Childrens Literature

As a complex term to apply, children's literature is a body of texts that seem by its name
without the thing in common rather than the audience age. Children's reading is not
impounded on the intention of them and the term 'child' in itself is defined with no
complication (Landers, 2001). Collectively, children's books have formed a body of literature
that quite varied and broad. We should look the total in them since there are some different
features that apply by moat of all children book. The literature here is a subject of interest to
learn from many of experts: the children's texts articles can be seen from anything for
instance, the education reviews to the theologically discursive journals, however; we do not
always look at Children's literature in similar way with other literatures (May, 1995). As we
consider its readership as the form that needs for protection. As a result, most of the questions
asked in common about children texts seem to concern on the content suitability and the
ideological stance. Invariably, children's literature is the adults experiences communication
to an inexperienced child. The relationship here is that the children's books will form up a
powerful and crucial literature (Bassnett, 1988). Despite of this, the significance in children's
literature is in the similar way with the importance in any other literature that being
accounted for huge and crucial contribution to total of English literature. The value of which
shall not be underestimated and neglected.
There are wide range of genres of childrens literature such as fantasy (folk tales, fables,
myths, and legends), fiction (science fiction, and historical fiction), informational books,
picture books, biography, and poetry (Erwin, 1983). In language development, childrens
literature has been applied as well as for the creative of literacy and thinking skills. It also
works as the tool for character development for behavior and attitudes shaping.
Understanding every aspect in childrens literature for parents is quite critical as well as, for
the educators and librarians that assume the key role to choose the reading material to
influence on the children behavior, reading habits, and attitudes (Landers, 2001). The brief
description of each genre of childrens literature can be presented in table below.

Table: Genres of Children Literature

Source: Erwin (1983)

Too often, the term children's literature is referred to as a 'genre', this is possibly because it is
treated as a genre for the ease of terminology, however it should not to. Children's literature is
a study to group the necessary for the publishers that target toward young readers; this term
aims on the books that belong to particular library or bookshop area (Landers, 2001). This
term is used by teachers and parents in pointing out the books for the certain age students
with levels of reading ability. Children's literature can be considered as a literary grouping
rather than 'a genre' and this is crucial since in reference to genre, it can be assumed as all the
same subject matter children (Bassnett, 1988). Many genres have comprised in the grouping
as the 'adult literature' would and being used.
Children's literature should not be criticized as the isolation from other literature and its
accounting as intertextuality despite the hardly comparison (Kendall, 2011). Criticizing on
childrens literature can precisely become a problem since it is for children and we can see
more emotional involvement on the childhood literature, which leads to the intellectual

distance. Hunt (1990) proposes that the unwillingness to criticize is thoughtful because of a
fear that, 'the spell will be broken...' (Hunt, 1990, p. 2). It is hardly to criticize on the literary
capacity since, it is differently seen from the other literature perspective with almost sacred or
mystical idealism and faultlessness (May, 1995).

References
Bassnett, S. (1988). Translation Studies. London: Routledge.
Erwin, C. (1983). Approaches to Children's Literature: A Multi-Purpose Collection,
Reference Services Review, Vol. 11. No. 2, pp.67 71.
Hunt, P. (1990). Children's Literature: The Development of Criticism. London: Routledge.
Kendall, S.L. (2011). Children's Literature Comprehensive Database, Reference Reviews, Vol.
25. No. 2, pp.34 34.
Landers, C.E. (2001). Literary Translation: A Practical Guide. Multilingual Matters,
Australia.
May, J.P. (1995). Children's Literature and Critical Theory. New York: Oxford University
Press.
Smith, J.S. (1967). A Critical Approach to Children's Literature. London: McGraw Hill.