in the article “How Banning Books Marginalizes Children” (Source F). There are so many brilliant works of literature spanning a wide variety of genres and topics, and a single school board should not determine what students learn. No one is proposing that second graders read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, but rather that we intentionally choose literature that will expand, rather than limit, children’s options and minds. Not only do these great works lay the groundwork for our future generation, but they also serve to diversify students’ writing and analysis skills.
His imagination and creativity influences the childhood of multiple generations by helping children learn to enjoy reading. Geisel changed the face of children’s literature in the mid-20th century, and his success still lives on today. Geisel´s success only increased as he grew through
It is wholly recurrent to blindly skim through a detailed piece of literature and be unconscious to the likeness it shares with other pieces of literature. I am surely guilty of this ignorant practice, however. As I was reading “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde and “On Turning Ten” by Billy Collins, I didn’t truly perceive the connection right away. The obvious was already divulged in my mind; they’re both in the points of views of children. They, however, both have a mutual theme; growing up brings uncertainty and disappointment.
Students can use books to grow their knowledge about our everyday day life. “It is important to help students see that everyone 's view counts” (Scales). By allowing students to see different points of views they’re able to experience situations unfamiliar to them and learn about different cultures and societies. If they don’t have the opportunity to read these books then they might miss out on these vital lessons. Children need to know about sensitive topics and strong ideas.
Would you let your child read a sexist book? Most children's books in this day and age are very sexist and put females down. Not a lot of adults notice this sexist quality that children's books have, however children definitely pick up on the gender inequalities. According to a United Kingdom newspaper, a study found that gender bias was predominant in books that featured animal characters. These books often favored male animal heros rather than female animal heroines.
In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding the author portrays that children are not completely innocent. Golding’s representation of childhood and adolescence also shows us the attitudes children have towards participating in work. In Lord of the Flies Golding portrays that children are not completely innocent.
It is important to respect and appreciate the “tastes and needs of children instead of applying guidelines” (130). There are also “explicit and implicit” social problems that are associated with age banding (135). These social problems include giving adults the power to control what their kids read, “preventing readers” from trying to read above their age, and not allowing children to stay updated on current