Children's Literature, Briefly

by Tunnell, Michael O.; Jacobs, James S.

• ISBN13: 9780131734906
• ISBN10: 0131734903
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-01-01
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

Are you looking for a brief introduction to children’s literature genres that leaves time to read actual works of children’s literature? This new, significantly revised and streamlined edition of Children’s Literature, Briefly introduces the reader to the essential foundations of each children’s literature genre, supported by practical features and tools to suggest quality books and activities to advance literacy in the classroom. As new teachers build their classroom library, the brevity of this affordable new edition ensures readers have the resources to purchase and time to read actual children’s literature.

The goal of this text, then, is to provide a practical overview of children's books, offering a framework and background information while keeping the spotlight on the books themselves.

''Several students over the years have told me it was one of the few texts they took with them to their first year of teaching. It contained the criteria for making good judgments. They could quickly apply the principles outlined to other books. l find this one of the primary strengths of the text and it is one reason why I keep using it.'' - Jean Stringam, Missouri State University

''This text provides a clear and concise overview of children’s literature. It does not overwhelm the students with too much information. The strengths are clear and concise information and the reading lists.'' - Rhonda L. Truitt, Catawba College

''The concise and clever writing style works so well with the students taking this course.'' - Marianne Baker, James Madison University

''I love the first chapter and how it positions the reader in seeing the value of reading. I also love the color insert that makes illustrations come alive.'' - Diane Barone, University of Nevada, Reno

Table of Contents

The Magic of Books
Why Read?	p. 1
The Rewards of Reading	p. 1
Unengaged and Engaged Reading	p. 4
Why Do So Few People Read?	p. 4
Reading Is Personally Motivating	p. 4
Engaged and Unengaged Reading	p. 6
What Is a Good Book?	p. 10
Choosing Children's Books	p. 10
Judging a Book: Literary Quality Versus Personal Taste	p. 11
Quality	p. 11
Taste	p. 13
How to Recognize a Well-Written Book	p. 18
Choosing the Right Words	p. 18
Precise Vocabulary	p. 19
Figurative Language	p. 21
Dialogue	p. 22
Music in Language	p. 23
Understatement	p. 24
Unexpected Insights	p. 25
Elements of Weak Writing	p. 26
How to Recognize a Well-Illustrated Book	p. 29
Visual Literacy: Developing the Ability to "See"	p. 29
Functions of Illustrations in Picture Books	p. 30
Style and Media in Picture Book Illustrations	p. 33
Visual Elements	p. 34
Additional Illustration Criteria: Action and Detail	p. 36
Depicting Action	p. 36
Creating Depth with Detail	p. 36
Care Given to Bookmaking	p. 38
The Books Themselves
Children's Books: History and Trends	p. 41
Early Books for Children	p. 41
Children's Books Come of Age	p. 45
The 1800s	p. 45
1900-1950	p. 46
1950-Present	p. 47
New Realism	p. 48
Minority Books	p. 48
The Changing Trends in Genres and Formats of Children's Books	p. 49
A Changing Marketplace	p. 50
The 21st Century	p. 52
Organizing Children's Literature by Genre	p. 56
The Genres	p. 56
The Book Lists	p. 59
Picture Books	p. 61
Categories of Picture Books	p. 61
ABC Books	p. 61
Counting Books	p. 63
Concept Books	p. 64
Participation Books	p. 64
Wordless Picture Books	p. 65
Predictable Books	p. 65
Beginning Reader Picture Books	p. 66
Picture Storybooks	p. 67
Engineered Books	p. 67
Baby/Board Books	p. 69
Picture Books Available in Audiovisual Formats	p. 70
Poetry	p. 80
Why Children May Learn to Dislike Poetry	p. 80
Building Appreciation for Poetry	p. 82
The NCTE Poetry Award	p. 85
Forms of Poetry	p. 92
Building a Poetry Collection	p. 94
Traditional Fantasy	p. 101
Traditional Fantasy: A Part of Every Culture	p. 101
Peculiarities of Traditional Fantasy	p. 102
The Universal Nature of Traditional Fantasy	p. 102
The Values of Fantasy	p. 104
Types of Traditional Fantasy	p. 105
In Defense of Traditional Fantasy	p. 109
Psychological Fantasy	p. 109
Violence	p. 110
Frightening for Young Children	p. 110
Waste of Time	p. 111
Modern Fantasy	p. 116
A Definition of Modern Fantasy	p. 116
Categories of Modern Fantasy	p. 117
Six Basic Fantasy Motifs	p. 118
Science Fiction	p. 120
The Truth in Fantasy	p. 121
Contemporary Realistic Fiction	p. 128
Importance of Story	p. 128
Identifying with Contemporary Realistic Fiction	p. 128
Contemporary Realistic Fiction and Society	p. 130
Common Categories of Contemporary Realistic Fiction	p. 132
Historical Fiction	p. 142
History Textbooks Versus History Trade Books	p. 142
History Textbooks Cover Too Much	p. 143
The People Are Missing!	p. 143
Historical Fiction: Presenting Multiple Perspectives	p. 144
What Makes Good Historical Fiction?	p. 145
History Should Not Be Sugarcoated	p. 146
Historical Accuracy Is Required	p. 146
The Historical Period Should Come to Life	p. 147
The History Usually Is Revealed through the Eyes of a Young Protagonist	p. 148
Avoid Too Much Attention to Historical Detail	p. 149
Types of Historical Fiction	p. 149
Reviewing the Values of Historical Fiction	p. 150
Biography	p. 155
Typical Personalities in Biographies	p. 155
Types of Biographies	p. 158
Judging Biographies for Young Readers	p. 160
Informational Books	p. 168
The Purpose of Informational Books	p. 168
Finding Good Informational Books	p. 171
Attractive Design	p. 171
Compelling Details	p. 172
Fascinating Comparisons	p. 174
Unusual Subjects or Viewpoints	p. 175
Personalized Content	p. 176
Accuracy	p. 178
Types of Informational Books	p. 179
Multicultural and International Books	p. 188
Multicultural Literature	p. 188
The Need for Multicultural Books	p. 189
Judging Multicultural Literature	p. 190
The Growth of Multicultural Literature	p. 192
International Books	p. 193
Books in the Classroom
Controversial Books	p. 202
The First Amendment	p. 202
Predictable and Unpredictable Controversy	p. 203
Intellectual Freedom and Individual Choice	p. 204
Handling Book Challenges	p. 207
Materials Selection Policy	p. 208
Grievance Procedure	p. 208
Steps to Reduce Emotional Tension	p. 208
Motivating Students to Read	p. 212
Helping Students Find the Books They Like	p. 215
Learning from Motivated Readers	p. 215
Getting Students Quickly into Books	p. 217
Reading Incentive Programs	p. 218
Organizing the Classroom to Get Children into Books	p. 220
First: Set an Example	p. 220
Second: Provide Books	p. 220
Third: Make Time for Books	p. 220
Fourth: Create a Reading Atmosphere	p. 223
Fifth: Work with Parents	p. 224
Sixth: Choose Meaningful Activities and Assignments	p. 224
Teaching with Children's Books	p. 226
Opening Doors with Books	p. 227
The Strengths of Trade Books	p. 228
Research Support for Using Trade Books to Teach Reading	p. 231
Using Trade Books in the Reading Curriculum	p. 232
Talking about Books	p. 232
Written and Creative Responses	p. 234
Using Trade Books in the Other Subject Areas	p. 238
The Individual Reading Approach	p. 238
The Large-Group Reading Approach	p. 239
The Small-Group Reading Approach	p. 240
Three Principles of Using Trade Books to Teach Subject Matter	p. 241
The Last Word	p. 242
Guidelines for Building a Classroom Library	p. 244
Book Selection Aids	p. 251
Magazines for Children	p. 257
Children's Book Awards	p. 261
Publishing Children's Books	p. 274
Name Index	p. 279
Subject Index	p. 294
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.