Types of Children's Literature

Children's literature has been around for ages. This type of literature is usually chosen by the parents, but some kids choose their own books to read. Most of them contain illustrations and are pretty straight forward. In the past years, children literature had become famous amongst book readers and today there are many types of children's literature ranging from picture books to bestsellers that have also come to be loved by adults. They can be classified into different categories.

Traditional literature: Characterized by unknown authorship, vague settings and contain known patterns of introductions and conclusions. Most of them have representative characters involved in action with cause and effect and most of them end happily for the hero. The stories are usually brief and simple with repetitive actions, verbal patterns, and magic is a common phenomenon. Examples are folktales.

Fiction: Includes historical, realistic fiction as well as fantasy. Realistic fiction deals with real life experiences and adventure while historical fiction deals with aspects that happened in the recent past and may include biographical and autobiographical books. Fantasy fiction includes stories featuring time travel, heroic quests as well as talking animals and objects.

Picture books: The oldest form of children literature and are mainly used in studying and may include concept books wordless books as well as board books. Other genres include poetry and verse, and joke books. Most poetry and verse books for children are simple and repetitive with a lot of rhyming words. Series are not tied to children's books but most of them are as a result of overwhelming success and popularity among children.

All these books are available for all ages of children and can be found easily in stores or online. They are a great way of educating the child in an exciting manner as well as impart the society's values and diversity in the world as well as in the children at school.

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Evolution of Children's Horror Literature

Titled "Welcome to the Dead House", the book was an instant bestseller and became the first in the highly successful "Goosebumps" series. "Welcome to the Dead House" tell the story of a town called Dark Falls, a place hiding a secret - all the residents are the living dead, and need fresh blood to sustain their "lives". Whenever a new family arrives in the sound they move to The Dead House. The heroes, Josh and Amanda, learn this secret and proceed to save their parents, send the townspeople back to their graves and escape Dark Falls.

Author Robert Lawrence Stine wrote 62 books in the series, as well as a number of spinoffs. Stine, who's been called "The Stephen King of Children's Literature", has said a lot of his books were inspired by classic science fiction and horror stories, with influences also drawn from classic fairy tales. "Night of the Living Dummy" is a variation on the "Pinocchio" theme - twin sisters Lindy and Kris find a discarded ventriloquist's dummy, and Lindy decides to keep him. As she develops comedy routines with the dummy Kris obtains her own dummy. One night the girls go into their room, finding the dummies lying on the floor, the new dummy's hands around the older dummy's neck. Coincidence? No - the younger dummy is alive, and malicious. After a string of unpleasant events the girls manage to dispose of the dummy, but then discover the other one is also alive.

Christopher Pike is another successful children's horror story writer. He includes references to Egyptian, Hindu and Greek mythology in his novels, and quotes authors like Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Agatha Christie and Stephen King among his influences. His "Spooksville" series of 24 books includes one titled "The Wicked Cat", in which Adam and his friends find a black cat during a walk in the local woods. Strange things begin to happen in the town; a house burns down and a tree suddenly falls down. At every strange occurrence the cat is in attendance, watching everything with its strange green eyes. Then it turns its supernatural powers on Adam and his friends...

Another noted children's author is Lee Striker, the pseudonym of Australian Children's author Margaret Clarke. She chose her name after hearing about Stine's "Goosebumps" series, and decided she wanted her children's horror fiction placed next to his books on the bookshops. She has 12 books in her "Hair-Raiser" series, which contains titles such as "The Revenge of the Vampire Librarian" (remember to get your library books back on time...) and "Curse of the Mummy", where a man brings back a new wife after a business trip to Egypt. But what kind of MUMMY is she, because she smells odd and uses a lot of bandages and band aids, and cats behave strangely when she is near.

Children's horror writing is not a new concept, and it didn't start with fairytales. Originally fairytales were not originally intended to be read by children. The Brothers' Grimm's writing was aimed at adults, and met the then increasing demand for literature based around local folklore in the early 19th century. Anyone who has seen the film "The Brothers' Grimm" will probably back me on this - that film is most definitely NOT for children! As the Horror genre evolved "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" made the average fairytale appear somewhat childish, so the different stories were reworked and rewritten by adults so they would be more suitable for children. By the Victorian era the average Grimm fairy tale was far less graphic and violent than the original, and Disney's handling of the stories has "tamed" them still further.

While the Grimms were compiling their collection of adult fairytales other writers were already producing children's stories, many of which contained elements of horror. Hans Christian Andersen's "Tales Told For Children" was published in 1835, and some of the stories in that book are excellent references for children's horror literature:

"The Red Shoes" are a pair of beautiful, cursed slippers which force their wearer to dance continually. A vain young girl slips them onto her feet, and finds herself unable to stop dancing. So bad is the problem she cannot go to church, and is unable to attend her adoptive mother's funeral because she cannot stop dancing. Condemned by and angle to dance forever as a warning to all vain children, she begs an executioner to cut off her feet. For the rest of the story she is haunted by the animated shoes, which dance before her as she moves on wooden feet with the help of crutches.

"The Little Mermaid", yearning to be with a handsome human prince with whom she has fallen in love, gives a witch her tongue in exchange for a potion that turns her tail into legs. She must get her prince to marry her to give her a soul, and she sets out to find her love, even though every step she takes is as painful as waking on sharpened knife blades. Even though she is mute the prince does fall in love with her, and is enchanted by the way she dances for him, never knowing the agony she suffers at every step. The course of true love never did run true, and the prince marries someone else. The heartbroken mermaid throws herself into the sea and turns into foam.

"The Little Match Girl" sells matches on the icy streets to keep warm. One New Year's Eve, she lights her matches to keep warm. In their light she sees wonderful warm banquets with tables full of wonderful food and a sparkling Christmas tree. Looking up she sees a shooting star, and remembers it means someone is about to die. Lighting her last match she sees her grandmother, the only person who ever treated her kindly. Her grandmother has come to take her to Heaven, and the following morning her frozen little body is discovered, surrounded by burnt out matches.

Charles Kingsley's "The Water Babies" features a chimney sweep named Tom, who meets a young girl called Ellie at her house. After he is chased away he falls into a river and drowns. He is turned into a water baby, and experiences several adventures while learning life's lessons under the tutelage of the fairies. Once a week he is allowed to see Ellie, who had the misfortune to fall into the river just after Tom. Eventually he proves himself worthy to return to human form, and lives a full life. He is reunited with Ellie, but they never marry.

Children's horror writing is a challenging genre, and although the stories may have changed slightly over the years there's still a demand for these kind of books from a young, enthusiatic audience. It's a genre that's going to be with us for many years to come.

The writer was born in Africa, and lived there for the first 38 years of her life. She worked in the world of public relations for over five years, running her own PR company and dealing extensively with the world of journalism and the print media. She is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/, a site for Writers. Her blog can be visited at: http://www.writing.com/authors/zwisis/blog

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Animals Rule in Children's Literature - Frogs and Caterpillars and Bears - Oh My!

From very hungry caterpillars and penguins for every day of the year to the Kingdom of Frogavia, animals rule in children's literature. Whether used to teach numbers, colors, or more subtle lessons of morality, animals are the perfect vehicles for conveying tangible and intangible concepts in an entertaining way.

The unique not-quite-human yet not-quite-animal characters in the classic Dr. Seuss tales, paired with allegories about honor and even disarmament, set the stage for the next generation of children's books and entertainment. Endearing creatures from Sesame Street (what is a Snuffleupagus, anyway?) and puppets from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood created a world of make believe that children could call their own.

In children's literature, the story is often secondary to the lavish illustrations. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," for example, wouldn't be nearly as compelling without Eric Carle's illustrations. Likewise, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" is clever, but Felicia Bond's illustrations make the book a children's classic.

Kristin Zambucka's "Frog Knights" and "Frogavia! Frogavia!" are perfect examples of books that consist of both lavish illustrations and compelling tales. In the first book, frog characters live in their own frog world - the big pond known as The Kingdom Of Frogavia. The true frog king is unseated from his ancient throne and banished to a far, distant pond by an evil ruler. As his bullying and tyrannical rule stretch on, the Frogavian people grow increasingly restless and unhappy. Finally, a group of brave young rebels rise up and go in search of their true king. They eventually find him and he dubs them chivalry frog knights in gratitude for their loyalty. The king, along with a frog queen and frog princesses, return to Frogavia and right the wrongs of the evil ruler. In the second book, the story progresses, with one of the chivalry frog knights asking for the frog princess' hand in marriage, but she marries another. The frog knight joins his friends from the first book to continue on their mission to make good triumph over evil.

Zambucka's books are more whimsical than, say, Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series or Tony Abbott's Secrets of Droon series, but capture the magic of childhood while imparting nuggets of wisdom. The whimsy and appeal of the characters is that they come from the animal kingdom.

There's no doubt that creatures are central to today's children's literature. Whether completely imaginary, such as those in "Where the Wild Things Are," or real, as are those in "365 Penguins," or a little of both, as in "Frogavia! Frogavia!", kids are captivated by animals that cause the imagination to soar.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.

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Benefits of Receiving a Grant For Writing Children's Literature

I recently receive a "Jackpot Grant" from the Nevada Arts Council to attend a writing workshop presented by the Society of Children's Bookwriters and Illustrators. Having attended the conference, I realized that there were benefits, to myself and the community. In this article, I'll briefly recap some of those benefits. I'll go over some of the objectives that I submitted when I applied for the grant.

Objective 1: Improve Writing Skills and Open Creative Horizons

I attended several workshops run by Bruce Coville, who writes middle-grade fantasy novels. As a result,  I started work on a series of books that are primarily aimed at boys, with a cross over appeal to girls.
I discussed a picture book on potty training, and created a draft of it. The manuscript has been well received on the Society of Children's Bookwriters and Illustrator's Manuscript Exchange discussion forum. I am refining it, and will soon submit it for publication.

Objective 2: Establishing Networking Contacts for future projects.

I met a number of illustrators, and have established contacts with them. These may lead to future collaborations, or at least to preferred introductions to publishers. (It is possible that a well-established illustrator will suggest a manuscript that they will enjoy illustrating to a publisher.)
I met a number of writers who may be interested in writing teacher's guides to accompany my existing books.
I listened to presentations by various editors and submitted a manuscript for a children's book to a major publisher. If they do not like the manuscript, I'm confident that another publisher will like it.

Objective 3: Provide a long-term benefit for the Nevada Arts Council and for children who reside in Nevada.

I have begun a publicity campaign that will help children become more literate by using the book and CD, which contains several different languages. Since the Nevada Arts Council paid for my travel expenses to the SCBWI workshop, I will have some available to provide free copies of the book to libraries in Nevada, and fully intend to make donations. Also, the book will be made available to literacy programs.
The prestige associated with receiving a grant from the Nevada Arts Council is making it more attractive for a teacher who home schooled her child to evaluate whether she is interested in bring the book/CD/website to the attention of other home-schooling parents.
One of the illustrators that I met is enthusiastic about preparing a teacher's curriculum for my existing books.
To build self esteem in children I will launch an internet radio show where children can discuss my books and CDs with their teachers, parents and other children. I have already implemented a service that displays pictures that children draw and a service that allows them to make digital tape recordings of stories.

If you're a writer, I encourage you to apply for grants.  You may be surprised at the benefits that you, and others, receive from the process.

Alan Jordan is the author of hundreds of articles, six business books and several children's books. He is the creator of a web site with a series of products to foster creativity in children and adults. http://www.LetsBeCreative.org

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Hats and Children's Literature

There are dozens of children's books where a hat (or hats) plays a central role in the story. Here's a partial list -- all of which are in The Village Hat Shop's books on hats collection: [Note: For a short synopsis of each book below as well as the name of the equally important (at least) illustrator, click this article's title above.]

JENNIE'S HAT by Ezra Jack Keats

WHEN EVERYBODY WORE A HAT by William Steig

THE HAT by Tomi Ungerer

THE CASE OF THE MISSING HAT Starring Jim Henson's Muppets by Gregory Williams

BLUE HAT, GREEN HAT by Sandra Boynton

THE 500 HATS OF BARTHOLOMEW CUBBINS by Dr. Seuss

MADELINE AND THE BAD HAT by Ludwig Bemelmans

THE CHRISTMAS HAT by A.J. Wood

HATS OFF TO JOHN STETSON by Mary Blount Christian

ABE LINCOLN'S HAT by Martha Brenner

KATHY'S HATS by Trudy Krisher

TWELVE HATS FOR LENA by Karen Katz

THE QUANGLE WANGLE'S HAT by Edward Lear

LITTLE RED COWBOY HAT by Susan Lowell

THE SCARECROW'S HAT by Ken Brown

MILO'S HAT TRICK by Jon Agee

MISS HUNNICUTT'S HAT by Jeff Brumbeau

WHO WAS THE WOMAN WHO WORE THE HAT? by Nancy Patz

THE CAT IN THE HAT by Dr. Seuss

THE CAT IN THE HAT COMES BACK by Dr. Seuss

RICHARD SCARRY'S MR. FRUMBLE'S BIGGEST HAT FLAP BOOK EVER by Richard Scarry

ZOE'S HATS: A BOOK OF COLORS AND PATTERNS by Sharon Lane Holm

WHO TOOK THE FARMER'S HAT? By Joan L. Nodset

WHO'S UNDER THE HAT by Sarah Weeks

THE MAGIC HAT by Mem Fox

MISS FANNIE'S HAT by Jan Karon

CASEY'S NEW HAT by Tricia Gardella

EL SOMBRERO DEL TIO NACHO/UNCLE NACHO'S HAT by Harriet Rohmer

THE HAT by Jan Brett

MR GEORGE AND THE RED HAT by Stephen Heigh

MY LUCKY HAT by Kevin O'Malley

AUNT FLOSSIE'S HAT (AND CRAB CAKES LATER) by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

Why are there so many children's books about hats? Those of you who are regular readers of the HAT BLOG or the "Hat Information and Resources" section of VillageHatShop.com may have an inkling where I am about to go. Yes, this is in fact another example of a theme that runs throughout the blog and the site, i.e. hats matter. Hats are cultural icons. Hats sit prominently and significantly on the top of one's head. Hats are a bridge to history. Hats transform the wearer. Hats, as a symbol, can be simple and complex at the same time. Hats are fun. As an object to revolve a story around, a hat is a perfect fit. Let's take a smattering of examples:

Hats as a bridge to learning about history and as a file cabinet for important letters and papers: ABE LINCOLN'S HAT.

Hats as head covering for chemotherapy patients and as an object helping to sustain hope: KATHY'S HATS.

Hat ("Bad Hat" specifically) as metaphor for a person: MADELINE AND THE BAD HAT.

Hat as superhero: THE HAT (Ungerer).

Hat as a valuable item for barter: THE SCARECROWS HAT.

Hat as an eccentric and highly individual fashion statement: MISS HUNNICUTT'S HAT.

Hat as a good luck charm: MY LUCKY HAT.

Hat as an article spurring recall and story telling: MISS FANNIE'S HAT and AUNT FLOSSIE'S HATS (AND CRAB CAKES LATER).

Hat as an old friend and companion and as a metaphor for change: UNCLE NACHO'S HAT/EL SOMBRERO DEL TIO NACHO.

Granted, I am guilty of an a priori bias to infuse headwear with a high degree of symbolic significance, cache, cultural value, and the like (I've got to justify my existence somehow for god's sake), and yet who can argue with its validity? Clearly, writers and artists from Seuss to Keats to Bemelmans to Scarry et al. who don't share my self-interested prejudice, still find this relevance in hats.

But, I believe, the proliferation of the hat in children's literature is more than all this. Parenting in modern America can feel like an out of control merry-go-round. The drumbeat of media messages to buy the right toys, infuse your home with the right music [Mozart] so as to promote brain development, commit to the right "play group", enroll the child in the right pre-school (that promises to prepare your kid for the Ivy League), treading through the ubiquitous disingenuity (politicians and advertisers spinning, lying, and double-speaking) and deciding when and what to expose your innocent to the modern world, rampant commercialism (don't buy anything except a hat), war - is it any wonder why a parent is attracted to a simple story that revolves around a simple honest object that connotes a simpler time. Hat as nostalgic icon - yes, that too. But alas, more than nostalgia - for crying out loud, the parent understandably wants to take her kid off that crazy modern merry-go-round. The parent has an epiphany -- don't heap all this adult nonsense and anxiety upon my kid -- I'll buy a little book and read about a hat. This is a good thing to do in our hyper-complex 21st Century -- it's in fact good for the soul.

Fred Belinsky

http://VillageHatShop.com

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Kid Stuff - Comments on the History of Children's Literature

It appears that the "Tom Swift" and "Wizard of Oz" books - popular with kids for most of the last century - are finally to be replaced by "Harry Potter."

The fourth volume of the Harry Potter series went on sale at bookstores throughout the country during midnight parties -- excitement not seen since the Pet Rock craze a decade ago.

Titled "The Goblet of Fire," the latest book by British author J.K. (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling promises - or threatens -- to prolong indefinitely the Potter series for the generation coming on line.

Some parents are uneasy about the new sub-literary fad. It features a supernatural kid who hobnobs with sorcerers and witches. Hey, they're reading instead of watching the same stuff on teevee.

All kids go through the make-believe stage, and some of us never outgrow it.

Ms. Rowling insists she makes up her stories simply to entertain children and make a living for herself and daughter. However, deep thinkers profess to see hidden allegories in her works that criticize the political and social life of our times.

Her emphasis on wishful events seems to bear out contemporary yearning for magic solutions conjured by 12-year-old Harry Potter to deal with his travails.

Whatever.

The technique is rooted in ancient literature such as "Aesop's Fables" and "Mother Goose Rhymes."

More than 600 fables related by a Greek slave in 550 B.C. was intended to impress social verities on children through talking animals.

As an 11-year-old, I discovered Aesop's wisdom in a library book. I have never forgotten his account of the hunt by a lion, fox, jackal and wolf. The four hunters brought down a stag and then discussed how to divide it.

"Quarter this stag," roared the lion. Accordingly, the other hunters skinned it and cut the meat into four equal parts. With this, the lion pronounced judgment:

"The first quarter is for me in my capacity as King of Beasts. The second is mine as arbiter, and another share comes to me for my part in the chase. As for the fourth quarter, I should like to see which of you will dare to try and take it from me," growled the Lion.

"Humph," grumbled the Fox as walked away with his tail between his legs, "You may share labors of the great, but you will not share the rewards."

Still, today, I shake my head a little when someone ascribes the largest share of anything as that due the lion. The lion's portion, stated ironically by Aesop, is not a share at all, but everything.

This fable is a realistic lesson to be learned at an early age. It describes both social and political greed to guard against throughout life.

* * *

The same dual purpose inspired the hundreds of Mother Goose rhymes. In medieval England, criticism of kings, nobles and other authorities could cost your life. Consequently, jibes at government were couched as ditties for children.

Consider this rhyme:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king's horses,

And all the king's men,

Couldn't put Humpty together again.

The term humpty-dumpty was commonly used in England to describe someone stupid or muddle-headed. In the rhyme it refers to King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Richard was resisting a rebellion by Henry Tudor. In the battle, King Richard fell from his war-horse named Wall. He was surrounded by enemy soldiers and hacked to pieces. He was the last of the York kings and the last king to die on a battlefield.

Books For Kids

After the American Civil War, the invention of cheap "sulfited" paper pulp sparked a revolution in publishing. Newspapers expanded. "Dime novels" became popular. Public schools were extended to the high-school level. Children had knowledge and desire to read for pleasure.

The old custom of veiling politics with kid-appeal was an easy approach for publishers and writers. Regular patrons of this column may remember the recent account of Joel Chandler's "Uncle Remus" series.

Those charming tales of talking animals by an editorial writer for the Atlanta Constitution were aimed at "children of all ages." The objective was to entertain - while portraying former slaves as wise and dutiful citizens.

An outstanding example of hiding a social message within a fairy tale is the "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" published in 1900.

The author was Lyman Frank Baum, editor of the weekly newspaper at Aberdeen, South Dakota. When it failed in 1891 during the prolonged collapse of crop prices he moved his family to Chicago. There he wrote for various newspapers.

He also participated actively in the Populist (Silver Coinage) Movement and the presidential campaigns of Sen. William Jennings Bryan. He also wrote his first book "Mother Goose In Prose" in 1897. Interestingly he employed the fantasy/reality techniques of Aesop Fables, Mother Goose, and Lewis Carroll's "Alice In Wonderland" which preceded him.

Baum's first venture into fantasy was not widely circulated but reviewed favorably enough to encourage him to write his first Oz book. It was an instant bestseller, which he turned into a theatrical play the following year.

His ambition was to act and write for the theater. Nevertheless, the response to "Wonderful Wizard" was so great he consented to write a sequel titled "The Marvelous Land of Oz."

Before he died in 1919, Baum wrote 14 Oz books. Thereafter, Ruth Plumly Thompson and other ghostwriters authored 26 additional volumes until the series was concluded in 1963.

Baum stoutly maintained that the original Oz had no sociopolitical inferences. Yet, the story and its characters so ably reflected the turbulent times that the comparison is compelling.

Oz is the abbreviation for ounce, the standard measure for gold.
The yellow brick road is composed of gold ingots that lead only to a field of opium poppies and drugged sleep.
The Emerald City is the store of "green-back" paper money backed by silver as well as gold.
The Tin Woodman, represents the industrial worker made heartless by factory owners and left to rust when his labor was no longer needed.
The Scarecrow is the farmer with not enough brains to support Sen. Bryan's reforms.
The Cowardly Lion is Sen. Bryan who roars a lot but is afraid to bite.
The Wicked Witch of the East represents New York City financiers and bankers who enslave little people called Munchkins.
The Good Witch of the West portrays people in the heartland of America.
The Wizard is supposed to be President William McKinley who conceals his deceptions with smoke, mirrors and phony proclamations.

Dorothy's magical silver shoes (changed to red in the ever-popular color movie) had the power to grant her wish to go home once she acknowledged the value of family and farm.


If Baum did not intentionally weave these symbols into his first Oz book, he subconsciously reflected his time and place - after all, the genius of good writing.

* * *

My favorite books as a youngster were those in the "Tom Swift" series which began in 1910 and continue popular today. There was not a speck of politics in them, but they were progenitor of science fiction.

Tom, "the boy inventor," built contraptions that were just in the discovery stage at the turn of the century. In several instances, the authors of Tom Swift books anticipated science.

Such subject matter reflected the fascination of kids - particularly boys - with the gee-whiz technology of that time. Then it was such things as motorcycles, speedboats, automobiles, planes, submarines, radios, and super cannons.

These things are ordinary today. Kids now are titillated by witches, giants, monsters, demons, magicians, terminating-killers, space ships and assorted planetary aliens. All are served up by computer games, videos, television and special effect movies.

The genre of series books for children -- with the same, central character -- was the brainchild of a publisher named Edward Stratemeyer. He started the Stratemeyer Syndicate of ghostwriters to churn out endless books about characters and situations he dreamed up.

Among his creations was the Bobbsey Twins, Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. The big money maker, though, was Tom Swift. Most of the first 38 volumes were written by Howard Garis, Stratemeyer's best friend, under the pseudonym Victor Appleton.

The books have come to be known as the Tom Swift Senior series. Since then, other publishers bought the name rights. They continued to produce Swift Junior books with ghost writers and adventure topics until "Death Quake," the last one, in 1993.

The 99 Tom Swift series is the largest total, and longest running, of all time simply because it tapped the interest of kids in exciting things which might be.

Ms. Rowling is simply following a well-tested format.

I wish I had thought of it.

July 16, 2000

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at:

LinWms@earthlink.net

LinWms@lindseywilliams.org

Website: http://www.lindseywilliams.org with several hundred of Lin's Editorial & At Large articles written over 40 years.

Also featured in its entirety is Lin's groundbreaking book "Boldly Onward," that critically analyzes and develops theories about the original Spanish explorers of America. (fully indexed/searchable)

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Children's Literature - Encouraging Children to Write Creative Stuff

Children's literature needs some love to emerge better masterpieces. You must have seen that fledgling children's literature authors ages 5 to 12 have a large number of online options for getting their own work published right way and for reading their peers' submissions.

You may come across several websites that focus on children's literature in a remarkable way. And therefore, it is desirable to spend a significant amount of time perusing some literary websites that aim at motivating and encouraging creativity in children.

More websites are devoted to about almost every genre and educational fun is also there at just a click away. Such websites motivate and allow children to create their own stories. They also provide the children with some helps regarding how to create paragraph and develop plot and characterization. The main thing is to motivate children to write some creative stuff on their own.

Suppose you are the owner of websites intending to provide the children with a platform to unleash their creativity, you may consider grouping children's poems and stories under categories just like Folk Tales, Science Fiction, etc. so that children can understand the thematic concepts. Such websites, promoting literature for children, in a way provide a fine background for children to learn about other cultures.

So, the internet plays a major role in shaping the mind frame of children in a creative way by providing useful websites. Apart from providing the children with a platform for expressing their creativity, many sites now facilitate interactivity by way of featuring contests for children. Reader may also contact the writers to exchange feedback and offer book recommendations. Instructions can be provided for writing a specific type of poem or a story that can enliven the imagination, guiding children how to create limericks, acrostics, tongue twisters. Innovative websites even can narrow the focus and concentrate certain topics only by requiring writers to take those specific or narrowed topics as their sole subject matter.

You know that to children need to be provided with motivation and inspiration. They need to be exposed to kids' book review websites. These are written sometimes by kids for kids or by some veteran children's librarians. They can be a fine source of guidance for young children who are capable of writing creative stuff. Give you children a good exposure of websites which deal with a fine children's literature or make a trip to your local bookstore or a library to provide them motivation to write.

Rakesh Patel is an aspiring poet, freelance writer, self-published author and teacher. Read his blogs to learn about various types of poetry and English literature.

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The Best of the Hearth - Window Seats and Children's Literature

As far back as the 1700s, window seats were being incorporated into homes where the windows were tall and narrow with a sash at chair height. George Hepplewhite was one of three major English furniture makers of the eighteenth century who built window seats, with scrolled arms, arched backs or no backs, and upholstered and padded for comfort. A precursor to today's window seat cushions that can be found settled into basic, straight-lined window seats built right into wall and window structures, these early pieces, especially Hepplewhite's, were elegant and light in form. One can imagine a child enjoying the warmth and slant of mid morning winter light, feasting on some fairy tale or adventure story in one of these elegant "coves."

Interestingly, the appearance of window seats preceded the event of literature created just for children, but eventually these two art forms (for that is what they are, both the sculptural and functional art of the window seat and the literary and artistic form of the child's tale) converged. While it is not the purpose of this article to retrace the development of the window seat or the emergence and triumph of children's literature (heavy tasks indeed, and more suited to coffee table books or doctoral dissertations!), it bears mentioning that these two elements in some way encapsulate the impulse that inspires making a house a home.

One only need countenance the heavy weight of "hearth and home" magazines on racks in bookstores, and on coffee tables in homes, medical offices and other places of temporary leisure in all corners of the world, to be reassured of one basic truth. That is, no matter how sophisticated we become, no matter how global the economy is, no matter how far we travel, ultimately we desire the comforts of home first and foremost. This stands to reason, since it is from a well-appointed home that we can launch our dreams and our ambitions. Thus journals on decorating, cooking, renovating and more are published and purchased month after month, year after year, and the human spirit continues to turn back to the hearth for sustenance.

Take the window seat. Though it can be made to be practical with storage space beneath the seat, it nonetheless nods toward things not so practical. It beckons one to rest, to delight in what lies outside a home, or to relish in what lies between the pages of a well-written book. It is not upon a window seat that one usually pays the bills or repairs a broken fixture. Those tasks are better suited to the workbench or the kitchen table. No. The window seat is for dreaming big. And so it is especially suited to children and to children's literature.

When the window seat first emerged a few hundred years ago, children's literature was sparse. All that was written for children in the 1700s and early 1800s would have barely filled a bookshelf or two. Compare that to the great cargo of books you'll find at your local bookstore today!

With an eye trained only on Western children's literature, the genre had a fair start when the German brothers Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm collected and published fairy tales in the early 1800s, with such cultural gems as "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Little Mermaid." Of course, the Brothers Grimm wrote down many, many stories, some rather macabre and not suited to very young children. An unabridged collection, in fact, of original tales from the Brothers Grimm can be quite captivating for adults.

Not long after came Lewis Carroll with his Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Johanna Spyri and her Heidi, and L. Frank Baum, the genius behind the Wonderful Wizard of Oz series. And the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh seem almost to have been created for reading on a sunny window seat with the ticking of the grandfather clock and the smell of something good cooking to bring perfect bliss. A.A. Milne, the author of stories about Pooh and Rabbit and Eeyore and Owl and Piglet and all, created a treasure chest of satisfying, charming tales in the early 1900s. Here are a few other authors whose stories have been loved by many a lucky child perched cozily near the window:

Laura Ingalls Wilder, sending out the pioneer spirit in her Little House on the Prairie books beginning in 1933
C.S. Lewis, who published the first of the Narnia stories in 1950
Beverly Cleary, fascinating generations of young with her tales of Henry Huggins, The Mouse and the Motorcycle and Ramona the Brave since 1950
Madeleine L'Engle, who wrote A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door in the 1960s and 1970s

These early stories and other classics are still worth reading. This almost goes without saying. Some, in fact, burn more brightly than stories ostensibly written for children today. And while the gracious, elegantly upholstered window seats of yesteryear are rarely to be found in most households today, a modern form is still being used by children (and grownups). One can assume this is because the concept of the window seat rests soundly on a universal truth about where people like to be when they are thinking long thoughts or reading good stories. It is so universal - if the concept of universality can take a superlative form - that those who haven't got a window seat might tug a chair over to catch the sun on a chilly day in January or a enjoy a breezy morning in May, settling in with something especially good.

Great children's classic literature also rests on universal truths about those things people like to read about, generation after generation. Why do adults find so much pleasure reading books like The Cricket in Times Square or The Wind in the Willows to their children, sometimes continuing to read long after the little one has dozed off? It is because no matter how old you are, good literature is good literature. It is rich and it feeds the human spirit. To find some of these gems, ask your librarian or look at the Newbery and Caldecott award websites. You can also take advantage of The New York Times Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children, The National Review Treasury of Classic Children's Literature, and many others. Look online or start with one of the books listed here and see where it leads.

Petra Travesen began learning about design as a wayward art student decades ago. Years of decorating - everything from stitching up window seat cushions and settling in for hours with the latest whodunit to scouting out durable adirondack chair cushions to make a friend's sunroom breathe new life - has taught her a thing or two about what to do and what not to do (Scarlet paint for the laundry room? Maybe not.) These days, Petra is busy enjoying a little more down time writing and reading about all things design/architecture. She's deep into the latest John Le Carre mystery novel!

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Math in Children's Literature - Teacher's Secret Weapon

The Vehicle

Why would one consider using children's literature to teach math? Most parents and teacher know from empirical evidence and their own experience, that children learn best through language and engaging in hands-on activities. That said, children's literature provides interesting narratives and colorful illustrations that can frame the abstractions of math in a way that make them more concrete and approachable. Through literature, children can appreciate the wonder of mathematics in much the same way they appreciate the wonders of a great story in the hands of a great story teller.

The Tour Guide

We've selected children's literature as the vehicle by which we will transport children to strange and exciting places; exposing them to math concepts along the way. As the tour guide, it is our job to highlight and speak to the points of interest as the tourists (our students) progress through the tour, while crafting a contextual narrative for each of the points of interest.

The Map

Unlike the maps with which we're familiar, the maps for our literary math excursion are comprised of three parts: Curriculum, Standards & Focal points, and Literature. While the curriculum is what it is, breathing life into the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) Standards & Focal Points, and selecting appropriate books are creative endeavors influenced by the class room community (or tour group... to speak in analogy parlance).

The most amorphous part of creating the map is grappling with the NCTM standards. Since entire books have been written on the subject, I'm not going to attempt to address it here, but will provide a few resources:

Math Links: Teaching the NCTM 2000 Standards Through Children's Literature -- ISBN: 1563087871
Math Through Children's Literature: Making the NCTM Standards Come Alive -- ISBN: 0872879321
What Successful Math Teachers Do, Grades 6-12: 79 Research-Based Strategies for the Standards-Based Classroom -- ISBN: 1412916194
The book is last piece needed to complete the map, and as such we are looking for points of interest to drive home a given math concept. The appropriate book must be a good vehicle (unfurling a good story) and supply great points of interest relevant to the math subject matter being taught.

Finding an appropriate book seems fairly straight forward, but it's not as easy as it sounds, inasmuch as many databases lack the necessary tags to identify books by math topic. So, a search for "geometry in children's literature" won't find all of the books on that topic. The aforementioned search on the Library of Congress Online Catalog finds 29 books, while I have found over 70 titles on that topic using various means.

Don't reinvent the wheel! There are websites that speak to "Math In Children's Literature" and lists books under various categories, as well as noting the applicable grade level. Once you have the vehicle, and you (as the tour guide) are prepared to lead the tour, and you've prepared your map, you can lead your students (the tour group) on exciting excursions where math is fun and comes alive.

Manuel D. Thomas is a computer programmer, a husband, and a dad, whose passion includes family and imparting knowledge to others.

Math Dad's Math In Children's Literature
http://www.squidoo.com/dads-math-in-childrens-literature    

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What is Children's Literature?

It may seem strange to think that there is some question as to what constitutes a children's book for many after all this would seem like a question with an obvious answer. A children's book was after all created for children. However Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain one of the books considered to be classical children's literature was originally intended for adults and as indeed received some past censorship because of how interpret it was considered for children. The Grimm's fairy tales also where written initially for adults, yet they where bought for children. This situation of children taking over what was supposed to be an book for adults has led to many problems. After all society then complains that the story was not appropriate for children, and so attacks to book. Further the book not being appropriate for children perhaps does cause some social problems. Yet we still seem to consider many such books as children's literature.

Why is it books written for adults become children's books? Or at least books read by children. Although it is perhaps impossible to state all the reasons for this situation, I would forward three theories on ways in which this can occur.

The first reason is that a book offers a fantastic reality, an imaginative story, children like such stories and so for whatever reason it is presumed that such imaginativeness is in the realm of children's literature. This could for example be the case with Gulliver's Travels and of course the Grimm's Fairy Tales. In many ways I would argue it's sad that if a story is fun and imaginative it is automatically pushed off into the realm of children. Not that children's literature is lesser, indeed this imaginativeness has helped in many ways to make it superior to that created for adults. Rather it is sad that adults do not presume that such creative genius is worth more of their time.

Another reason which a book might become children's literature is that it is about a child, for some reason a child character makes people automatically assume a child should read it, as if they are the only ones who can relate to a child. This is a ridiculous notion of course, we where all children and besides of which all such books where written by intelligent adults.

The final reason I will propose is that many books and works of art intended for adults become children's as a means of expanding their reach or extending their life. This is why for example one will find the works of Jane Austen in the children's literature section at the book store with a little charm.

This still does not answer the question of what is children's literature. Part of the problem here may be that we have not yet truly defined the question, broad questions have broad answers. The question may be what should parents have their children read, or what should educators and those studying children's literature study in order to learn about the impact of literature on children? In the case of the first question the answer is in regards to the parents beliefs and their kids reaction to things. If a parent does not believe their kid should be exposed to something then it does not constitute children's literature for that kid. This definition of course makes the whole field of children's books very difficult as there are so many differing views on what is acceptable for children to read.

However this problem would beg the question, is the purpose of the definition to help people study children's literature or to help parents decide which books their kids can read? In the case of the purpose for study children's literature would constitute all books which children regularly read. After all the purpose of study is to determine what is acceptable to read and what impact such readings have on children, as will as ways to make future books better. For this purpose to be effective all books which children read must be included.

Part of the difficulty of course with determining what constitutes children's literature is that there is some debate as to what children are.

After all different cultures have at times believed many different things about children. However I would point out that this in and of itself is exactly the point, childhood is viewed as different by different cultures. It is then a cultural definition, one which our society can answer and change. Certainly it is difficult for people to accept this idea, and for many the idea that the culture determines someone's role is tantamount to prejudice, however when it comes to defining a state and an impact we are indeed looking at cultural variables. One cannot for example assume that a picture book based on the Impressionist style, and with Swedish Motifs would have the same impact on Americans as it does Japanese or Swedes. It is culture which determines the role literature plays in our lives so it is through a cultures definitions of something that that thing should be defined. Further accepting one cultures definition of what defines children and not another's is prejudice.

In American culture this definition of child has been constructed in a way as Minors to the age of 18, however not all of these ages are considered children per say, they are teenagers, pre-teens, Elementary, Preschool, Toddlers and more. However as a society we have defined these groups and so a wish to understand their demographic must begin with the societies definitions of them. Arguing that a culture is wrong is often a mute point, just as literature is a social construct many of the emotions and impact surrounding it are too.

Children's literature then according to my definition and the definition which will be found throughout this site is literature which impacts directly through reading a fairly decent percentage of the population which is considered children by the culture it is from.

Or in the case of cross-cultural analysis such impacts will extend to ages determined by the culture with the oldest children or the largest definition of them. Why? Because in many cases especially historical ones children where considered adults fairly young, yet if we want to compare differences in impact between 8 year olds we must study both sets of 8 year olds. It is important to stress that this is not a means to push one cultures definition on another it is merely a research construct intended to help study literature, so that we can better understand its impact.

Ty Hulse has degree's in art and psychology with both with a children's and a cross-cultural focus. He is currently working to create the site Zeluna.net which discusses Children's Literature and Picture Books, as will as Fairy Tales.

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Children's Literature - Good Or Bad?

A caring parent knows the importance of his or her child being able to read. Some parents begin reading to the child while the child is still inside the womb. This gives the infant the security of hearing the soft tones of the mother and father's voice. Even though the child has not been born as of yet the infant is familiar with the sound, words, and soothing tone of the voice reading the literature.

Then once the child has been born and the parents read to the infant, this does help the child when he or she begins school. The child is familiar with and can recognize words, and the sounds of the letters.

It is also just as important to pick the proper Literature for the child. In this day and time, it is difficult to choose what is good or bad for the child. One-way that many parents distinguish between the good and the bad literature. Is to read a chapter or two first if the text is disturbing to you or you feel uncomfortable just reading the text. Then this literature is not a good choice for you child's library.

Parents do not want to choose children's literature that is, over, wrought with violence for a bedtime story. This will surely give any child nightmares. Even children's books filled with ghosts and ghouls are not proper bedtime literature. The child should be relaxed not fearful if it is bedtime. The child should be entertained and learning if it is day time.

Parents should choose literature with stories and children resting and children at peaceful play. Stories filled with soft cuddly animals and teddy bears. Literature about angles and bible stories are excellent literature for any child. Family being together and having fun is a good choice as well.

It is important that parents choose good literature over improper literature that can influence their children in negative ways. It is just as important to choose literature filled with the proper characters and themes or lessons for the child to follow. Some good quality literature does still exist and even if the literature does not exist or you cannot choose. Then there is an alternative to fall back on.

Some parents write down their own stories using their child as the characters. By doing this, you are placing your child into the story and letting him or her decide what they should do in certain situations. This is a perfect way to teach your children; the proper values you wish for your child to learn. This also helps the parents to discover if his or her child is developing correctly mentally.

An example: If your child is in a story and faced with helping, a friend to do something that was wrong. You ask your child what he or she would do if this if they would help the friend yes or no. If your child says yes they would help the friend then you know your child needs help distinguishing between right and wrong. It is all up to you the parent to teach your child the difference between good and bad start with their literature.

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