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ENGL 335 / Barbour
ENGL 335
Children’s Literature: Criticism and Evaluation
Contact Information
Instructor: Dr. Chad Barbour
Office: Library 324 (on 2nd floor)
Office Hours: MWF 11:00-1:00 and by
appointment
Phone: x2553
Mailbox: Library 324
E-mail: cbarbour@lssu.edu
Required Texts
1. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
2. O'Brien, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
3. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
4. Smith, Bone: Out from Boneville Vol. 1
5. Baum, The Wizard of Oz
6. DiCamillo, Tale of Despereaux
7. Patron, The Higher Power of Lucky
8. Johnson, The Joy of Children’s Literature
9. Yang, American Born Chinese
10. Curtis, Elijah of Buxton
11. Lowry, Number the Stars
12. Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
Course Mission
This course focuses on understanding the historical, cultural, and generic dimensions of children's
literature, with emphasis on critical reading, literary analysis, and the selection and evaluation of texts for
children and young adults.
Objectives
 Appreciation of the aesthetics and craft found in texts written for children and young adults

Identification of the prevalent categories of children’s and YA literature

Evaluation of these texts, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and their usefulness in the
classroom

Honing the skills of literary analysis in general

Discovering or rediscovering the joy and magic of children’s and YA literature
Assignments
1. 10%: Daily Work and Attendance
2. 10%: Reading Quizzes
3. 5%: Group Presentation
4. 25%: Annotated Bibliography 1 on Picture Books/Graphic Novels, Traditional Literature, and
Realistic Fiction
5. 25%: Annotated Bibliography 2 on Historical Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Multicultural Texts
6. 25% Critical Essay on Fantasy Text/Topic
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Assignment Descriptions
1.Reading Quizzes:
To ensure that you are doing the required reading and to check on your comprehension of the texts, we
will have reading quizzes approximately every other week. Each quiz will consist of 5 questions and be
worth 10 points. At the end of the semester, I will drop the lowest grade and average the rest.
2. Group presentations:
Each group must put together a 25 minute presentation on the assigned reading from Johnson.
The two goals of the group are 1) to become the in-class expert on evaluating one particular field of
children’s literature and 2) to educate the rest of the class on how to evaluate literature in that field. In
this presentation, explain the reading you have been assigned. Explain the key strategies for evaluation
outlined in your chapter. Use at least one book in your field beyond the reading you have been
assigned to demonstrate how to use the strategies of evaluation you are presenting.
Each group will provide the rest of the students with a one-page handout. In this handout, put
together a convenient list of the aspects of this kind of literature to which we must pay attention when
evaluating this kind of literature. List any questions you have discovered that would also be helpful.
Give an outline of the sample analysis you have planned. Make sure that this handout is letter-perfect and
consistently formatted.
Your grade will be split between the actual presentation and the handout.
Presentation topics:
Group 1: Traditional Literature
Group 2: Poetry
Group 3: Realistic Fiction
Group 4: Historical Fiction
Group 5: Nonfiction
Group 6: Multicultural
A sign-up sheet is available outside my office. You must sign up for a group by noon on Thursday,
Sep. 3rd.
3 and 4. Annotated Bibliography Assignments:
You will compose two annotated bibliographies covering the various genres we are covering in class.
Put together a list of children’s and/or YA books you have found through various research tools (review
journals, awards lists, etc.). The bibliography must be grammatically sound with clear organization and
excellent variety. Use as many different kinds of books discovered from as many different kinds of
review sources as possible.
For each entry, give the bibliographic information for the book (use APA style). Then explain how you
discovered this book (see below for your only legitimate explanations).
For each category, choose ONE text to focus on and write an evaluation of the text. Do not summarize the
plot. Choose one notable element and discuss how it works in the text. (For example, how does
characterization contribute to the story?) Then, discuss how you might use this text in the classroom:
What strategy would you employ in teaching the work? Finally, offer your judgment of the text: What are
the text’s strengths and weaknesses? Provide reasons for your judgment. This evaluation should be 1-2
pages, typed and double-spaced.
Do not use books from the course reading list; the aim of this assignment is for you to branch out and
discover books on your own.
ENGL 335 / Barbour
Categories of Children’s Literature for Bibliography 1:
Must include 15 books, at least 4 in each category, you can add the other 3 entries however you
please
Picture Books/Graphic Novels
Traditional Literature
Poetry
Categories of Children’s Literature for Bibliography 2:
Must include 20 books, at least 4 in each category, you can add the other 4 entries however you
please
Realistic Fiction
Historical Fiction
Nonfiction
Multicultural (may include other categories but no crossover in titles)
Legitimate Explanations of How You Discovered These Books:
Award-Winner or Honor Book (Indicate which of these the book won or for which it was an honor book:
the Pura Belpré, Phoenix, Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, National Book Award for Young People’s
Literature, or Coretta Scott King [Author or Illustrator], Eisner Award or Harvey Award [for
comics])
Outstanding Review in a Review Journal (Such journals include Booklist, Publishers’ Weekly, VOYA,
The Hollins Critic, School Library Journal, and Horn Book) (Specify which journal and precisely
what kind of notation leads you to believe that the review was outstanding)
Recommendation by a Librarian (You may use this explanation no more than twice for the whole
bibliography)
Personal Favorite (You may use this explanation no more than twice for the whole bibliography)
Bibliography Format
1. Divide the bibliography into sections according to the categories.
2. Alphabetize the entries within each section.
3. Include your evaluation at the end of each section.
For example:
Picture Books/Graphic Novels
Part 1: Bibliography
1. Entry A’s bibliographic information
Newbery Award, 2004
2. Entry B’s bibliographic information
Starred review in Publisher’s Weekly
3. Entry C’s bibliographic information
Recommended by librarian at Bayliss Public Library
Etc.
Part 2: Evaluation
Evaluation of Entry B
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ENGL 335 / Barbour
Presentations on Bibliographies
A brief talk about your personal bibliography on its due date. Bring in an example from each category to
share with class. Talk about what you found that was interesting.
5. Critical Essay on a Fantasy Text or Topic
You will submit a critical essay on a given topic concerning fantasy. More details will be
provided with the assignment, available closer to the fantasy unit.
6. Daily Work and Attendance
Our class meetings revolve around daily work including discussion, writing, and group projects. I will
lecture when necessary, but as little as possible. The bulk of class time will be spent in activities that you
must be present to complete. Therefore, your attendance is required and necessary for this class. Your
absence not only hurts your own standing in this course, but takes away from the mutual benefit of our
class as we learn together.
For each missed daily work assignment, your grade for this portion drops 1 point. I will also allow 1
missed daily work assignment without penalty (say you miss 2, you’ll only be penalized for 1).
You are allowed 2 absences without penalty. After 2 absences, your Daily Work grade will be deducted
for each absence as follows: 3 absences = -2 points, 4 = -3, 5=-4. On the 6th absence, you risk failing the
class. I am not obligated to warn you about your absences so it is your responsibility to keep up. If you
have a legitimate reason for missing classes, you must let me know as soon as possible.
Policies
Late Policy
All assignments are due at the beginning of our class meeting. Any assignment turned in after that
deadline will automatically be docked 2 points for each day late. If an assignment is not turned in within
48 hours of its deadline, it automatically fails. (For instance, an essay due on Tuesday and not turned in
by Thursday fails.)
Missed Work
You are allowed to make up missed daily work due to a legitimate absence. You must turn in the work
within two days of the missed class. You should contact me prior to missing a class to work out the
details of making up your work.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is copying another’s work, either exactly or paraphrased, without proper
acknowledgment. Plagiarism will be sanctioned accordingly.
Please see L.S.S.U.’s Academic Integrity Policy:
http://www.lssu.edu/academics/pdfs/Academic%20Integrity%20Policy.pdf.
Especially in regard to the bibliographies, do not copy and paste text from Amazon.com or other online
reviews. Please be careful about how you use material that is not your own.
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Assistance beyond the Classroom
Office Hours and Conferences
Clear lines of communication are necessary in any relationship, including the one between student and
professor. I do my best to be as clear as possible about my expectations, but if you have questions, let me
know.
I am always available during my office hours or by appointment in LBR 324. You are welcome to drop
by during that time to talk about class, go over your writing, or discuss your questions or concerns. If you
are unable to drop by during these hours, I am more than happy to set up another time to meet.
I am always willing to read and confer with you on your writing, at whatever stage you may be, from
brainstorming to revising. I am not your proofreader or copyeditor, though.
If you are having trouble completing your work or attending class, talk to me as soon as possible when
the problem is at a resolvable stage. After a certain point, there will be nothing that even I can do to
salvage your standing in the class.
Learning Center
The Learning Center is located in 112-114, KJS Library. Specifically for our class, the LC has a Writing
Center that offers one-on-one student consultations. You can go at any stage of the writing process. Do
not use them as a copyediting/proofreading service. The LC also provides help in other courses, as well
as a study area where you can work independently.
Disability Services
In compliance with Lake Superior State University Policy and equal access laws, disability-related
accommodations or services are available to students with disabilities. Students who desire such services
should meet with professors in a timely manner, preferably the first week of class, to discuss disabilityrelated needs. Students are eligible to receive services after they are registered with Disability Services.
Proper registration allows Disability Services to verify the disability and determine individual reasonable
academic accommodations. Disability Service is located in the KJS Library Room 147, 906-635-2355
(from on campus -2355).
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should
contact me privately to discuss specific needs.
IPASS (Individual Plan for Academic Student Success)
If at mid-term your grades reflect that you are at risk for failing some or all of your classes, you will be
contacted by a representative of IPASS. The IPASS program is designed to help you gain control over
your learning through pro-active communication and goal-setting, the development of intentional learning
skills and study habits, and personal accountability. IPASS is located in the KJS Library, Room 106,
(906) 635-2887 or x2294 on campus, or email ipass@lssu.edu if you would like to sign up early in the
semester or if you have any questions or concerns.
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ENGL 335 Schedule
Week 1
Sep. 1 Intro
Sep. 3 JOCL Ch. 1,2, and 3
Bring your favorite children’s book and be prepared to talk about why you like it or why you
would use it in the classroom.
Week 2
Sep. 8 Holiday
Sep. 10 JOCL Ch. 4 Picturebooks
Bring in a picture book to share with class.
Read The Cat in the Hat, The Runaway Bunny, Officer Buckle and Gloria, The Little House, Where the
Wild Things Are (on reserve)
Week 3
Sep. 15 Picturebooks continued
Read Goodnight Moon, Knuffle Bunny Too, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, Flotsam (on reserve)
Sep. 16 Graphic Novels/Manga: Read Out from Boneville
Check out the manga section at Bayliss or any other library to familiarize yourself with manga
(if you have access to any manga, bring it in)
RQ 1
Week 4
Sep. 22 JOCL Ch. 5 Traditional Literature
Bring in a collection or a fairy tale to share with class.
Group 1 Presentation on Trad. Lit
Sep. 24 Trad. Lit. cont.
“The Disney Effect”
Read Zipes’s “Breaking the Disney Spell,” 332-352, in Maria Tatar, The Classic Fairy Tales (On
reserve)
Week 5
Sep. 29 JOCL Ch. 9 Poetry
Group 2 Presentation on Poetry
Bring in a book of poetry appropriate for children or young adults
RQ 2
Oct. 1 Annotated Bibliographies Due and Presentations: Picture Books, Traditional
Literature, and Poetry
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Week 6
Oct. 6 JOCL Ch. 7 Realistic Fiction
Group 3 Presentation on Realistic Fiction
Discuss Higher Power of Lucky
Oct. 8 JOCL Ch. 8 Historical Fiction
Group 4 Presentation on Historical Fiction
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Ch. 1-6
Week 7
Oct. 13 Finish RoT Ch. 7-12
Oct. 15 Curtis, Elijah of Buxton
RQ 3
Week 8
Oct. 20 Lowry, Number the Stars
Oct. 22 JOCL Ch. 10 Nonfiction
Group 5 Presentation on Nonfiction
Bring an example of a nonfiction or information text.
Week 9
Oct. 27 Ch. 11 Multicultural
Group 6 Presentation on Multicultural
Bring an example of a multicultural text.
Discuss Yang, American Born Chinese
RQ 4
Oct. 29 Annotated Bibliographies Due: Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Nonfiction, and
Multicultural
Week 10
Nov. 3 JOCL Ch. 6 Modern Fantasy
Gaiman, The Graveyard Book Ch.1-4
Nov. 5 Graveyard Book Ch. 5-8
ENGL 335 / Barbour
Week 11
Nov. 10 Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Ch.1 -8
Nov. 12 Lewis, Ch. 9-17
RQ 5
Week 12
Nov. 17 O’Brien, Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, first half through “The Marketplace”
Nov. 19 Mrs. Frisby, last half, from “In the Cage” to end
Week 13
Nov. 24 Work Day for final essay
Nov. 26 Thanksgiving
Week 14
Dec. 1 DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux, Books the First and Second
Dec. 3 Despereaux, Books the Third and Fourth and Coda
Week 15
Dec. 8 Baum, The Wonderful Wizard Oz, Ch. 1-12
RQ 6
Dec. 10 Oz, Ch. 13-24
Final Exam: See time and date online
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