Chapter One

Do award winning books neglect girls?

A study of Caldecott Medal winners undertaken by J. B. Hurst in 1981 found that "children's picture books present a biased, sexist view of women" ("Images in Children's Picture Books" in Social Education, 45, pp138 - 143) Hurst and other researchers have suggested that girls and women are portrayed as weak and submissive or are not central characters in books that win most of the awards. Plan a systematic survey of award winning books over a ten to twenty year period. Analyze the main characters—both male and female--and detail their character traits. What characteristics do you consider important to look for in the illustrations? In the written text? Determine if the representation of gender in award winning books has changed since 1981 and tell how you think so.

Chapter Two

Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants," R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps," and K.A. Applegate's "Animorphs" and "Remnants" series are highly popular with many children. What is the role of books like these in developing and deepening children's response to literature?

According to a report by Publisher's Weekly^[1] books such as Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants," Barbara Park's "Junie B. Jones" and the "Two of a Kind Series" by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen series are among the best selling books for children. If you look at the best books of the year chosen by the American Library Association, (see http://www.ala.org/alsc/nbook03.html) or those chosen by book review journals such as School Library Journal, The Horn Book, or Booklist you will not find any of these titles. What is the role of books like these in developing and deepening children's response to literature? Would you include them in your classroom library? Read them aloud? Include them as selections in book groups? Explain your decisions.

^[1] (Diane Roback "Big Names Top the Charts," March 24, 2003.)

Chapter Three

Should classic be updated to reflect modern morays? Is there a good reason to read stories published so many years ago?

Many beginning readers programs are organized around leveled books. That is, they organize books in a progression from simple to more complex and challenging and then assign children to read books that are labeled at their level.

There are many ways to determine the level of difficulty for a particular book. Some programs use readability formulas to determine grade level. For example, the Frye formula involves counting the number of syllables and sentences per hundred words at the beginning, middle, and end of a book, then dividing the average number of syllables by the average number of number of sentences. The number is plotted on a graph that provides the approximate grade level of the text. Other systems, for example that discussed by Irene Fountas and Gaye Su Pinnell,^[2] organize texts by level of difficulty according to characteristics such as the number of high-frequency words, natural language and familiar content. What are some reasons that you might choose to use either of these methods? What are some of the cautions you might raise with each approach.

In an article from The Reading Teacher Edna Brabham and Susan Kidd Vilaume suggest there is "good news and bad news" regarding the use of leveled texts.^[3] Give your own points in favor of using leveled books with young readers. Then list reasons against this approach.

^[2] Irene Fountas and Gaye Su Pinnnell. Matching Books to Readers: Using leveled Texts in Guided reading. Portsmouth NH Heinemann, 1999.
^[3] Edna Greene Brabham and Susan Kidd Vilaume. Leveled Text: The Good News and the Bad News. The Reading Teacher V 55,#6 February 2002. 438-441.

Chapter Four

Many early reading programs assign children to books by reading level. What are the pros and cons of such programs?

Many beginning readers programs are organized around leveled books. That is, they organize books in a progression from simple to more complex and challenging and then assign children to read books that are labeled at their level.

There are many ways to determine the level of difficulty for a particular book. Some programs use readability formulas to determine grade level. For example, the Frye formula involves counting the number of syllables and sentences per hundred words at the beginning, middle, and end of a book, then dividing the average number of syllables by the average number of number of sentences. The number is plotted on a graph that provides the approximate grade level of the text. Other systems, for example that discussed by Irene Fountas and Gaye Su Pinnell,[4] organize texts by level of difficulty according to characteristics such as the number of high-frequency words, natural language and familiar content. What are some reasons that you might choose to use either of these methods? What are some of the cautions you might raise with each approach.

In an article from The Reading Teacher Edna Brabham and Susan Kidd Vilaume suggest there is "good news and bad news" regarding the use of leveled texts.[5] Give your own points in favor of using leveled books with young readers. Then list reasons against this approach.

^[4] Irene Fountas and Gaye Su Pinnnell. Matching Books to Readers: Using leveled Texts in Guided reading. Portsmouth NH Heinemann, 1999.
^[5] Edna Greene Brabham and Susan Kidd Vilaume. Leveled Text: The Good News and the Bad News. The Reading Teacher V 55,#6 February 2002. 438-441.

Chapter Five

Are picture books about such topics as war and homelessness appropriate for children? What role do illustrations play in mediating difficult topics for children?

Today many illustrators of picture books tackle subjects such as death, dying, war, and homelessness. Are these subjects appropriate for younger children? Maurice Sendak's Down in the Dumps with Jack and Guy depicts homelessness and includes images form the holocaust. Eleanor Coerr's Sadako illustrated by Ed Young tells the story of a Japanese girl who contracts leukemia and dies following the bombing of Hiroshima. Maira Kalman's Fireboat is a story that depicts the destruction of the World Trade Center. (Also see Sami in the Time of the Troubles by Florence Parry Heide illustrated by Ted Rand, Hiroshima No Pika, by Toshi Maruki, Rose Blanche by Roberto Innocenti.) Is there a place for such books in your classroom? Why or why not? If you decide such books are important, with what ages would you share such books? How would you introduce these titles to your students? Look at least one of the titles mentioned above. Note the illustrator's choices of the elements of art such as line, shape, color, and value or the content and point of view of the illustrations. What role can and do the illustrations play in mediating the difficult topic the book presents to children?

Chapter Six

Is there too much violence in traditional literature?

In one version of the Grimm Brother's Cinderella the stepsisters cut off pieces of their feet in order to make the shoe fit. The Prince realizes that he has been tricked when he sees their blood dripping on the ground. Many modern retellings of folktales have deleted such depictions of violence and other details that are not considered appropriate for children. Visit your library and read other folktales, especially those translated from the Brothers Grimm. Compare them to Disney's retellings of folktales such as Cinderella and Snow White. Are there other topics or details that you feel might not be suitable for children? In an article from Children's Literature in Education, Ann Trousdale argued adults should not remove the violence from folktales.^[6] Give reasons for and against her conclusion. Are there other details in traditional literature be "cleaned up" for children? Address a rationale to parents explaining your choices of the traditional literature you plan to use in your classroom.

^[6] Ann Trousdale. Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Children's Literature in Education. V20 #2 June 1989. pp 69-79.

Chapter Seven

Does fantasy and fantasizing harm children?

According to the American Library Association, fantasies such as J. K. Rowlings's Harry Potter, Madeliene L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time and Lois Lowry's The Giver have been the object of many censorship attempts. (See their web site at http://www.ala.org/bbooks/) Why do you think this is so? Visit the website for Banned Books, and make a list of those aspects of the books that are objected to. Can you add any from your own experience? Is fantasizing harmful to children? Why or why not? If you want to include titles of fantasy and science fiction in your classroom how will you address parental concerns? Write a short letter to parents explaining some reasons for including fantasy and science fiction in classroom and home libraries. Then choose a work of fantasy and list ten reasons for asking children to read and study that book.

Chapter Eight

How do you feel about poetry? Have your own experiences been positive or negative? Do you read poetry for your own pleasure?

Poet Janet Wong suggests that many adults dislike poetry because of their experiences with poetry during their school years. How do you feel about poetry? List some of your own experiences with poetry both positive or negative. Do you read poetry for your own pleasure now? At what age should teachers encourage children to learn the formal elements and forms of poetry? When should children be asked to write poetry? What would you like to tell to your former teachers about how to teach poetry? Compile a list of how to turn adults on to poetry and extend this from or to your classroom.

Chapter Nine

How real should a children's book be? Are children harmed or helped by reading about tragedy or violence? What would you do if you had parents who objected to books that deal with difficult issues?

Many of the highly regarded works of realism for children published in the last few years have dealt with difficult issues such as abuse, death, neglect, poverty and human rights violations. In her Arbuthnot Lecture speech author Sheila Egoff argued a garden wall, a wall that had always kept children in a protected place, safe from the ugliness and despair of the adult world, could symbolize classic children's literature. She argues, "The wall represents seclusion, protection, confinement; the garden- order, serenity, aesthetic delight- no weeds, no inturions from the wild and the naturalistic. . . .In short, books gave children what society hoped for from its children rather than of what those chidreen-many of them at least-really were." (p 14) ^[7] After the Vietnam War and the sixties social revolution, books for children broke down that wall. As a result, Egoff states, "Children were no longer deemed to be innocent. . . . Children might still be seen as the hope of the world but this did not exempt them from an early exposure to society's harsh problems." (p.15) ^[8] How real should a children's book be? Are children harmed or helped by reading about tragedy or violence? What would you do if you had parents who objected to books that deal with difficult issues? Choose a book about a topic that would never have been dealt with before the 1960's and write a rationale supporting its use in your classroom.

^[7] Sheila Egoff, Beyond the Garden Wall some Observations on Current Trends in Children's Literature. The May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture, reprinted in The Top of the News. Spring 1979. 12-19.
^[8] ibid. p 15

Chapter Ten

Should authors of historical fiction include a note about their research and a list of sources? How faithful should an author be to the attitudes and language of the times? Do authors need to provide a balanced point of view when writing about conflict? How will you deal with these issues in your classroom?

Writers of historical fiction must deal with times in which modern values and understandings are absent. How "true" to the period should historical fiction be in dealing with cultural morays and gender issues? How faithful should an author be to the attitudes and language of the times? Should publishers of historical fiction include a note about the author's research and a list of sources? Books such as Christopher and James Collier's War Comes to Willie Freeman, Pam Conrad's Prairie Songs, William Armstrong's Sounder, are among those that have been the object of criticism for their use of language and portrayal of minority groups. Do authors need to provide a balanced point of view when writing fiction based in historical issues and events? What can teachers do if historical details conflict with modern beliefs? How will you deal with these issues in your classroom?

Chapter Eleven

How real should nonfiction be?

How closely should non-fiction authors adhere to the truth? Can they make up things in order to convey facts? How far should authors of nonfiction go in entertaining children as they seek to inform them? Located on nonfiction lists you can find:

1. A book about a meteor told in the first person by the rock. (Call Me Ahnighito by Pam Conrad)
2. A book based on the words of an advertising writer that purports to be a speech by a famous Native American. (Brother Eagle Sister Sky by Susan Jeffers)
3. A book about penguins in Antarctica that describes them as having friends and panicking at the approach of helicopters. (Helen Coucher's Antarctica)
4. A book about architecture that tells children that buildings that tells children they can
5. talk to buildings. (Forest Wilson's What it Feels Like to Be a Building.)

At the same time there are works of fiction such as the "Dear America" series from Scholastic that seem to try hard to look like nonfiction materials. Are authors and publishers obligated to help children become critical readers or to produce best selling books? What do you have to say about these ideas?

Chapter Twelve

How should authors choose subjects for biographies for children?

Biographer Elizabeth Partridge has argued longer biographies for older children and young adults. Children can find biographies about people such as Adolf Hitler, Benedict Arnold, Fidel Castro, Ho Chi Minh, and Lenin. What are the limitations of books about figures such as these that are written for children. Do the limitations of vocabulary and page length found in juvenile literature allow adequate treatment of controversial subjects? Even picture book biographies deal with figures that are less than perfect and humanly flawed. What information do authors owe their child audiences? How would you go about choosing a biographical subject if you were to plan a book for children?

Chapter Thirteen

What are the teacher's or librarian's responsibilities to teaching good literature and addressing children's needs and interests versus responsibility to the community in which they live?

Visit the web sites of the National Council of Teachers of English www.ncte.org/censorship and the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif. Read their positions on a student's right to read. Then consider issues of censorship that might arise in your own community. What topics or books might parents or other community members find objectionable? How will you balance the needs and rights of all your students with morays of the community? What rights and responsibilities do you have as a teacher or librarian? What procedures does your school district have in place in case someone objects to a book you want to teach or include in your library? What proactive measures might you take to engage the community in discourse about books and children's needs and rights?