Chapter 4
Using Various Types of Literature
Growing Up With Literature, 6e
By: Walter E. Sawyer
History of Children’s Literature
• Children’s books
– Prior to mid-18th century
• Aimed to improve moral and spiritual natures
• In 600 A.D., the Old English period, monks and other learned men
wrote “lesson books” for children.
– Folk tales
• Human experiences
– Storytellers
• Reduce anxieties, fire imagination
– 15th century: hand-copied (English)
• Aesop’s Fables-Caxton,1484
History of Children’s Literature
• First important
illustrated book for
children was written by
John Amos Comenius, a
bishop of Moravia in
1651.
– Comenius believed in
teaching children by
visual means.
Orbis Pictus
History of Children’s Literature
• Books based on deep
conviction
– The Pilgrim’s Progress
Bunyan, 1686
– Intent on saving
children’s souls
History of Children’s Literature
Chapbooks
• inexpensive books sold
by peddlers (chapmen)
that included political
and religious tracts.
Hornbooks
• a small paddle with
sheets of horn
protecting papers used
to teach reading
History of Children’s Literature
• First publishers (1700s)
– John Newbery
– A Little Pretty Pocket-book
History of Children’s Literature
• In the beginning of the 1800s,
children’s literature became
more honestly creative.
• Real literary authors could
write for children and not
damage their reputations.
– Charles and Mary Lamb
– Jane and Ann Taylor
The Golden Age of Children’s Literature
• Most scholars identify the
period 1865-1910 as “The
Golden Age of Children’s
Literature”
• an “era of popular,
imaginative children’s
books, many of which are
still frequently read”
– Alice in Wonderland
– The Wizard of Oz.
History of Children’s Literature
• The late 1920s and 1930s saw increasing numbers of books
written specifically for children. Examples Include:
o Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
o Dr. Seuss’s And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street
• 1950s
• U.S. increased in nonfiction picture books
• 1960s
• Where the Wild Things Are by Sendak introduced a child anti-hero
Changes in the last century
• A move from the didactic toward entertainment
purpose.
– Didactic texts emphasize learning and instruction.
• A shift from literature originally intended for
adults to literature specifically written for
children.
• An increasingly larger amount and variety of
children’s literature.
• An increasing number of children with differences
appearing as characters in the story.
Fingerplays, Chants, & Rhymes
• Fingerplays
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Short poem put to a rhyme or beat
Has hand motions (except chants)
Can be invented by the teacher and/or students
Use for transitions, basic concepts, holidays, even nap time
• Chants
– A chant is much like a fingerplay but without the hand motions
• Rhymes
– Can be simple poems and chants
– Children love rhymes that use their names or friends and family
names
– Examples: “One, two, buckle my shoe..”; “One potato, two
potato, three potato, four…”
Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes
• Who is Mother Goose?
– Known by children all over the world as a symbol of rhymes and
enjoyment
– Many of the Mother Goose tales are found in collections.
• Mother Goose stories are easily used to
stimulate language acquisition and to develop
social behavior rules.
• They contain wonderfully simple humor and
easily lend themselves to flannelboard
dramatizations and art activities.
• They are a rich source of our heritage.
Fables
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A story used to teach a moral.
Most fables use animals as characters.
Fables with animal characters are called beast fables.
Fables are found in every culture throughout the
world.
• Phrases from fables are often found in common
language: “No use crying over spilt milk.”
Folktales
• The common man’s fairy tale.
• They are unadorned stories.
• Common plots in which good overcomes evil and
justice is served.
• Developed through oral tradition.
• Authors of traditional folktales are unknown.
• New versions are written, often with a humorous
twist; these are known as fractured fairy tales.
• Africa is a rich source of folktales.
Fairy Tales
 Folk stories or legends in which an author
incorporates additional aspects of literature.
 Tend to be more involved and more polished than
folktales.
 Frequently recurring themes and ideas: the
number three, good and bad, long journeys,
distant times and places.
 Some are humorous, some answer “why”
questions, others are filled with magic and
wonder.
Fairy Tales
• What are the dangers of using fairy tales with
young children?
• How can these dangers be avoided?
Legends
• Ethnic tales, myths, and legends lend
themselves to the preschool program.
• Legends typically involve a kernel of truth that
builds over time with retelling, addition, and
exaggeration, children can use their
imaginations to create their own local
legends.
Picture Books
• Definition: A book in which the picture is as
important as the text.
• This is a genre based on a physical format, so it
can contain titles from many of the other
genres.
• It includes picture books, illustrated storybooks,
wordless storybooks, concept books, and
informational books.
• In picture books, both text and illustration are
fused together, to provide more than either can
do alone (the whole is greater than the sum of
the parts).
Picture Books
• A picture book must possess a well-developed
plot, theme, setting, and characterization.
• A picture book must use an appropriate style,
print dimension, and page size.
• A picture book must have a special unity
between text and illustration.
• In some books the words have been
completely eliminated.
– They are called wordless picture books.
Genre
o A category of literature defined by their
shared characteristics.
o Within each genre, there are many sub-genres
Wordless picture books and nearly wordless
picture books
• communicate the plot
of the story through
illustrations.
• These books are
excellent for promoting
language development
and developing a
concept of how stories
work (with beginning,
middle, and end).
Concept books
• use pictures to explore or explain an
idea/concept, object, or an activity.
– They do not tell a story.
• These books introduce young
children to single, focused concepts.
• The books may be about size, color,
or shapes that are best taught with
illustrations, or they may be about
more abstract concepts like time or
emotions that are best described
using words.
• Concept books help young children
see relationships between objects
and become aware of similarities or
differences
Concept Books
• Help motivate children to learn about spatial concepts,
numbers, and colors
• Include counting and ABC books
• They may be pop-up books, pop-out books, poke-throughthe-hole books, puppet books, books cut into shapes, books
cut into puzzles, big books, mini books, and textured books
• All these books should be constructed sturdily so that
children can use them after the teacher has presented them.
Counting Books
• present the numerals, their
shapes, and pictures of
objects to show what the
number represents.
• Examine counting books for
clear number styles and
logical sequencing.
• Books that count from 1 to
10 then jump to 20 or one
hundred will confuse young
readers.
Counting Books
One book mentioned over
and over again as wonderful
example of a counting book
is Anno's Counting Book by
Mitsumasa Anno.
It includes the number zero which is
rare, has numerous sets of
objects to count on each
page, and gives readers a
chance to count to twelve
rather than the customary
ten.
Alphabet books
• present the alphabet letter-byletter in order to acquaint
young children with the
shapes, names, and sounds of
the letters.
• Although alphabet books will
not help children learn the
alphabet, they can help
children learn to distinguish
different styles of lettering.
• The words, letters, and
pictures should all match with
the best alphabet books using
clearly identified objects.
NonFiction
 Nonfiction books are written for the purpose of
providing factual information.
 The author of such books has an obligation to
impart only accurate information.
 In choosing factual books, consider these
guidelines:
 Check for accuracy. Note the copyright date.
 Pictures and charts should be simple, clear, and easy to
read.
 Appropriate for the children’s age group.
Informational Books
• Informational books can also be called nonfiction books.
• Informational books must be accurate,
authentic, up-to-date, factual, clearly
organized, and include illustrations when
needed.
• These books should avoid anthropomorphism,
stereotypes and generalizations.
Informational Books
• Sub-genres include
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photo documentaries,
narrative texts,
how-to books,
question and answer books,
activity books,
field guides/identification books,
survey books,
concept books and
life-cycle books.
Fiction
• The main purpose of fiction is to entertain the reader.
• Fiction is a narrative that comes from the imagination of
the author rather than from history or factual
information.
• Realistic Fiction – is a story that could have happened,
and some parts of it may be from the author’s own
experience.
• Historical Fiction – which provides an imaginary story
based on a historical event or person (i.e. Titanic
books/movies).
• Fantasy Fiction – takes place in a nonexistent world and
may included unreal characters.
Contemporary Realistic Fiction
• Definition: Titles dealing with
the problems and joys of living
today. There is often an
element of character growth
or self-realization in the book.
• Titles can promote tolerance
and understanding of others
and their experiences.
• It "extends children's horizons
by broadening their interests,
allowing them to experience
new adventures and showing
them different ways to view
and deal with conflicts in their
own lives" (Through the eyes
of a child (2003), p. 363)
What is the difference between
fantasy and realistic fiction?
• Fantasy
• Realistic Fiction
Poetry
 A poem is a song without notes.
 Poetry is lyrical, heart-touching, and also great fun.
 Types of poems: haiku, tanka, cinquain, sonnet, limerick, and twoword poetry.
 Devices used in poetry written for children are:
 Onomatopoeia – sound words
 Personification – human characteristics given to animals
 Simile – comparing two things using “like” and “as”
 Metaphor – analogy
 Alliteration – repetition of the initial consonant of a word
several times in a line.
Poetry Books
• Poetry books can range from poetry that rhymes to free
verse and concrete verse.
• Take the sound of language and arranges it in beautiful
forms.
• Each word is chosen carefully for its sound and its meaning.
• Appeals to both the thoughts and feelings of the reader.
• Most small children love nursery rhymes, jingles, and songs,
yet many adults have an aversion to poetry.
• In numerous studies, children have indicated that they like
poetry that rhymes, tells a story, or is funny.
• They do not like to memorize, find hidden meanings, or
recite poems.
• Poetry is meant to be heard.
Traditional Literature, Folk and Fairy Tales
• This literature is born of
oral tradition, and is
passed orally from
generation to generation.
• It often has "retold by" or
"adapted by" in front of
the author, on the title
page of the book.
• It often starts with the
phrase "Once upon a
time..." and often has a
happy ending.
Traditional Literature, Folk and Fairy Tales
• The story often includes
patterns of 3 (3 characters,
3 tasks, 3 events, etc.).
• There are many versions of
the same story.
• Good always conquers evil.
• Sub-genres of traditional
literature include fairy tales,
folk tales, Mother Goose
rhymes, legends, myths,
proverbs, epics, and fables.
Basal Readers
• Books used in traditional elementary school
beginning reading programs.
• Basal books include textbooks, workbooks, teacher’s
manuals, and related materials.
• They tend to neither contain sufficient quality
literature nor take advantage of a child’s natural
curiosity and language.
• Some versions of stories have eliminated illustrations
and changed some wording.
– As a result, many authors of children’s storybooks refuse
to have their work appear in reading textbooks.