Part One Entering the World of Children’s Literature 1
Chapter 1

Introduction to the World of Children’s Literature 1

Defining Literature for Children 2
The Birth of Modern Children’s Literature 4
Book Illustrations 7
The Genres of Literature 8
The Dewey Decimal System 9
Book Formats 11

Picture Books 11
Easy-to-Read Books 12
Illustrated Books 13
Graphic Novels 13
Chapter Books 14
Hardcover Books 14
Paperback Books 15
Grocery Store Books 15
Series Books 17

The Value of Children’s Literature 18
Prereading Schema Building 20

The Process of Schema Building 20
Modeling the Process 22

Summary 24

Chapter 2

Elements of Quality Children’s Literature 26

Book Awards 27

Newbery Medal 27
Caldecott Medal 27

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vi Contents

Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal 28
Hans Christian Andersen Award 29
Children’s Choices and Teachers’ Choices 29

Literary Elements 30

Characters 31
Point of View 31
Setting 34
Plot 35
Theme 37
Style 38
Tone 39

Responding to Literature 39
Reader Response Theory by Gloria Houston 40
Literature Circles 42
Developing a Classroom Library by Susan E. Knell 42

Summary 44

Chapter 3

The Art of Illustration 46

Evaluating Illustrations 47
The Union of Art and Text 47
Visual Elements of Artistic Design 48

Space 48
Line 49
Shape 49
Color 49
Texture 50
Scale and Dimension 51
Composition 51

Artistic Styles 52
Artistic Media and Techniques 55

Painting 55
Drawing 56
Other Techniques 56

Integrating Visual Art and Literature by Janet C. Richards 58
Responding to Literature by Donna Stewart 59

Summary 60

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Contents vii

Chapter 4

Early Childhood Books 62

Books of Early Childhood 63

Board Books 63
Concept Books 64
Pattern Books 74
Wordless Picture Books 75

Motivating Children to Become Lifelong Readers by Susan E.
Knell 77

Summary 79

Chapter 5

Traditional Literature 80

Evaluating Traditional Literature 81
History 82
Characteristics 84
Themes of Traditional Literature 87
The Subgenres of Traditional Literature 89

Myths 89
Fables 92
Ballads and Folk Songs 94
Legends 96
Tall Tales 97
Fairy Tales 98
Cinderella Stories 106
Traditional Rhymes 107

Summary 110

Part Two The Boundless World of Fiction 111
Chapter 6

Modern Fantasy 111

Evaluating Modern Fantasy 112

Page viii
viii Contents

The Beginnings of Fiction and Modern Fantasy 113

Hans Christian Andersen 113

Types of Fantasy 115

Animal Fantasy 116
Literary Fairy Tale 116
Animated Object Fantasy 118
Human with Fantasy Character 121
Extraordinary Person 122
Enchanted Journey 125
High Fantasy 128
Supernatural Fantasy 132
Science Fiction 134
Unlikely Situation 137

Summary 139

Chapter 7

Animal Fantasy 144

Evaluating Animal Fantasy 147
Milestones in Animal Fantasy 147

1877: Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse by Anna Sewell 147
1894: The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling 147
1901/1902: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter 148
1903: The Call of the Wild by Jack London 148
1908: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame 148
1929: Bambi: A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten 149
1939: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert L. May 149
1941: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey 150
1942: The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Lowrey 150
1952: Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White 150
1957: The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss 150

Types of Animal Fantasy 151

Type I: Anthropomorphic Animals in an All-Animal World 152
Type II: Anthropomorphic Animals Coexisting with Humans 156
Type III: Talking Animals in Natural Habitats 160
Type IV: Realistic Animals with Human Thinking Ability 162

Summary 164

Contents ix

Chapter 8

Multicultural Literature 168

Evaluating Multicultural Literature 170
Categories of Multicultural Books 171

Culturally Neutral Books 171
Culturally Generic Books 172
Culturally Specific Books 172

Misrepresentation of Culture 173
Latino Literature by Alcione N. Ostorga 176
African American Literature by Sabrina A. Brinson 181
Asian American Literature by Ni Chang 186
Native American Literature 192
Literature of Religious Cultures 195
International Literature 196

Summary 200

Chapter 9

Contemporary Realistic Fiction 201

Evaluating Contemporary Fiction 202
Characteristics of Contemporary Realistic Fiction 202
Censorship by Jenifer Jasinski Schneider 203

Selecting versus Censoring 205

Themes 206
Bibliotherapy by Dan T. Ouzts and Mark J. Palombo 208

The Purpose of Bibliotherapy 209
Guidelines for Using Bibliotherapy 209

Families 212

Traditional Families 212
Nontraditional Families 214
Dysfunctional Families 215
Abandoned Children 215

Friendship 216

Contents

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Humor 218
Adventure 219
Mystery 222
Social Reality 224

War 224
Homelessness 225
Poverty and Child Labor 226
Gangs and Crime 226
Racism 226

Personal Issues 227
Animals 229

Summary 230

Chapter 10

Historical Fiction 235

Evaluating Historical Fiction 235
Characteristics of Historical Fiction 235
Biographic Historical Fiction 236
Researching Historical Fiction 238
Scott O’Dell Award 239
Periods Depicted in Historical Fiction 239

Ancient Times 239
Medieval Times 240
Colonial Times 241
Revolutionary Era 242
Early Frontier Era 243
Civil War Era 247
Post—Civil War Frontier Era 248
World War I Era 250
Great Depression Era 251
World War II Era 253
Post—World War II Era 255
Civil Rights Movement 255

Enhancing Curriculum with Historical Fiction by Sharon Smith 259

Summary 261

Contents xi

Part Three Discovering the World through Nonfiction 264
Chapter 11

Biography and Autobiography 264

Evaluating Biography 266
Reading Biographies for Pleasure 267
Types of Biography 268

Authentic Biography 268
Fictionalized Biography 272

Forms of Biography 273

Complete 273
Partial 274
Picture Book 275
Collective 275

Integrating Biography with the Study of History 276
Enhancing Curriculum with Biography by Sharon Smith 276

Summary 279

Chapter 12

Informational Books 281

Evaluating Informational Books 283
Characteristics of Informational Books 284
Enhancing Curriculum with Informational Books 285
Building a Foundation for Content Area Reading 287
Graphic Organizers 288

Summary 294

Chapter 13

Poetry and Verse 296

Evaluating Poetry and Verse 298
Characteristics of Poetry and Verse 298

Rhythm and Rhyme 298
Language 299

xii Contents

Forms of Poetry 300
Poetry in Our Culture 302
NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children 303
Developing Love (or Hate) for Poetry 303

Ways to Teach Kids to Hate Poetry 303
Ways to Encourage Kids to Love Poetry 304

Types of Poetry Books 306
The Value of Poetry in the Classroom by Georgann C. Wyatt 306

Summary 309

Chapter 14

Teaching Reading through Literature 312

Reading Aloud to Children 313

Questioning Guidelines 314
Listening—Prediction Activity 314

Sustained Silent Reading 317
Reading Instruction with Trade Books 317
Children’s Oral Reading 319

Individual Oral Reading 319
Group Oral Reading 320

Guided Silent Reading 321

Reading—Prediction Activity 321
Guided Reading Activity 322

Implementing a Yearlong Literature Program 325

Organizing Reading Instruction by Genres 325
Organizing Reading Instruction Thematically 326

Summary 332

Glossary 335

References 342

Name and Title Index 000

Subject Index 000

Credits 000

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