TOPIC 1 :

A.

INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE : WHAT IS CHILDRENS

LITERATURE?

INTRODUCTION

Do you still remember when you were in kindergarten your teacher read to you stories
like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood , Snow White and perhaps other stories that kept
you wanting to hear more? I can still remember those stories as though they were read to
me just yesterday. I also remember flipping the pages of the story books that contained
nursery rhymes, fairy tales and animal stories as they were my first beginning to reading
books. It was later in my primary school days that I realized how literature touched my
own life and expanded my view of reading.
I remember my teacher Mrs.Tan who would always after our tea break, pick up a story
book and read to us. Her clear voice filled with a variety of tones kept us glued to the
story and her face. There were times when Mrs.Tan used pictures to tell her story and
sometimes she also used puppets. But whatever techniques she used, we always waited
for her story telling time. Sometimes Mrs.Tan would ask us questions about the story and
she would laugh at our funny responses but I later learnt that it was her way of getting us
to respond using the English Language.
Thus, as you now think back of the reason why you have decided to become a teacher,
you should try to link the reason to helping children learn to read and respond. As
children try to recollect their thoughts of reading, it is often the memory of their teachers
reading aloud to them that they would remember. Literatures richness can be felt through
the narratives, rhymes and poems. Teachers should embrace childrens literature with
both heart and mind. They should make it the instrument in their teaching and share it
with their children in the classroom. Teachers need to realize that the story books have
the potential to touch childrens lives and help motivate children to read.
The following topics will look into: what is childrens literature and why teach with
childrens literature in primary schools?

B.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this topic, students will be able to:

1.

understand what is included in childrens literature.

2.

identify the different genres in childrens literature.

3.

understand the reasons for using childrens literature in the classroom.

C.

TOPIC CONTENT

1.

What is Childrens Literature?

Childrens literature can be defined as literature that appeals to the interests, needs, and
reading preferences of children and captivates children as its major audience. Childrens
literature may be fictional, poetic, or factual, or a combination of any of these. The
format that houses childrens literature may be a picture book in which story blends with
compelling illustrations or photographs for a visual and verbal adventure through a story
or factual content (Hancock, 2000, p.5). Mitchell (2003) sees Childrens literature as
marked by appealing content and clear writing. The characters are often children, people
familiar to children, or animals. She also says that the settings are places well known to
children or places children would love to go. The themes speak to children and their
concerns.

2.

Different Genres in Childrens Literature

Biography

Picture Books

Nursery
Rhymes

Poetry

Realistic
fiction

CHILDRENS
LITERATURE
Historical
fiction

Informational
Books

Fables

Myths

Fairy tales

1.

Picture books ABC, counting and concept books; wordless books: books for the
earliest reader; and chapter books.

2.

Poetry books for children on family, friendship and feelings to historical events.

3.

Traditional literature includes folk tales, fairy tales, myths and fables. It
contains a lot of cultural information.

4.

Realistic fiction and historical fiction contains themes which relate to children.

5.

Modern fantasy and science fiction are becoming popular with children, for
example, Harry Potter series.

6.

Nonfiction and informational books using computers and beautiful photographs

in books.

7.

Biography to be read only for reports and offers much variety in the way stories
are written.

3.

Characteristics of Childrens Books

Below are the characteristics of childrens books :

i.

the stories have young characters

ii.

not too many pages

iii.

frequent use of dialogues

iv.

minimal description

v.

wide appeal to children

There are lots of books that fall under the category of Childrens literature and they come
into a variety of shapes, sizes, formats, and genres. There are the classics, which are
books that are favorites of children from generation to generation. They are memorable
and the characters live on in the minds of the readers.

4.

Why teach Childrens Literature?

When we refer to books published for children, we cannot help but enjoy reading these
books base on the story line as well as their illustrations. Thus teachers should consider
using childrens literature as effective instructional resources in their classroom. The
following are the benefits for using childrens literature as listed by Hancock (2003):
i.
Literature fosters home literacy Researches have shown that children who are
read to at home develop positive associations with books. Parents attitude toward reading
is an important influence to develop their childrens attitude toward reading. When a
parent reads to a child, a pleasant bond is developed between them and this provides
memories of warm and loving experiences.
ii.
Literature enhances language development Literature can also have positive
influences in early school environment. The language of literature assists in increasing
the childs linguistic data pool when they listen to stories being read to them. Listening
to stories also motivates the children to want to learn to read. As the child matures, the
quality and quantity of oral and written vocabulary increases.
iii.
Literature aids comprehension When children listens to or read stories, they
connect their own lives to these stories and thus they try to make sense of the world. The
child will learn that a story has a beginning, a problem, a resolution and an end. This will
provide a visual framework of how a story works. Researches have shown that

informational text provide also sets up early expository schema and that reading aloud
provides a childs early sense of understanding of how a text works.
iv.
Literature provides a writing model The sense of story developed during early
reading provides the framework for the structure of a story.
v.
Literature inspires inquiry within and across disciplines Teachers can relate a
piece of childrens literature and pose questions to the children so that they will learn to
enquire in order to answer the questions. It is also hoped that they will be motivated to
ask more questions and relate it to other subjects.
vi.
Literature creates readers Children need time to look at books, to listen to books
being read to them, to respond to books and to reflect on what was read to them. Teachers
therefore play an important role in creating a literature- rich environment that supports
literacy.
4.

Summary

Thus, teachers can create a lot of excitement and enjoyment in the classroom if teachers
are able to use the correct strategies needed for the children to comprehend the text.
Using the childrens books can also motivate the children to want to read. Cullinan
(1993) states that we can fill childrens baskets of memory with beautiful language and
life experiences with books we share with them. The memories will last a lifetime (p.
430).

ACTIVITY 1
1.
Can you remember a story that your teacher read to you or perhaps that you
have read during your primary school days? Tell your partner about the story and
why you can still remember it until today.