M1 Discussion Part 1

Children and Children's Literature

Children's literature is good quality trade books for children from birth to adolescence
covering topics of relevance and interest to children at those ages, through prose and
poetry, fiction and non-fiction. 

 Content

The content of children's books includes amazingly diverse topics that are of interest to
children. The manner in which content is treated also helps to define children's books.
Childhood stories told in a fourth or right, humorous, or suspenseful manner are
appropriate for young readers; when stories are about childhood told in nostalgic or
overly sentimental terms are inappropriate. 

 Quality 

Quality in writing has to do with originality and importance of ideas, imaginative use of

language, and beauty of literary and artistic style that enables work to remain fresh,
interesting, and meaningful for many years. The best children’s books offer readers
enjoyment as well as memorable characters and situations and valuable insights into the
human condition. These books have permanent value. 
 
 
The Personal Value of Literature for Children

 Enjoyment

The most important personal gain that good books offer to children is the most obvious
one—enjoyment. Positive early experiences often lead to a lifetime of reading
enjoyment.

 Imagination and Inspiration 

Through the vicarious experience of entering a world different from the present one,
children develop their imaginations. In addition, stories about people, both real and
imaginary, can inspire children to overcome obstacles, accept different perspectives, and
formulate personal goals.  

 Knowledge and Insights

Good books offer both information and wisdom. Informational books provide factual
knowledge, whereas realistic fiction, fantasy, and poetry offer insights into life, and
historical fiction and biography offer both. When a story is so convincingly written that
readers feel as though they have lived through an experience or have actually been in
the place and time where the story is set, the book has given them a valuable personal
experience. 

 Understanding and Empathy

Literature helps young people gain an appreciation of the universality of human needs
across history, which makes it possible for them to understand that all humans are, to
some degree, alike. Walking in someone else’s shoes often helps children develop a
sense of social justice and a greater capacity to empathize with others. 

 Heritage and Cultural Identity

Stories that are handed down from one generation to the next connect us to our past, to
the roots of our specific cultures, national heritage, and the general human condition.
Stories are the repositories of culture. Knowing the tales, characters, expressions, and
adages that are part of our cultural heritage is part of being culturally literate. In addition,
stories based on actual events in the past help young people gain a greater appreciation
for what history is and for the people, both ordinary and extraordinary, who made
history. 

 Moral Reasoning

Often, story characters are placed in situations that require them to make moral
decisions. Young readers naturally consider what they themselves would do in such a
situation. 

 Literary and Artistic Preferences

Another valuable result of children’s interaction with literature is that they quickly come
to recognize the literary and artistic styles of many authors and illustrators. Children who
read regularly from a wide variety of children’s books soon develop their own personal
preferences for types of books and select favorite authors and illustrators. Personal
preference and interest as expressed through self-selection of reading materials are
powerful reading motivators.  The more children know about their world, the more they
discover about themselves—who they are, what they value, and what they stand for.
These personal insights alone are sufficient to warrant making good books an essential
part of any child’s home and school experiences. But literature is also valuable for its
academic benefits.
 
The Academic Value of Literature for Children

 Reading

Reading ability, like any other skill, improves with practice. Reading aloud to children by
parents and caregivers and sharing literature with students in the classroom greatly
benefit children’s acquisition of reading skills and their attitudes toward reading. 

 Writing

By listening to and reading excellent literature, children are exposed to rich vocabulary
and excellent writing styles, which serve as good models for their own speaking and
writing voices. The acquisition of a larger vocabulary through reading offers young
writers better word choices for their own stories. Devices found in books such as the use
of dialect, dialogue, and precise description are often assimilated into students’ own
writing. 

 Art Appreciation

Illustration in children’s picture books can be appreciated for its ability to help tell the
story (cognitive value) and for its value as art (aesthetic value). 

M1 Discussion Part 2
 

Children’s Development and Literature

Children’s physical, cognitive, language, and moral development are important
considerations in book selection, as is their developing concept of the story. By
overlaying this general information with the specific interests of any child, you can
recognize and make available literature that the children in your care will read with
interest and enjoyment.  
Ages 0 to 2 
 In choosing books for them, consider the practical aspects of physical development,
such as how well infants can see the illustrations and how long they will sit still for a
book experience. Most often, these books will be collections of nursery rhymes, and
concept books, board books, and interactive books. Common features of these book
types and formats are relative simplicity of content or story; repetitive text or language
patterns; clearly defined, brightly colored illustrations, usually on a plain background;
physical durability; and opportunities for the child to participate or interact with the
book.  
Examples of books for 0-2:
 Dorothy Kunhardt’s interactive book, Pat the Bunny (1962/2001)

 Harriet Ziefert’s (2002) Who Said Moo?

 Look at You! A Baby Body Book by Kathy Henderson (2007), illustrated by Paul
Howard.  
The best baby books, whether wordless or with brief text, invite the reader and listener
to “talk the book through.” In this way, the books promote oral language development,
which is the child’s first step toward literacy. 
Ages 2 to 4
Many of the book types enjoyed by babies are also enjoyed by toddlers, but with slight
differences in emphasis. Nursery rhymes, for example, can be committed to memory by
many toddlers. Concept books can now include letters (ABC books), numbers (counting
books), and more complex concepts such as opposites. Word books, another type of
concept book, promote vocabulary development.  
Picture storybooks featuring simple plots, illustrations that tell part of the story, and
characters who exhibit the physical skills (running, whistling, buttoning clothes, tying
shoes) that 2- to 4-year-olds take pride in accomplishing are appropriate for this group.
Examples:

 Owen by Kevin Henkes (1993)

 Will Sheila Share? by Elivia Savadier (2008)

 wordless books
 folktales

Ages 4 to 7
Increasing independence and enthusiasm for finding out about the world are prominent
characteristics of 4- to 7-year-olds. Stories in which children interact with other children,
spend time away from home, begin school, and learn interesting facts are popular with
this age group. Picture storybooks, folktales, and informational picture books will be at
the heart of the literature experience during these years.
From ages 4 to 7 most children will acquire the fundamentals of reading. Easy-to-read
books or books for beginning readers make use of familiar words, word patterns,
illustration clues, and, in some cases, rhyme to make the text easier to read. Often these
books appear in series. It is important that books selected for beginning readers precisely
match their interests and reading abilities so as not to bore or dishearten them.
Examples:

 Rosemary Wells’s (2008) Yoko Writes Her Name

  Marla Frazee’s A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever (2008)

 Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (2003) What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?

  Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel

 Cynthia Rylant’s Henry and Mudge, and Mr. Putter and Tabby.

Ages 7 to 9
Most 7- to 9-year-old children become readers, begin to understand and accept others’
perspectives, recognize that life and people do not fit into neat “good” and “bad”
categories, and develop an understanding of past and future time. They begin to assert
their growing abilities to meet their own needs. With these skills they can read or listen
to and enjoy books about the lives of other children of the past, present, and future in
picture books for older readers, transitional books, and later on novels.  Fittingly, books
for children aged 7 to 9 often center on the adventures of young characters within their
neighborhoods and communities.
Examples:

 Jessica Kerrin’s (2005) Martin Bridge: Ready for Takeoff!

 Lenore Look’s (2004) Ruby Lu, Brave and True

 Sara Pennypacker’s Clementine series

 Annie Barrows’ Ivy and Bean series

Ages 9 to 14
9- to 14-year-olds are ready for more complicated story plots including such devices as
flashbacks, symbolism, and dialects of earlier times or different cultures. Both historical
fiction and science fiction, which are set in the distant past and the distant future,
respectively, can be understood and enjoyed. Equally interesting to this age group are
stories about their peers who are growing up, asserting themselves, using their
newfound skills, moving toward independence, and experiencing growth through
meeting challenges, as in survival stories. Because their moral development allows them
to recognize the legitimacy of opinions, mores, and lifestyles different from their own,
these young people can enjoy stories that present alternative points of view,
nontraditional characters, and moral dilemmas.
Examples:

 Esperanza Rising (historical fiction, Hispanic culture) by Pam Muñoz Ryan

(2001

 The City of Ember (science fiction) by Jeanne DuPrau (2003)

 Rain School by James Rumford

 
Remember:
Knowing children’s general reading preferences provides some guidance in book
selection, but there is no substitute for knowing the child.  
 
Summary
Children and Adolescent literature refers to the collection of books for children from
birth to adolescents. These books were categorized according to the children's
capabilities and needs. Selecting appropriate books for each group is very necessary as it
affects both their personal and academic values.

MODULE 2
Historical Background of Children's Literature
Beginnings of Publishing for Children
Knowledge of the historical background of children’s literature through the ages helps us
understand the forces affecting the development of children’s literature and their
characteristics at different periods. The development of children’s literature reflects the
spirit and interests of the period.
Before the invention of the fifteenth century of the printing press, which made books
more widely available, children listened to stories told by their elders. The stories were
about the adventures of older people, animals, and imaginary characters. These stories
were passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation before they were
collected for printing.
Early Beginnings: Anglo-Saxon Period
As far as the Anglo-Saxon Period, monks and other learned men wrote “lesson books”
for children. These lesson books were designed for teaching. The first man to write
lesson books for children was Aldhelm (640-709), abbot of Malmesbury and Bishop of
Sherborne. His De Septenario, de Metris, Enigmatibus, ac Pedum Regulus contained the
meaning and use of the number seven in the Bible, riddles, and puzzles in Latin which
children were asked to solve.
The Medieval Period
By the fifteenth century, books on manners and morals began to appear in England by
1430. One of these was William Caxton’s Boke of Curtayse published about 1477.
Another was The Babies Boke which had the subtitle Manner and Meals in the Olden Times.
This book contained rules of behavior for boys who trained to become knights during
the Age of Chivalry.
ABC Books
In the sixteenth century, ABC books or primers appeared. They were so-called because
they were used at the hour of prime as a book of private devotions in the Angelican
Church. Henry VIII had ordered the printing of both Catholic and Protestant primers that
contained the alphabet and Christian principles. Thus, the term primer came to be
applied to all the first books for children in school.
Hornbook
The hornbooks, which were not really books, appeared toward the end of the sixteenth
century. These were the first books designed for children to handle. Capital letters
followed by vowels and their combinations with consonants were printed across the top.
The Lord’s Prayer was printed at the bottom. The paper used for this was covered with a
transparent horn- hence the name “hornbook” – and was held in place by metals like
silver, brass, and copper. The hornbooks were used to teach the alphabet and
combinations of letters and to continue religious instruction. 
Chapbooks 
In the sixteenth century, printing became cheaper. Single sheets of paper printed on one
side only called broadsides were issued. These broadsides contained ballads of Robin
Hood. In 1697, Charles Perrault, a Frenchman, published his collection of tales
entitled Comtes de Ma Mere L’ Oye or Tales of My Mother Goose. Translation of these tales
was published separately as chapbooks in England. These books were called chapbooks
because they were sold by itinerant peddlers called chapmen.
Puritan Period
In England and America, books for children were influenced by Puritan ideas. The books
stressed fear of God, religious instruction, and preparation for death which the children
did not enjoy. Children read books that interested them although the books were for
adults like John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress (1678), Daniel Defoe’s Robin Crusoe (1714),
Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726), Mallory’s Death of King Arthur, Reynard the
Fox, and Aesop’s Fables.
First Picture Book
In 1658, the first illustrated school book appeared. It was known as Orbis Sensualum or
Orbis Pictus (The World in Pictures). It was invented by Johann Amos Comenius, Bishop
of Moravia and an educator who believed in teaching children by letting them see things
with their own eyes. The book was originally written in Latin and German but was later
translated by Charles Hooke in England in 1664.
17th Century Books
Books in the seventeenth century stressed religion and morals due to the rise of
Protestantism. In 1715, Dr. Isaac Watts published Divine and Moral Songs for children, a
companion volume to The New England Primer. Some writers consider Isaac Watts as the
starting point of the history of children’s literature, and “The Cradle Hymn” as the first
children’s poem.
John Newbery
Newberry (1713-1767) was a writer and publisher who first thought of publishing books
solely for children. He was called the “father of children’s literature” for he conceived
the idea of publishing books for the enjoyment and entertainment of children. In 1744,
he produced the book A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, which contained sprightly rhymes, the
occasional tip of the hat to education and morality, and a guest appearance by the
folkloric character Jack the Giant Killer. It’s an interesting but not startlingly original title,
but it reflects the blend of commercial savvy, understanding of parental taste, and
provision of genuine entertainment for children that was to mark Newbery’s publishing
oeuvre. He also published a collection of nursery rhymes and called it Mother Goose
Melody. 
He also published between 20 and 30 non-educational books for children and a further
number of more factual nonfiction titles, which are sometimes quite engaging in their
own right. As previously noted, he published a periodical, The Lilliputian Magazine
(1751–52), also available in a compiled volume. His most significant single publication for
young people was probably The History of Little Goody Two Shoes (1765), the tale of a
young farmer’s daughter early left orphaned along with her brother, her travails in the
face of villainous landowners and privation, and her self-education to the point where
she became able to support herself as a teacher.
An award for the most distinguished children’s book – The Newberry Award – was
named after him in 1922.
18th Century Growth
The discovery and creation of a market and the spread of that discovery beyond Britain
did genuinely result in considerably larger numbers of children’s books and the growth of
what we’d now term the industry, a world wherein people could earn their living as
writers, artists, publishers, and critics of children’s literature. It, therefore, becomes
useful at times to examine not just individual titles but subgenres and themes as they
begin to appear and flourish.
A landmark of the era was Sarah Fielding’s (1749) The Governess, which was perhaps
the first children’s novel; this title is the originator of the still popular subgenre of the
school story. Especially in light of the author’s prominent connections (she was the sister
of Henry Fielding, author of Tom Jones [1749] and one of the pioneers of the genre of
the novel) and her other literary achievements, it’s a little surprising that her work
doesn’t receive more attention in histories of children’s literature. 
The Didactic Period
Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was a French Philosopher who started a new
philosophy in the education of children. His book Emile embodied the philosophy that
children be given the freedom to develop their natural interests and learn from actual
experience. He advocated that children be taught about the real things and the world in
which they live. Another writer of this period was Thomas Day who published his History
of Sanford and Merton, a story about a good little boy and his teacher and both tried to
reform a bad boy. The Peter Parley books were informational books about countries of
the world, about the wonders of science, and about historical figures.
19th Century: Fairytales, Folktales, Fantasy, and Fun
Folktales made a strong return with Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, keen folklorists and
nationalists eager to uncover folk literature. They published their two-volume collection
of tales, Kinder- und Hausmärchen, in Germany in 1812 and 1815 which was translated
into English in 1823 and were called Grimm’s Popular Stories. It not only became popular
in its own right, it paved the way for much later literature, not just folktale retellings, but
the literary fairy tales.
Hans Christian Andersen published his Fairy Tales in 1836. He was regarded as the great
master of the literary fairy tale. Among his tales were “Thumbelina”, “The Emperor’s
New Clothes”, and “The Nightingale.” Meanwhile, Edward Lear’s Book of
Nonsense marked the need for laughter in the normal development of children. 
Lewis Carroll was a mathematics professor at Oxford University who made up stories for
a little girl named Alice Lidell whom Lewis became very fond of. Alice was so delighted
with the stories and she asked Lewis to write them down for her. He called his collection
of stories Alice in Wonderland. It was followed by Through the Looking Glass.
Global Growth: Realistic Literature
This period was marked with the appearance of stories of boys and girls in simple home
stations, stories of adventure, of brave men and women, history and growth of countries,
the wonders of nature and science. The best example of a realistic story was Louisa M.
Alcott’s Little Women (1868), a fictional story drawn largely from Alcott’s own New
England childhood, which was by no means the first example of domestic realism. This is
the story of four little girls, their petty quarrels, their courage, and their affection for one
another. This was followed by Little Men.
Little Women also became popular not only nationally but internationally, becoming
perhaps the first American children’s classic and a key representative of American life to
readers abroad. Similarly, other countries and regions began to produce literature that
reflected their own cultural sensibility, a direction particularly apparent in the British
colonies.
It was England that propelled the picture book into a new and exciting form in the 19th
century. The key creative force behind this development was Edmund Evans, technically
a printer, but performing work that today might be associated with art design and
publishing. His advances in color printing enabled what was then called “toy books” to be
inexpensively yet beautifully produced, and he’s associated with three of the great 19th-
century picture book artists, the elegant Walter Crane, the picturesque Kate Greenaway,
and the boisterous Randolph Caldecott, after whom the American Library Association’s
Caldecott Medal was named.
The American Library Association, founded in 1876, was also the source of children’s
librarianship, a professional category that is probably the single biggest force behind
children’s literature as we know it today: It has provided editors when publishing houses
decided children’s literature was worthy of a separate division, it has provided the critics
who reviewed the books, and it has provided the thousands of librarians who bring
books together with young readers. Its founding marks the beginning of the modern age
of children’s literature, with its thousands of books per year, its awards, and its bestseller
lists.
 
Summary and Conclusion
The literature' theme influences children's development. In the past, most of the content
of the literary texts support the religious beliefs and teachings of the churches. It was
only during the didactic period where children's literature was conceptualized according
to the needs and interests of the target audience.

M3 Discussion: Verbal Elements

Elements of Children and Adolescent’s Literature
 One way to assess the literary merit of fiction books is to analyze and evaluate the
literary elements or various parts of a fiction story.
 
Verbal Elements
1. Characters
Characters are who the story is about, and the action revolves around them. Authors
develop characters primarily from these three sources: 1) from the narrator’s description
of characters’ physical appearance and personality; 2) from other characters- what
others think of the character and what others’ actions are toward them; and 3) from the
characters themselves – what they think, what they say, and what they do.

o Main characters
o Supporting characters 

2. Point of View
A book’s point of view is the perspective from which an author presents a story- a
perspective shaped by who is telling the story and how much this narrator knows. In a
good book, the point of view can usually be determined on the first page or two, and the
author is consistent in using his point of view throughout.
3. Setting
The setting is where and when the story takes place. Every story occurs in some time
period at some geographical location(s). Setting can include topography, climate, and
weather when these are integral to the story.

o Backdrop Setting. The backdrop setting is relatively unimportant to
the story. This is the type of setting often found in traditional
literature that begins with a literal or implied “once upon a time.”

 

o Integral Setting. The integral setting is essential to the story,
meaning that the story could not have taken place anywhere but in
the setting specified by the author. 

 
4. Plot. The plot is the sequence of events showing characters in action. In other words,
it is what happens in a story. 
 
o Cumulative. Cumulative plots are most often found in traditional
literature and pattern books. In cumulative plots, there is the
repetition of phrases, sentences, or events with one aspect added
with each repetition. “The Gingerbread Man” is a good example of a
story with a cumulative plot. Young children love to join in on the
refrain.

 Linear. Linear plots are popular in realistic fiction and fantasy. The plot should
be constructed logically; that is, events should happen logically and not by
coincidence. There are three major parts to a progressive linear plot:
beginning, middle, and end.

 Episodic. Episodic plots are most often used in easy-to-read books or

transitional books, such as Frog and Toad All Year (Lobel 1976). Although the
characters and setting are usually the same throughout, there is no central
problem that permeates the book. Rather, each chapter has a mini-plot
complete with an introduction, problem, events, and resolution.

 Circular. Circular plots have the same components as linear plots, but the
resolution or end of the story shows that the characters are in the same
situation as when the story started. For example, in Once a Mouse (Brown
1961), a hermit’s pet mouse is successively changed from a mouse to a cat to
a dog to a tiger – and then, because of his vanity, back to a mouse. 
Here is the video clip of Once a Mouse. Think about the questions below while watching
the clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXB2eWAsx70&t=5s (Links to an external site.)

Questions to think about: Why is the story considered Circular? Which character

underwent changes only to go back to its original form? Why did it happen to that
character?
 
Elements of Plot

 Flashback. In a flashback, the narrator recounts an earlier event to “give the

reader background information that adds clarity or perspective to the plot but
does not fit into the chronological flow of the plotline” (Browns & Stephens,
1995). 

 Exposition. Exposition refers to passages in which the narrator briefly tells

(rather than recreates in scenes) what has happened before the story opens.

 Foreshadowing. Foreshadowing refers to passages in which a forthcoming

event is hinted at. The author gives these clues to the readers to prepare them
for a coming event in the story.

5. Conflict
Conflict is the interaction of plot and character o the opposition of two forces. Tension is
a necessary result of the conflict. One outcome of a good plot is that children are able to
understand their own problems and conflicts by reading about the conflicts of the
characters.
6. Theme 
The theme of a book is its central idea, the underlying message the author is conveying
to the reader. Other definitions include significant truth, a value-laden statement, or
abroad and powerful idea that has universal application. Sometimes, the theme is explicit
or stated directly by the narrator or a story character. More often, them is implicit.
7. Style and Tone
Style is the manner in which a writer expresses his or her ideas to convey a story. It
permeates every sentence of the work and sets the mood of the story. Style has to do
with the writing as opposed to the content of a book. It is how an author says something
as opposed to what she or he says. 
Tone involves the author's attitude toward the book’s subject, characters, and readers.
An author may change the tone one or more times as the main character or the
supporting characters change. Some examples of tones used in books for children
include serious, humorous, moralistic, hopeful, sympathetic, wondrous, longing, loving,
satirical, and nostalgic.

M3 Discussion 2: Visual Elements

of Artistic Design
Visual Elements of Artistic Design
Good illustrations evoke a variety of emotions from both child and adult viewers. Artists
use certain methods to create the effects that stimulate these emotions, and examining
the elements will help children appreciate the artist’s skill in creating a final effect
(Stewig 1980). The elements of space, line, shape, color, texture, and composition are
central to artistic design.

 Space

Space refers to the areas objects take up (positive space) and the areas that surround
shapes and forms (negative space). Space can be used to create the illusion of distance,
but it can also create emotional effects. For example, an illustration with generous use of
negative space can suggest emptiness, loneliness, and isolation, whereas an illustration
with only positive space can evoke feelings of claustrophobia, confusion, or chaos.

 Line

The line is a horizontal, vertical, angled, or curved mark made by a tool across a surface.
Lines are used to define the shape of objects and to convey the sense of movement and
distance. Lines can be heavy, boldly defining forms and creating shapes, or they can be
thin and delicate. Artists use the element of line to suggest certain emotional responses.
For example, curves and circles are used to suggest warmth. Sharp or zigzag lines are
used to show excitement, rapid movement, and energy. Horizontal lines suggest calm
and stability, and vertical lines are employed to show height and distance.
  Shape

Shape refers to the two dimensions of height and width arranged geometrically. The
shape is created when spaces are contained by a combination of lines. A shape can
appear flat or two-dimensional, or, through the artist’s shading techniques, a shape may
appear fully rounded and three-dimensional. Squarish, angular shapes are used to elicit
an excited response from the viewer; rounded shapes are used to achieve a sense of
warmth, coziness, and security. Large grouped shapes may suggest confinement and
awkwardness, but also stability. Lighter, more delicate shapes may suggest freedom,
movement, and grace.

 Color

Color refers to the variety of hues that are in the different parts of the spectrum. In art,
color is achieved through pigments and light. Colors can be bold and brilliant or subtle
and vaporous. Reds and yellows are warm colors that suggest excitement, warmth, and
happiness. Greens and blues are cool colors and suggest calm, quiet, peaceful, or
melancholy feelings. Lighter shades are associated with cheeriness, whereas darker
shades are associated with gloominess; thus, pastel colors can induce a feeling of
happiness, and darker tones can induce a somber mood. Certain colors have historically
been associated with particular traits in Western culture: Purple signifies royalty, yellow
signifies cowardice, blue signifies depression, and green signifies envy or illness.

 Texture

The texture is the illusion of a tactile surface (e.g., rough, soft, smooth, hard, furry)
created in an illustration by such methods as lines and shading. For example, a thin wash
of watercolor can be used to represent a diaphanous fabric or a vapor of fog. Collage can
be used effectively to obtain textural contrast.

 Composition

Composition is the combination and arrangement of the elements in an illustration. For

example, varying placements of the focal point and the angle from which the scene is
viewed convey different moods. A well-composed illustration shows unity and focus, and
all the elements are in balance. Another important aspect of composition is perspective,
the vantage point from which the viewer is looking at the objects or events depicted.
When the vantage point is close, the viewer is brought into the scene and is mentally
engaged in the action or mood. When the vantage point is far away, the viewer is more
detached. Point of view is an aspect of perspective in art as well as in the literary
elements, and it is an important part of the composition of an illustration.
 
Artistic Styles
Another way to enhance children’s appreciation of book illustration is to look at the
techniques artists use to compose their artwork. 

 Representationalism

Representationalism depicts objects realistically, with recognizable shapes, color, and

proper perspective and proportions. Because representationalism first depicts the world
as we see it in real life, it is the easiest of the art styles to recognize.

 Expressionism
Expressionism toward the abstract, focusing on depicting emotions. It employs color,
line, space, and the other elements in a highly individualistic and subjective manner in
which the artists paint what they feel, rather than simply what they see. It includes
deliberate distortion and exaggeration and is highly subjective. An example of
expressionism is the Madeline (1967) series by Ludwig Bemelmans.

 Impressionism

Impressionism used as an interplay of color and light created with clashes, speckles, or
dots of paint to create a dream-like, romantic effect. the artist's concern is with a
transient appearance – “the way things momentarily look in particular circumstances of
light and shade” (Nodleman, 1996).  The effect is a view from afar.

 Surrealism

Surrealism distorts and plays with images, conveying a fantasy quality. it represents the
artists' intellectual response to a subject. artists who wish to evoke strangeness employ
realism to “depict unrealistic situations in a highly national way that makes the
impossible seem strangely possible” (Nodelman, 1996).  That is, objects can be rendered
quite realistically the day are juxtaposed naturally with contrasting realistic objects to
create a world that is surprising, puzzling, and even shocking. Surrealistic elements often
appear in books of fantasy, such as Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (1981).

 Folk Art

Folk Art is based on designs and images peculiar to a specific culture. There are
innumerable folk-art styles, each attempting to recreate the atmosphere or the pervasive
mood of a specific culture. Folk art is characterized by imaginative use of color, repeated
stylized patterns, lack of perspective, simple childlike forms, and flat patterns.
  Cartoon

Cartoon drawings are reduced to their essentials with simple lines and primary colors.
The simplified figures and exaggerated proportions are particularly effective in achieving
movement and humor. Dr. Seuss’s unique cartoon style with gross exaggerations and
zany creatures created a humorous effect in his many books. 
 

Other Stylistic Elements

 Musical Quality. This refers to the sounds and rhyme, and rhythm created in

the literary piece. Children are captivated by stories with a sing-song quality.
Examples are the Mother Goose Rhymes or Nursery Rhymes.

The earliest collection of Mother Goose verse was published by John Newberry in 1765.
His collection of nursery rhymes was entitled mother Goose Melody or sonnets for the
Cradle. In 1784, Joseph Ritson published his Gammer Gurton’s Garland or the Nursery
Parnassus.
James Orchard Halliwell published nursery Rhymes of England in 1982. Later, he issued
nursery rhymes and nursery tales of England which is the recognized source of the
authentic versions of English traditional rhymes and tales. In 1897, Andrew Lang
published nursery rhymes, a collection of rhymes entitled Oxford Dictionary of Nursery
Rhymes was published by Iona and Peter Opie in 1952.

 
  Action. TPR (Total Physical Response) games such as Simon Says and songs
like Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes are a big hit with children and teachers.

 Humor. Children laugh at the sound or the unusual combination of the words. 

 Story Interest 
 Variety of Subject Matter. Children enjoy the different subject matter of
rhymes.

1.
1. Animals- 
2. alphabets:   
3. Dialogue
4. Counting rhymes
5. Games
6. People
7. Time verses
8. Riddles
9. Tongue twister
10.Weather
11.Accumulative stories
12.Singing rhymes

 
Summary and Conclusion
Children and adolescent literature consist of different elements: Verbal, Visual, and
Stylistic Elements. The verbal elements focus on the content of the literature. It
comprises the character, setting, point of view, conflict, and plot of the literature.
Meanwhile, visual elements are about the illustration. There are lines, shapes, colors, and
object representations.  Stylistic elements, on the other hand, focus on the other details
that are necessary to catch the children's interest in literature. 
 

1. Poetry
Poetry is the concentrated expression of ideas and feelings through precise and
imaginative words carefully selected for their sonorous and rhythmical effects. 
2. Picture Books
A picture book conveys its message through a series of pictures with only a small
amount of text (or none at all). The illustrations are as important as – or more important
than – the text in conveying the message. Books that have no text at all are
called wordless picture books or textless books. The umbrella term picture book is
commonly used to refer to any book that has more illustrations than text.
Picture books of all kinds are easy to recognize because of their size and length. They are
usually larger than storybooks, and their shapes are varied. The number of pages is fairly
uniform. The majority of picture books are thirty-two pages, counting both sides of the
leaves and including all the pages that come before and after the story.
Types of Picture Books
a. Baby Books. Baby books are simply designed, brightly illustrated, durable picture
books that are intended for use with children aged 0 to 2. Safety is ensured by rounded
corners, nontoxic materials, washable pages, and no loose attachments.  An example
is Global Babies by Maya Ajmera.
Board books are constructed of heavy, laminated cardboard and are either bound as a
book with pages or made to fold out in an accordion fashion. Vinyl books and cloth
books are also types of baby books. These books have little or no text. 
b. Interactive Books. Interactive books are picture books that stimulate a child’s verbal
or physical participation as the book is read. The intended audience is usually children
aged 2 to 6, and the books are seen as an extension of their world of play. Examples:
Dorothy Kunhardt’s Pat the Bunny and Mem Fox’s Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little
Toes, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
c. Toy Books. Sometimes called engineered or mechanical books, toy books use paper
that has been engineered (i.e., cut, folded, constructed) to provide pop-up, see-through,
movable, changeable, fold-out, or three-dimensional illustrations. Example: Eric Carle’s
classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, or Laura Seeger’s First the Egg
d. Wordless Books. There is no text, or the text is limited to one or two pages in the
book, so the illustrations must be highly narrative. An outstanding example is Barbara
Lehman’s The Red Book, a fantasy about finding friends in books—literally. Wordless
books are generally intended for prereaders, usually children aged 4 to 6. 
e. Alphabet Books. Most ABC books are intended for the nonreader or beginning reader.
The alphabet or ABC book presents the alphabet letter by letter to acquaint young
children with the shapes, names, and, in some cases, the sounds of the twenty-six letters.
Example: ABC: A Child’s First Alphabet Book by Alison Jay
f. Counting Books. The counting book presents numbers, usually 1 through 10, to
acquaint young children with the numerals and their shapes (1, 2, 3, . . . ), the number
names (one, two, three, . . . ), the sense of what quantity each numeral represents, and
the counting sequence. Example: Teeth, Tails, & Tentacles: An Animal Counting Book by
Christopher Wormell
g. Concept Books. A concept book is a picture book that explores or explains an idea or
concept (e.g., opposites), an object (e.g., a train), or an activity (e.g., working) rather than
telling a story. Many concept books have no plot but use repeated elements in the
illustrations and text to tie the book together. Laura Seeger combines a simple format,
well-known but unexpected objects, and paper cut-outs to create an interesting book
about color in Lemons Are Not Red. .
h. Pattern Books. Picture books that strongly emphasize word patterns are called pattern
books. They are also called decodable books because of their language regularities in
which certain phonological features are repeated, as is the line, “Is this the bus for us,
Gus?” in Suzanne Bloom’s The Bus for Us. 
i. Easy-to-Read Books. Easy-to-read books are created to help the beginning reader read
independently with success. These books have limited text on each page, large print,
double spacing, short sentences, and often occur in series. Language is often, but not
always, controlled, and words are short and familiar. Example: Laura McGee
Kvasnosky’s Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways, and Mo Willems’s Are You Ready to Play
Outside? Easy-to-read books can be used with children whenever they want to learn to
read, but the audience for this type of book is usually 5- to 7-year-olds.
j. Graphic Novels. The last decade has seen the emergence of graphic novels as a book
format related to picture books. These novel-length books feature a text written in
speech bubbles or as captions similar to comic-book illustrations.
A graphic novel appropriate for intermediate- graders is Babymouse: Queen of the
World! by Jennifer L. Holm and illustrated by Matthew Holm.
k. Transitional Books. Transitional books are a special type of book for the child who can
read but has not yet become a fluent reader. They are not Picture Books but lie
somewhere between picture books and full-length novels. Example: Ruby Lu, Brave and
True by Lenore Look, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
3. Traditional Literature
Traditional literature is the body of ancient stories and poems that grew out of the oral
tradition of storytelling before being eventually written down. Having no known or
identifiable authors, these stories and poems are attributed to entire groups of people or
cultures. Although some traditional stories are told as cultural or spiritual truths or may
contain factual elements, most are considered fantasy.
Types of Traditional Literature

 Myths. Myths are stories that recount and explain the origins of the world and
the phenomena of nature. They are sometimes referred to as creation stories. 

 

o Epics. Epics are long stories of human adventure and heroism
recounted in many episodes, sometimes in verse. Epics are
 grounded in mythology, and their characters can be both human
and divine. 
o Legends and Tall Tales

Legends are stories based on either real or supposedly real individuals and their
marvelous deeds. Legendary characters such as King Arthur and Robin Hood and
legendary settings such as Camelot are a tantalizing mix of realism and fantasy. 
Tall tales are highly exaggerated accounts of the exploits of persons, both real and
imagined, so they may be considered a subcategory of legends. Well-known North
American tall-tale heroes are Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and Johnny
Appleseed. Tall tales can be enjoyed by children age 7 and up.

o Folktales. Folktales are stories that grew out of the lives and
imaginations of the people, or folk. Folktales have always been a
favorite for children from age 3 and up.
o Fables. The fable is a simple story that incorporates characters—
typically animals—whose actions teach a moral lesson or universal
truth. Often, the moral is stated at the end of the story. 

Aesop’s fables compose the best-known collection of fables in the Western world, but
other collections include the Panchatantra Tales from Persia; the Jataka Tales from India;
and the collected fables of Jean de la Fontaine from France.

o Religious stories. Stories based on religious writings or taken intact
from religious manuscripts are considered to be religious stories. 

4. Modern Fantasy
Modern fantasy refers to the body of literature in which the events, the settings, or the
characters are outside the realm of possibility. Fantasy is a story that cannot happen in
the real world, and for this reason, this genre has been called “the literature of the
fanciful impossible.”

5. Realistic Fiction

Realistic fiction refers to stories that could indeed happen to people and animals; that is,
it is within the realm of possibility that such events could occur or could have occurred.
The protagonists of these stories are fictitious characters created by the author, but their
actions and reactions are quite like those of real people or real animals. Sometimes,
events in these stories are exaggerated or outlandish—hardly probable but definitely
possible. These stories, too, fit under the definition of realistic fiction.
Factual realism is provided by the description of actual people, places, and events in a
book. Situational realism is provided by a situation that is not only possible but also
quite likely, often in an identifiable location with characters of an identifiable age and
social class, making the whole treatment believable. Emotional realism is provided by
the appearance of believable feelings and relationships among characters. Rite-of-
passage or growing-up stories often employ emotional realism. Social realism is provided
by an honest portrayal of society and its conditions of the moment. In almost all good
realistic stories, several of these components of realism occur, with varying degrees of
emphasis. Contemporary realism is a term used to describe stories that take place in the
present time and portray attitudes and mores of the present culture. Unlike realistic
books of several decades ago that depicted only happy families and were never
controversial, today’s contemporary realism often focuses on current societal issues,
such as alcoholism, racism, poverty, and homelessness. 

6. Non-Fiction

Non-Fiction or Informational Books give factual information about or explain any aspect
of the biological, social, or physical world, including what is known of outer space. 

7. Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is realistic fiction set in a time remote enough from the present to be
considered history.  In the most common form of historical fiction, the main characters
of the story are imaginary, but some secondary characters may be actual historical
figures. An example of this type of historical fiction is the classic novel Johnny
Tremain by Esther Forbes. In another form of historical fiction, the social traditions,
customs, morals, and values of the relevant period are described, but with no mention of
an actual historical event nor actual historical figures as characters. The physical location
is also accurately reconstructed for the readers. An example of this story type is The
Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. 

8. Multi-cultural and International Literature

Teachers in all parts of the country are increasingly likely to have students from diverse
ethnic, racial, national, and language groups in their classrooms, whether in urban,
suburban, or rural areas. This diversity is reflected in the global nature of our lives.
Children will live and work in a world that is vastly different from the one in which we
grew up. Rapid economic, technological, and social changes are connecting us across the
globe. Knowledge of the world and of diverse cultures is no longer a luxury, but a
necessity. Children need understandings of both the diverse cultural groups within their
own country and of global cultures that cross outside of their borders. 
Multicultural literature is defined in various ways by educators and scholars. This
definition includes all racial, ethnic, religious, and language minorities, those living with
physical or mental disabilities, gays and lesbians, and the poor.
International literature. In this module, International literature refers to books originally
written and published in different countries. These books can be subdivided into three
categories:

 English Language Books. Books originally written in English in another country

and then published or distributed in the United States. Examples include How
to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham (Australia) and the Harry Potter series
(U.K.).
 Translated Books. Books are written in a language other than English in
another country then translated into English and published in the United
States. Examples include The Friends by Kazumi Yumoto (Japan) and The Zoo
by Suzy Lee (Korea).
 Foreign Language Books. Books written and published in a language other
than English in another country, then published or distributed in the United
States in that language. One example is Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-
Exupéry (France).

 
Summary and Conclusion
Children and Adolescent literature have different categories: poetry, picture books,
traditional literature, modern fantasy, realistic fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction, and
multi-cultural literature. These categories allow the student-teacher to easily select an
appropriate material for the learners according to their needs and the goal of the subject.