Critical Handbook of Children's... | Buy

Unlike an anthology of children's literature, which includes only chapters or summaries, this outstanding seventh edition teaches how to make appropriate judgments about what constitutes quality children's literature. Using the critical standards for all literature, explanations are supplemented by special issues in judging books for children. Taking readers through the definitions of literary terms by reviewing plot, character, theme, setting, point of view, style, and tone, and including special sections on censorship and the importance of reading aloud, Lukens provides sound criteria for assessing the merit of children's books. The book also includes chapters on rhymes, poetry, biography, and informational books. Emphasis is placed on multicultural literature, making it a book intended for use with a wide variety of children's books. For anyone interested in children's literature, education, language arts, and/or educational media.

Rebecca J. Lukens began teaching children's literature in the Department of English at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in 1964

To the Instructor	p. xi
To the Student	p. xvii
Reading Aloud to Children	p. xxi
Literature: What Is It?	p. 3
Literature for Children	p. 8
Summary	p. 9
Notes	p. 10
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 10
Genre in Children's Literature	p. 13
Realism	p. 14
Realistic Stories	p. 15
Animal Realism	p. 16
Historical Realism	p. 16
Sports Stories	p. 17
Formula Fiction	p. 18
Mysteries and Thrillers	p. 18
Romantic Stories	p. 19
Series Books	p. 19
Fantasy	p. 20
Fantastic Stories	p. 20
High Fantasy	p. 21
Science Fiction	p. 22
Traditional Literature	p. 24
Fables	p. 24
Folktales	p. 24
Myths	p. 26
Legends and Hero Tales	p. 27
Folk Epics	p. 27
Poetry	p. 28
Informational Books	p. 28
Across Genre Lines	p. 29
Classics	p. 29
Genre in Children's Literature	p. 30
Summary	p. 35
Notes	p. 35
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 36
Picture Books	p. 39
The Illustrative Elements of the Picture Book	p. 41
Designing the Book	p. 41
Picturing Figurative Language	p. 44
Amplifying the Text	p. 44
Changing the Story	p. 46
The Literary Elements of the Picture Book	p. 48
Character	p. 49
Plot	p. 50
Theme	p. 54
Setting	p. 56
Point of View	p. 57
Style	p. 58
Rhythm	p. 59
Tone	p. 60
Lasting Favorites	p. 62
Wordless Picture Books	p. 66
Summary	p. 69
Notes	p. 70
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 71
Character	p. 75
Revelation of Character	p. 76
By Actions	p. 77
By Speech	p. 77
By Appearance	p. 78
By Others' Comments	p. 78
By Author's Comments	p. 78
Unity of Character and Action	p. 78
Types of Characters	p. 81
Flat Characters	p. 82
Round Characters	p. 83
Change in Character	p. 84
Special Issues of Character in Children's Literature	p. 89
Traditional Literature	p. 90
Animal Realism	p. 91
Science Fiction	p. 91
Classics	p. 93
Summary	p. 94
Notes	p. 95
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 95
Plot	p. 97
Types of Narrative Order	p. 98
Chronological Order	p. 98
Flashbacks	p. 99
Types of Conflict	p. 99
Person-Against-Self	p. 100
Person-Against-Person	p. 102
Person-Against-Society	p. 103
Person-Against-Nature	p. 104
Patterns of Action	p. 106
Suspense	p. 108
The Cliff-hanger	p. 111
Foreshadowing	p. 112
Sensationalism	p. 114
The Climax	p. 114
Denouement	p. 116
Inevitability	p. 117
Types of Plots	p. 118
Special Issues of Plot in Children's Literature	p. 120
Coincidence	p. 120
Sentimentality	p. 121
Lack of Conflict	p. 123
Summary	p. 124
Notes	p. 125
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 125
Theme	p. 129
Theme or Unifying Truth	p. 129
Types of Themes	p. 130
Explicit Theme	p. 130
Implicit Theme	p. 131
Multiple and Secondary Themes	p. 133
Special Issues of Theme in Children's Literature	p. 135
Traditional Literature	p. 135
Didacticism	p. 137
Nonsense	p. 139
Mature Themes in Children's Stories	p. 139
Summary	p. 143
Notes	p. 143
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 143
Setting	p. 147
Types of Settings	p. 148
Integral Setting	p. 149
Backdrop Setting	p. 150
Setting in Charlotte's Web	p. 151
Functions of Setting	p. 153
Setting That Clarifies Conflict	p. 153
Setting as Antagonist	p. 156
Setting That Illuminates Character	p. 157
Setting and Mood	p. 158
Setting as Symbol	p. 159
Special Issues of Setting in Children's Literature	p. 160
Traditional Literature	p. 161
Fantasy and Science Fiction	p. 162
Summary	p. 163
Notes	p. 164
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 164
Point of View	p. 167
Types of Point of View	p. 168
First-Person Point of View	p. 168
Omniscient Point of View	p. 172
Limited Omniscient Point of View	p. 173
Objective (Dramatic) Point of View	p. 175
Special Issues of Point of View in Children's Literature	p. 176
Maturity of the Reader	p. 177
Animal Realism	p. 178
Fantasy	p. 180
Stories of Various Cultures	p. 181
Summary	p. 182
Notes	p. 182
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 183
Style	p. 185
Devices of Style	p. 187
Connotation	p. 187
Imagery	p. 188
Figurative Language	p. 189
Hyperbole	p. 190
Understatement	p. 191
Allusion	p. 191
Symbol	p. 192
Puns and Wordplay	p. 192
Devices of Sound	p. 193
Onomatopoeia	p. 193
Alliteration	p. 193
Assonance	p. 193
Consonance	p. 193
Rhythm	p. 193
Special Issues of Style in Children's Literature	p. 194
Trite Versus Fresh Style	p. 194
Retellings and Translations	p. 197
Stories of Other Periods and Places	p. 199
High Fantasy	p. 201
Summary	p. 202
Notes	p. 202
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 202
Tone	p. 205
Tone in Charlotte's Web	p. 206
Humor	p. 208
Parody	p. 212
Differing Tastes in Tone	p. 213
Tone Related to the Author's Choice of Materials	p. 214
Special Issues of Tone in Children's Literature	p. 218
Condescension	p. 218
Sentimentality	p. 220
Sensationalism	p. 222
Didacticism	p. 223
Changing Values	p. 224
Variety of Tone	p. 225
Summary	p. 228
Notes	p. 228
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 229
From Rhyme to Poetry	p. 231
Nursery Rhymes	p. 231
Literary Elements	p. 232
Style	p. 232
Nonsense	p. 235
Rhythm and Sound	p. 236
Compactness and Surprise	p. 236
Poetry	p. 238
Prose and Poetry	p. 238
Verse and Poetry	p. 240
Kinds of Poetry	p. 242
Rhythm	p. 243
Sound Patterns	p. 246
Figurativeness	p. 247
Compactness	p. 252
Emotional Intensity	p. 254
Negative Qualities in Poetry	p. 256
Summary	p. 258
Notes	p. 258
Books Containing Poems Cited in This Chapter	p. 259
Biography	p. 261
Biography Defined	p. 261
The Writer's Obligations	p. 262
Biography and Fiction	p. 264
Tone and Style	p. 265
Concepts and Didacticism	p. 270
Summary	p. 273
Notes	p. 273
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 273
Informational Books	p. 277
Nonfiction Defined	p. 278
Wonder as Motivation	p. 279
Informational Books	p. 280
Organization and Scope	p. 280
Narrative Form	p. 283
Style	p. 286
Illustration	p. 289
Special Issues in Nonfiction in Children's Literature	p. 290
Tone	p. 290
Didacticism and Propaganda	p. 293
Recent Publishing Trends	p. 296
Summary	p. 298
Notes	p. 298
Recommended Books Cited in This Chapter	p. 298
Children's Book Awards	p. 301
Selected Children's Magazines	p. 337
Selected Reviewing Media for Children's Books	p. 339
Selected Websites about Children's Literature	p. 341
Glossary of Literary Terms	p. 343
Acknowledgments	p. 347
Index	p. 351
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