€ INTRODUCTION

In this topic, we will examine the issue of books and children. Different
book genres are explained. Children book genres cover both traditional
and modern genres. Books portraying concepts as well as information
will be discussed too. The topic also deals with how to choose books for
children. The different types of books are presented. A discussion
regarding evaluating a bookÊs content is also available. Finally, the
topic discusses reading activities for children.

CHILDREN BOOK GENRE

5.1
ChildrenÊs literature can be categorised into traditional literature and
modern literature. Let us look at Table 5.1 to study the difference
between traditional literature and modern literature.
 TOPIC 5 BOOKS AND CHILDREN E 55

Table 5.1: The Differences between Traditional and Modern

Literature

Traditional Literature Modern Literature

Also known as „folklore‰ or folk Rooted in traditional literature.
literature.
Made up of customs, beliefs, Includes modern fantasy stories
manners and superstitions of a by Hans Christian Andersen,
certain group. Thus, children are science fiction and
able to view and understand „fractured‰ fairytales.
their forefathersÊ culture. „Fractured‰ fairytales are
traditional stories retold by
authors with a new twist.
Often passed down orally or in Has and identifiable author.
the written form from one
generation to the other.
Sometimes the tales may differ in
versions.
Has no actual author. It is retold
by different people and thus
variations may appear.

We will discuss several subgenres of traditional literature in the

following subtopic.

ACTIVITY 5.1

5.1.1 Traditional Literature

There are many types or genres of traditional literature. Let us

look at the following list:

(a) Trickster Tales

This is the first one that you should know and use as a reading
 teacher. These are stories where the character, which is usually an
animal, gets others into trouble. A few examples are Peter Rabbit,
Roadrunner and The Big Bad Wolf.

(b) Animal Stories

Animal stories deal with a form of personification known as
anthropomorphism where human characteristics are given to non-
humans, especially animals or mythological gods. Examples of
animal stories containing anthropomorphism are The Lion and the
Mouse, Chicken Little and The Three Bears.

(a) Pourquoi Tales

In this type of stories, the reason for something happening is explained. One example
of this type of story is Why Mosquitoes Buzz in PeopleÊs Ears.

(b) Cumulative Tales

These are tales that made up of repeated and additional lines such as The Little Red
Hen.

(c) Fairy Tales

They are usually magical in nature, such as Peter Pan.

(d) Tall Tales

These are a type of story where a lot of exaggeration is involved, such as
Paul Banyan.

(e) Numbskull or Droll Tales

These are tales that depict idiots or fools like The Three Stooges.

(f) Folk Tales

They are culturally rooted tales such as The Little Mermaid (belonging to Scandinavian
culture) and Rob Roy (belonging to Scottish Cculture).
You can read up further at:
www.frankserafini.com/Units/TradLitUnit.htm

5.1.2 Why We Use Traditional Literature with Children?

Several reasons why we use traditional literature with children include:

(a) It is an excellent tool to inculcate interest in reading among young

children as it provides entertainment and contains the rich heritage
of a story;
(b) It tells stories of the human experience that could ignite the
imagination of children;
(c) It serves as building blocks for contemporary literature/framework
for literature;
(d) It provides a window on diverse cultures and also promotes the
strong oral tradition of storytelling; and
(e) It provides moral models for children as the struggle between good
and evil is applied to incidents in their own lives.

SELF-CHECK 5.1

5.2 CHOOSING CHILDREN’S BOOKS

When selecting books for children, you should note several points. Firstly, the
story should be appropriate to the developmental age of the children. The
story itself must be interesting. As far as possible, make sure that the book
narrates the original storyline. If the books have illustrations, ensure that they
are of good quality and provide assistance in interpreting the plot, characters
and theme of the story.

In the following sections, we will discuss a few aspects in selecting childrenÊs

books such as the types of appropriate books, ways to evaluate the
contents of a book and also a few reading activities that could be carried
out.

5.2.1 Types of Books

There are several common types of books for children that include:

(a) Picture Books

The stories in a picture book concentrate more on the illustrations than the
text. The text of the story compliments the artwork rather than the pictures
adding to the story.

(b) Rhythmic Books

These books usually rhyme or have a musical component. Popular
examples of these books are Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the
Hat by Dr Seuss. This genre also includes nursery rhymes and lullabies.

(c) Folklore
Tales such as these have been passed down through the generations and
oral traditions for centuries. Tomie de Paola, an author-illustrator,
frequently uses folktales to create stories for children. Myths are often
paired with folklore, and these stories specifically attempt to explain
different aspects of life. The goal of these stories is to pass down
knowledge to younger generations.
(d) Fairytales
Princes fighting for princesses dominate this genre. These stories have a magical
component and are a more detailed way of explaining the world.

(e) Fantasy
Fantasy stories are predominantly magical in nature but also comment greatly through
this lens on contemporary life. Often an intense struggle of good versus evil occurs.

(f) First Books

Nowadays children are introduced to stories even before they are born. Public libraries
run programmes where caregivers bring their infants to the library and are taught how
to read to them. Books made out of board, cloth and plastic all make up this category
and their stories introduce babies to the basic outline of our world.

(g) Concept Books

Concepts ranging from getting dressed to sharing are covered in these stories. Books
explaining about seasons and weather are also concept books.

(h) Issue Books

A new trend in childrenÊs books is the introduction of controversial issues facing society
today. Examples of topics include divorce, abuse, sexuality and war. However, there is
a debate surrounding whether or not children should be exposed to these at a young
age.

5.2.2 Evaluating the Contents of a Book

As a reading teacher, it is important for you to have knowledge on how

to evaluate books. Let us look at some of the common guidelines on
how to evaluate the contents of a childrenÊs book:

(a) Ask yourself whether the book has an interesting storyline;

(b) Gauge whether the story is suited for the intended age;

(c) Consider how well the book is written;

(d) Check whether the title and format of the book portrays the story;

(e) Consider whether the theme is relevant to your readers. Also,

consider if the plot is well structured, believable and original;

(f) Consider the characters in the story too. Selecting stories that
depict the charactersÊ growth and changes due to their
experience in the story is helpful in building young learnersÊ
character;

(g) Also consider the language appropriateness, illustrations,

suitability in terms of culture, sexual and racial issues; and
 (h) Make sure that the book delivers factually correct information
if you are chosing books for factual purposes.

(i) Consider the characters in the story too. Selecting stories that
depict the charactersÊ growth and changes due to their
experience in the story is helpful in building young learnersÊ
character;

(j) Also consider the language appropriateness, illustrations,

suitability in terms of culture, sexual and racial issues; and

(k) Make sure that the book delivers factually correct information
if you are chosing books for factual purposes.

5.2.1 Reading Activities

To build a strong reading foundation, reading activities play an important role. These
activities can be carried out at different stages of reading – before (pre- reading), while
or after (post-reading) children are done with the reading. For example, in the pre-
reading stage, children could be helped to build their phonics and comprehension
awareness through specific reading activities. These activities may be tailored to suit
individuals or groups as well as to suit different learner styles.

Comprehension ability may be developed by having reading activities and discussion

sessions in the classroom. After completing a reading task, you may ask students to
answer questions related to the reading materials as a post- reading activity. Sometimes,
you may even ask questions as the children are reading (while-reading activity). Children
could be asked to predict the outcome of the story or predict what will take place next.
Retelling the story is another excellent way to check for comprehension. Getting children
to make comparisons and contrasts of characters in a story is also fruitful to aid
comprehension.

Reading activities may be enhanced with the support of graphic organisers. Since there
are different types of learners, the visually-oriented learners enjoy the help of visual aids.

Reading could be supported through the use of audio-visual aids. Among the audio-
visual aids that can be used are stories which are filmed, listening to a story from an audio
CD or using the computer multimedia facility. Sometimes, it would be good to get
children tell a story or read a full story or parts of a story and audio tape them. This type
of activity builds fluencey in them.

Some reading activities are catered for the whole class while others are for individual
students. For teaching individual students who may need extra help on certain specific
skills, a teacher should work with them individually. For example, if a child needs extra
help on phonics, you can coach him/her individually while others are reading silently.
There are many other activities that could be carried out to teach
reading. Some of the activities include:

(a) Predicting Outcome

Children may be taught to predict the outcome of a story. After
making the oral prediction, they can be asked to read what really
happpened and make a comparison. This activity is very
motivating.
(b) Reading Aloud
Reading aloud to children builds their imagination. Children get new
knowledge. Their language acquisition is widened and vocabulary
increases. This activity creates interest and promotes reading.
(c) Reading Buddies
Creating reading buddies is an excellent way to promote reading.
Children may be paired with older ones who can check on their
reading. This activity can enhance both reading and listening skills.
(d) Reading Carnival
Having a reading carnival at school is surely a good idea to
promote reading. Children can be given a chance to showcase
their reading ability which they have acquired to their parents and
teachers.
(e) Reading Workshop
A reading workshop is also worth holding. Through this workshop,
children are able to share books with friends and talk about the
books with their friends in small groups.

ACTIVITY 5.2

SELF-CHECK 5.2
 ChildrenÊs literature can be categorised into traditional literature and modern literature.

 Traditional literature is also known as folklore or folk literature.

 Traditional literature includes the customs, beliefs, manners and superstitions of a certain
group.

 Traditional literature is often passed down orally or in the written form from one generation
to another. Through traditional literature, children are able to view and understand the
culture of their fore-fathers.

 Traditional literature is an excellent tool to inculcate interest in reading among young

children.

 It provides entertainment and contains the rich heritage of a story.

 Traditional literature tells stories of the human experience. It ignites the imagination of
children.

 Traditional literature serves as building blocks for contemporary literature/ framework for
literature.

 The difference between modern literature and traditional literature is that the former has
an identifiable author where else the latter has no identifiable original author.

 When selecting books for children, make sure the story is appropriate to the
developmental age of the children. The story itself must be interesting. As far as possible,
make sure that the book narrates the original story line. If the books have illustrations,
ensure that they are of good quality and provide assistance in interpretting the plot,
characters and theme of the story.

 Reading activities play an important role in building a strong foundation in reading.

Fables Post-reading

Fairytales activities Pre-reading

Fantasy activities Traditional

Folklore literature While-

Modern reading activities

literature