children’s literature

Children’s LiteratureReported by: Mary Grace Aguiñot

BEED 4

Background

Meaning of Children’s Literature– Written works that express in simple form

the universality of truth and clearness of purpose– characteristic of great literature that would endure and find a place in children’s regard.

– The body of written works and accompanying illustrations produced in order to entertain or instruct young people. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

• Genre- classics of world literature- picture books and easy-to-read stories written exclusively for children.- fairy tales- lullabies- fables- folk songs-other primarily orally transmitted materials

The child and his world of books“The world of books is a kind of world

where children will find joy in living.”a) books add immeasurably to richness in

livingWhen life is absorbing, they can enhance

ours sense of its significanceWhen life is difficult, they can give us

momentary release from troubles or a new insight into our problems.

-source of information, comfort or pleasure.

• b.) Books help children directly or indirectly to meet their Basic Drives or Needs (acc. May Hill Arbuthnot in Children’s books

Children’s Books: History and trends

1. Medieval Books

Written in Latin and found in monasteries Too expensive Very few were addressed to children

Most famous courtesy

book produced in manuscript

in 1430

1st English Printer (1477)

2. Horn Books

1st book the child is allowed to handle, first published in 1540.

Are little wooden paddles on which were pasted lesson sheets and covered with transparent horn.

Widely used in England and America

3. THE NEW ENGLAND PRIMERappeared bet. 1683 and 1691; made especially for

children

Standard lesson book in America A small book, 3x4 ½ inches, 100 pages Bound in “boards”-corners of oak wood about 1/8 inch thick. Contain the alphabet, words and syllables for spelling lessons,

questionnaire from the bible, the Lord’s prayer, the Catechism, several hymns and spiritual advice from Cotton Mather.

There were rhymes for each letter of the alphabet

Ex. A- In Adam’s Fall,

We sinned all.

Z- Zaccheus heDid climb the treehis lord to see.

4. Orbis Pictus

School book devised by the Moravian bishop Comenius

Translated to English in 1658Has a wood-block picture at the top of each

pageCHILD’S FIRST PICTURE BOOK

5. BATTLEDORE,BROADSIDE, AND CHAPBOOK

• BATTLEDORE (1746)- consist of a cardboard w/ 3 leaves and folded like a pocket

book.- had wood outs, the alphabet, and easy reading matter, but

no religious instruction

• BROADSIDE-single sheets of paper

w/ printing on one side only.-contains…

Well-known English ballads Crude translations of French

farces Tales in prose and verse Legends of antiquity Old tales of Middle Ages Fairy tales

When printing became cheaper…

Broadsides where sold by chapmen thus, they were later called CHAPBOOKS.

6. BOOKS WITH PURITAN INFLUENCE

GROUP OF DEEPLY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE.

Written by a clergyman Dwells on death Written for “children to be happy”

Allegorical tale of the conversion of his soul. Told in the best tradition of the fairy tales which

Bunyan had enjoyed in chapbook when he was a boy.

Intended for adults but children took over it.

• OTHER BOOKS ENGLISH CHILDREN READ THAT WAS NOT INTENDED FOR THEM

1714 1726 1785

7. CHEERFULNESS IN BOOKS

TALES OF MY MOTHER GOOSE

• Appeared in France in 1697

• One of the most famous collections of nursery tales in all literature

• Bore the name CHARLES PERRAULT

• Contains 8 tales

THE 8 TALES FOUND IN THE COMPILATION:

LITTLE PRETTY POCKET BOOK

• Published by John Newbery in 1749

• Contains alphabet rhymes about children’s games, and the pictures showed children playing games

• A book of pleasure

• FATHER OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

• Ran many edition of Perrault’s tale of mother goose

• Published Mother Goose’s Melody-favorite rhymes

• And the HISTORY OF LITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES

NEWBERY MEDAL- award given for the “most distinguished book for children by

and American author in U.S.

Works for John Newbery and collaborated in the writing of the stories.

8. DIDACTIC BOOKS

JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU

-Advocated that the classical methods be discarded and that children be taught about real things and the world in which they lived.

-advocated in the joyous unfolding of a child’s power through a free, happy life, living vigorously out of doors and learning form actual experience and activities

About the history and physical geography and proper conduct

Produced by Jacob Abbot

9. Fairy tales , romance and fantasy

• A literary revolt took place before the middle of 19th century

CHARLES LAMB SAMUEL COLERIDGE WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

Deplored the “banishment of the fairies”.

Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm

The Grimm brothers

Ushered the return of fairytales together with romance and fantasy

Stories children claimed for their own:

In 1849

- The English undertook a systematic collection of folktales which appeared as “Nursery Rhymes and Nursery tales of England”.

TWO FAMOUS COLLECTORS

ANDREW LANG

Believed to be the best collections

JOSEPH JACOB

“ Teachers and parents owe a great deal of gratitude to Joseph Jacobs in his 6 volumes of English, Celtic, Indian and European Fairy tales, he gave the world versions of its best-known and most representative stories in a form suited to children, while remaining true in all its essentials to the original oral versions of the folk.”

• LAST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY- emerged a new type of fairy tale, the

LITERARY FOLK TALE--- it is a story based upon folklore into which the author has contributed much that is new and original and has put so much of himself that a new story resulted.

HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

-- THE GREATEST MASTER OF LITERARY FAIRY TALE

• Other examples

Restored humor and fantasy as desirable part of children’s literature.

Widened the appearance of modern literary tales

• THE TRADITION OF LITERARY FAIRY TALES WAS CARRIED THROUGH THE 19TH CENTURY BY:

10. REALISTIC LITERATURE

BOOKS THAT CENTER UPON LIVES OF BOYS AND GIRLS IN SIMPLE HOMES AND CARE ABOUT BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SHOW PATRIOTISM , DEVOTION AND LOYALTY.

NOTED AS THE BEGINNING OF SCIENCE FICTION

11. ILLUSTRATION IN CHILDREN’S BOOKS

-- his characters are all on the move and his pictures are complete till the last detail.

RANDOLPH CALDECOTT (1846-1861)

CALDECOTT MEDAL- Awarded to the most distinguished picture booK for children

12. RECOGNITION OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS

MACMILLIAN COMPANYOrganized the first special department for publishing children’s books in 1919

ANNE CARROLL MOORE

Began the first regular review of children’s books in the literary supplement of the New York Herald Tribune.

13. CHILDREN’S MAGAZINE

Outstanding magazine for children in the U.S.

CONTRIBUTORS

14. THE RISE OF PICTURE BOOKS• A BOOK DESIGNED IN WHICH THE PICTURES

ARE DESIGNED AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE TEXT.

BY. WANDA GAG (1928)

1ST AMERICAN

PICTURE BOOK

FIRST WINNER OF THE

CALDECOTT MEDAL

15. THE SPIRIT OF PRESENT DAY LITERATURE

2 FORCES THAT ARE AT WORK IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE1. CHILD’S NEEDS2. ADULT’S IDEA ABOUT WHAT A CHILD NEEDS

TODAY, THE STORIES HAVE BEEN MADE INTO FILMS AND ANIMATIONS

THE ENDTHANKS FOR LISTENING…