Review for Final Exam

ILS300Fall 2009

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There are two basic types of reading:

• Unengaged reading = done because we have to, i.e., school or work

• Engaged reading = when you connect with a book and get pleasure or satisfaction from reading. There are two kinds of reading – informational, which answers a question and aesthetic, which involves images and feelings

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So, how do we judge a good book?

1. Style and language 8. Design & layout2. Character 9. Mood3. Plot 10. Accuracy4. Illustrations 11. Tone5. Pacing 12. Point of view6. Setting 13. Theme7. Tension The three most important are style& language, character and plot.

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Awards for Children’s Books

The four major awards we will examine are :

• Newbery Award: best written fiction book• Caldecott Award: best illustrated book• Geisel Award: best beginning reader• Nutmeg Award: CT’s award voted on by

children in grades 4-6 and 6-8

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Genres of Children’s Literature

• All literature is prose or poetry. Every genre branches off from these two.

• POETRY: can be in the form of haiku, sonnet, couplet, limerick, narrative, cinquain or free verse. It is never written in paragraphs. Cinquain example: triangles

pointy edges

Revolving, rotating, angling triangles are all different 180%

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Difference Between Fiction & Nonfiction is Documentation

• Fiction: Is entirely from author’s imagination.

• Nonfiction: requires documentation. Nonfiction is biography and informational books. Biographies and autobiographies tell all or a part of the tale of an actual person’s life.

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Nonfiction is classified into 1 of 10 categories called the Dewey Decimal System.

• All numbers range from 000-999.99. All numbers except for the 800’s (literature) are nonfiction.

Realistic & Fantasy Fiction are invented stories with invented characters. The difference between realistic and fantasy fiction lies in the laws of the universe.

• If the setting is based in reality and the characters are grounded in reality, then it’s realistic fiction.

• If the story has elements not in our physical world, then it’s fantasy.

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Contemporary & Historical Fiction: • Contemporary Fiction: the story takes place in

today’s world• Historical Fiction: the story takes place in the

past.Traditional Fantasy:• stories are part of the oral tradition of storytelling

and the authors are unknown.• They are now written down in print as collections

(like Grimm), but they were collectors, not authors, of these stories. If it has an indentifiable author, it is not traditional fantasy.

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Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction: • Both Science Fiction and Modern Fantasy

contain elements not found in the known universe.

• In Modern Fantasy, other worldly abilities just ARE or come about by magic, in Science Fiction science is used to make it possible.

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Traditional Fantasy:

• Originated orally – was told from one townsperson to another and has no definite author.

• The characters are not well developed.• The plots are very simplistic and deal with the basic

emotions of life.• Storylines all have the same themes.• Traditional fantasy gives children the ability to

hope. HOPE is the essential thread in all fantasy literature.

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Types of Traditional Fantasy Literature

There are a variety of types of folktales.• Cumulative Tales: stories that are added on as

the story grows• Pourquoi Tales: “why” tales – they answer

questions and give explanations for the way things are, particularly in nature

• Beast Tales: animals are the main characters, typically representing humans

• Tall Tales: uses much exaggeration. Many grew as a push to open North American, but there are tall tales from all over the world.

• Fables: are meant to teach a lesson and conclude with a moral

• Myths: grew out of people’s need to undersatnd and explain the world

• Epics, Ballads and Legends: tales that focus on a hero. They are often lengthy.

• Religious Stories: came out of people’s quest to share beliefs and encompass all religions.

• Noodlehead or Numbskull Tales: humorous tales of the “not too bright”. Sometimes the main character makes a problem with their ridiculous mistakes, but they often come out on top.

• Trickster Tales: a variety of the beast tale, but features a character that outsmarts others in the story.

• Realistic Tales: have a basis in actual fact.• Fairy Tales: also known as Wonder Tales. Most

magical of all the folktales, they include talking animals, fairy godmothers - all magical objects.

Modern Fantasy

• Modern fantasy always has elements of magic.

• However, modern fantasy HAS known authors.

• Modern fantasy can be varied in its elements of magic.

• Fantasy may be the most difficult genre to write because the author must create a new set of physical laws.

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Categories of Modern Fantasy• Animal characters: Charlotte’s Web• Toys and objects come to life: Pinocchio• Tiny humans: The Littles• Peculiar characters & situations: Mary Poppins• Imaginary worlds: Alice in Wonderland• Magical powers: Chocolate Touch

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• Supernatural powers:Wait Until Helen Comes Home

• Time warp fantasies: Magic Tree House series

• High fantasy: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

• Modern fairy tales or folktales: also known as literary tales: Hans Christian Anderson, Jane Yolen, Rudyard Kipling

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Magical Elements in Fantasy Literature

“Other worlds” (secondary worlds): establish magical setting. The setting is established in 2 ways:

1. Set the whole story in an imaginary land. 2. Have the setting begin in the real world &

then move it into the secondary world through a sort of portal

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• Good vs. evil: Good vs. evil archetype has strong basis in mythology.

• Heroism: hero’s quest will always be the backbone of the fantasy tale. The hero’s story is always a circular journey – it always ends where it began.

• Special characters types include fairies, pixies, wizards.

• Fantastic objects include magic cloaks, flying broomsticks.

Some fantasy books use only 1 magic motif, some 4 out of 6, some all six.

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Contemporary Realistic Fiction

How to recognize a well written book:• Precise vocabulary: sentence structure, word order,

subject-verb agreement, verb tenses • Figurative language: Simile, metaphor,

personification and imagery are examples of figurative language.

• Dialogue: speech reveals character: when a person speaks in literature, the truth emerges about personality, motives desires, prejudices and feelings.

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• Music in Language: the sounds of words increase the appeal and strength of a story.

• Understatement: When facts are clearly presented in writing, readers can draw their own conclusions without being precisely told what to think.

• Unexpected insights: Good stories contain small surprises.

In short, the author has to treat the audience with respect.

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Categories of Contemporary Fiction• Picture Books: Beautifully illustrated with carefully

chosen words • Series Books: contain the same characters across many

different books.• Novels in verse: is considered poetry AND

contemporary fiction• Adventure and survival stories:

Exciting , fast paced plots which encourages the kids to read on.

• Mysteries: marked by suspense. Action centers on finding an answer to the questions.

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• Animal stories: about the relationship between animals and humans.

• Sports stories: Action revolves around a particular sport and the thrills that go along with it.

• Humorous stories: Children need humorous stories as much as they need books full of drama.

• Romance Stories: centers on falling in love. Self discovery element is involved.

• Coming of Age Stories: books help children with rites of passage.

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Historical Fiction

• It must be set in the past. • Historical accuracy is required. • The story must make the historical period

come to life. • The author usually reveals the history

through the eyes of a young protagonist. • The writing styles should avoid giving too

much attention to historical detail.

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TIMELINE OF HISTORICAL NOVELS

• Prehistoric Times: T. A Dyer’s A WAY OF HIS OWN

• Ancient Times: Eloise McGraw’s, MARA, DAUGHTER OF THE NILE

• Tales of Early Britain: Rosemary Sutcliff’s EAGLE OF THE NINTH

• Later Middle Ages: Karen Cushman’s CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY • The Modern World : Gary Blackwood’s THE SHAKESPEARE

STEALER

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• Stories of the Western Hemisphere: L.I. Wilder’s LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS

• Colonial America: Elizabeth George Speare’s THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND

• Revolutionary War: Esther Forbes’ Johnny Tremain

• The Growing Nation: Pam Conrad’s PRAIRIE SONGS

• Civil War Era: Andrea Pinkney’s SILENT THUNDER

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TIMELINE OF HISTORICAL NOVELS, cont.

TIMELINE OF HISTORICAL NOVELS, still cont.

• Industrial Age: Katherine Paterson’s BREAD & ROSES, TOO

• Immigration: Patricia Reilly Giff’s NORY RYAN’S SONG

• Great Depression: Christopher Paul Curtis’ BUD, NOT BUDDY

• World War II: Patricia Reilly Giff’s Lily’s Crossing

• Post World War II: Gary Schmidt’s WEDNESDAY WARS

By giving children a glimpse into the past, they may learn how to change the present world for the better.

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BIOGRAPHIES

• Biographies are easy to identify in most library collections because they are so specifically about a person’s life.• Some of the most typical biographies

in children’s literature are:

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• SCIENTISTS & INVENTORS: Marie Curie• POLITICAL LEADERS: George Washington• POP CULTURE & TRULY TALENTED: Miley Cyrus,

John Lennon• SPORTS PERSONALITIES: Jackie Robinson• EXPLORERS AND ADVENTURERS: Amelia Earhart• HUMANITARIANS: Mother Theresa• PEOPLE WHO OVERCAME TREMENDOUS ODDS:

Helen Keller• VILLAINS: Adolph Hitler

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TYPES OF BIOGRAPHIES

• AUTHENTIC BIOGRAPHY: Written as true Nonfiction, only statements made by the person are included as dialogue

• COLLECTIVE BIOGRAPHIES: Have chapters about similar people collected in one book, i.e.rock stars

• PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHIES: good introductory biography for younger readers with less text

• COMPLETE BIOGRAPHIES: span a person’s whole life• PARTIAL BIOGRAPHIES: cover just a segment of a

person’s life

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• Activity books: books that focus on how to do a specific activity, i.e. cookbooks, craft books

• Concept books: the first type of informational book a child experiences, i.e. opposite books

• Journals & interviews: the two most common books based on primary sources, i.e. Columbus’ diary.

• Photo essays: photos capture emotion & verify information

• Pop up informational books: Fun, but they rip easily

• Reference Books: Encyclopedias, dictionaries & atlases

• Miscellaneous Books: Joke books, magic books, sheet music books, puzzle books, etc.

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TYPES OF INFORMATIONAL BOOKS

THE FUNCTIONS OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN PICTURE BOOKS

• Establish Setting: The artwork, time periods & cultural settings are brought to life through the illustrations

• Define and Develop Characters: Pictures are able to give characters more delineation

• Reinforce Text: The pictures explain what is going on in the text.

• Provide a Differing Viewpoint: pictures are used in picture books is to do the opposite of what is occurring in the text.

• Extend or Develop the Plot: In wordless picture books, the whole plot is told through the pictures.

• Provide Interesting Asides: Sometimes subplots are revealed through pictures that are never referred to in the text

• Establish Mood: Illustrations determine the mood of a story.31

CATEGORIES OF PICTURE BOOKS• ABC BOOKS• COUNTING BOOKS• CONCEPT BOOKS: colors, opposites, shapes• PARTICIPATION BOOKS: involves children in telling the story

• WORDLESS PICTURE BOOKS• PREDICTABLE BOOKS: repeated language & story patterns

• BEGINNING READERS• PICTURE STORYBOOKS: largest group of books • ENGINEERED STORYBOOKS: pop-up, odd shapes• BOARD BOOKS: hard cardboard books for babies

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FORMS OF POETRY• Narrative Poems: Narrative poems tell stories.• Ballads are narrative poems adapted for singing.• Lyric Poems: lyric poetry is melodic or songlike. It is

descriptive, focusing on feelings or images.• Limericks: are have a set humorous poetry form -five line

poem followed by one couplet followed by one triplet. • Haiku: has 17 syllables: a line of 5 syllables, a line of 7

syllables and a line of 5 syllables• Concrete poems: is written or printed on the page in the

shape representing the poem’s subject.• Free Verse: relies on rhythm and cadence, but it is mostly

unrhymed and the rhythm is not consistent. 33

What is multicultural literature?

• Our textbook defines them as people of color, especially within the United States & Canada.

• Other experts include people with disabilities, Italians, Irish, Appalachians, even Swedish Americans.

• Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Islams and Amish all have their own cultures and have sacrificed for their beliefs.

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How can you tell if a multicultural book is well written?

• All the regular ingredients of a well written book.

• Diversity and range of representation.• No stereotyping.• Derogatory language should be avoided.• No distortions or omissions of history.• Perspective of the book has to represent the

character’s experience.• Lifestyles of the character should be genuine &

complex.• Characters should be strong and independent.

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Banned Books

• Assigned vs. available books: there is a BIG difference if a book is assigned to read as opposed to having the book available to read.

• Positive learning can come from negative portrayals: language or behavior cab be taken out of context.

• Books should be judged holistically: Not all books that contain drug use or swear words are either good or bad.

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So what to do if someone DOES complain about a book?

Make sure that you have the following policies in place:• Material Selection Policy: This outlines how a library

or school chooses the books. It often includes the ALA Bill of Rights and other “right to read” statements.

• Grievance Policy: This is a document that can be giving to someone who wants to make a complaint about a book.

• Remember – in CT. all you need is a hometown card to use ANY public library in the state.

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Graphic NovelsA graphic novel is a story conveyed to the reader using

the comics form. It includes fiction and nonfiction. Why are they good for kids?• Assist poor readers.• Connect with visual learners.• Develop strong language arts skills.• Encourage unmotivated and unengaged readers.• Convey educational messages.• Stimulate readers to explore other literature.• Engage adult readers.

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Graphic Novel Genres

• Super-Hero• Fantasy• Horror/Supernatural• Science Fiction• Action/Adventure• Humor• Manga• Other Genres

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