Genres of Children’s
Literature
Dr Nada Al-Ajmi
Traditional Literature
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The ancient stories or poems of many cultures,
originate in the oral tradition. These books are often
attributed to different groups and cultures, but have no
known authors. Traditional literature has been used as
a way of passing down traditional wisdom and
knowledge necessary for the survival of the group as
well as a way of explaining features of the natural world
and its creation. Traditional literature, include myths;
epics; legends; tall tales; fables; folktales; and religious
stories.
Nursery, Lullabies, and Children’s
Poetry
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Nursery or folk rhymes are typically a child’s first
introduction to literature.
Many nursery rhymes contain (fictional and absurd)
violence, such as ‘down will come baby, cut off their
tails, whip them all soundly’. This was assumed to help
the reader and the listener vent hostilities. And anxieties
to which all humans are subject.
Most nursery rhymes are considered nonsensical and
purely fun.
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Nursery rhymes contribute to a child’s cognitive
development by aiding in learning of numbers
and counting. Such as, ‘one,two buckle my shoe’
or alphabet such ‘A apple pie’, learning new
vocabulary, memorization, developing a sense of
humor (through the appreciation of the
nonsense), and distinguishing fantasy from
reality.
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It contributes to a child’s aesthetic development
through the appreciation of language, rhythm in
meter, concrete images and visualization and
linguistic forms.
It contributes to a child’s emotional
development by providing comfort and security
in their familiarity.
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It contributes to a child's social and physical
development by providing a context for playful
action such as clapping, skipping and jumping.
Poetry Books
 Definition: Poetry books can range from
poetry that rhymes to free verse and concrete
verse. It takes the sound of language and
arranges it in beautiful forms. Each word is
chosen carefully for its sound and its meaning. It
appeals to both the thoughts and feelings of the
reader.
Fantasy
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Refers to works of literature in which the events,
settings, or the characters are outside the realm
of possibility. The author must convince the
reader to suspend disbelief by creating an
internally logical and consistent world. There are
many types of modern fantasy, including the
modern fairytale (by a known author); animal
fantasy; personified toys and objects; quest
stories and high fantasy; time travel; and stories
about miniature worlds and people.
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Writers can explore complex ideas on a symbolic
level
Exploration of philosophical issues on a level
that children can understand and appreciate.
Challenges our perception of reality
Develops and exercises the imagination
Realistic Fiction
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Definition: Titles dealing with the problems and joys
of real life. 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)
Folk Literature
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Folktales is the collection of tales passed from
generation to generation and from old to young
by the word of mouth also called Oral Tradition.
Folktale is believed to be people’s efforts to
organize their experiences into meaningful
patterns
Folktales are the cement of society; they
codified and reinforced the way people thought,
felt, believed and behaved.
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Folktales are created by most people at an early
level of civilization and it contains elements of
past religions, rituals, superstitions or events
Folktales are carried orally by migrating peoples,
travelers, captives.
Story tellers alter tales, combined tales and
adapted tales for the lands and peoples listening.
Fables
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A sub-genre of folk literature and a form of
animal tale in which animals portray human
virtue and voices for the purpose of conveying a
(usually blatantly stated) moral message.
Most fables require abstract thinking and are lost
on young children
Picture Books
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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).
Illustrated story books are different from picture books in that
the text can stand alone and the illustrations are secondary to the
text, yet complements the text. These books are generally up to
48 pages in length.
Science fiction
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Science fiction speculates on what might happen in the
future in our universe, so it has some basis in our reality.
The books in this genre address themes of love, justice,
truth, loyalty, goodness, courage, wisdom, etc. Sometimes
the line between fantasy and science fiction is blurred,
with elements of both genres in the story.
Informational Books
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Definition: Informational books can also be called
non-fiction 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. Sub-genres include 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.
Fairytales
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It involves some fairy or witch which has magic
powers through which the limitations of reality
can be circumvented.
Fairies or witches are usually either good or bad
and one must exercise caution in requesting or
accepting their assistance.
Frequently, fairytales also contain moral lessons,
emphasizing uses and misuses or magic.
Social Satire
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The purpose of this type of story is to mock or
satirize adult behavior.
In this type of story, point of view may be
important since the adult behavior may be seen
through the eyes of the children.