English Literature A '07

Bimo Koeswigiadhi P.

0707833

Non-Edu A2 2007

VALUING LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN

Before we go to children’s literature, will be better if we know first what literature really is. Many of ways of defining literature, yet in this “Children’s Literature in the Elementary School” book tells that literature as the imaginative shaping of life and thought into the forms and structures of language. The literature field is the human condition which by shaping our insights, literature illuminates life. W.H. Auden distinguished between first-rate literature and second-rate literature. Book and reader can not be separated from the experience of literature because the quality of literature must always be tempered by an awareness of its audience.

Compared to children at past that they always read child’s book which tells about fantasy such as Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll or A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh. Nowadays children more sophisticated and knowledgeable about certain experience of life than previous children. According to the Nielsen 1990 Report on Television, children ages 6 to 11 averages watch almost 24 hours per week. While preschooler watch 27 hours per week. Poorly, children get more crime and another violence acts when they watch television even in cartoon. At past time, several publishers rejected Madeleine L’Engle’s Meet the Austin because it started with a death. The same thing happened to Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy which some reviewers were shocked by a mild “damn” in it. The experience and understanding of children limits the content of children’s literature. Certain emotional and psychological responses seem outside the realm of childhood. Then, cynicism and despair are not childlike emotions should not figure in a child’s book obviously. Children always think that happiness will be got when they grew up. This book says when you close the door on hope; you have left the realm childhood.

Apparently, children should be given literature by valuing literature in children’s life such as homes, especially school. First and the most things, literature has to give delight and enjoyment for children. Besides literature can entertain children, it can educate them at the same time. Delight in books is needed by children before they are engaging to master the reading skill. A love of reading and a taste for literature are the good gifts for children, for we will have began children on the way of a lifetime of pleasure with books. Second is reinforcing narratives as a way of thinking. Barbara Hardy of the University of London maintains that the narrative is the most common and effective form of ordering our world today:

We dream in narrative, day-dream in narrative, remember, anticipate, hope, despair, believe, doubt, plan, revise, criticize, construct, gossip, learn, hate, love by narrative. In order really to live, we make up stories about ourselves and others, about the personal as well as the social past and future.

Third, literature develops children’s imagination and helps them to consider nature, people, experiences, or ideas in new ways. Literature helps children to entertain ideas they never considered before-“to dwell in possibility,” as one of Emily Dickinson’s poem suggests. Some books push children to use their imaginations to solve real problem, including the need to envision a better future for the world such as The Big Book for PeacI, edited by Ann Durell and Marilyn Sachs. Then fourth, literature offers vicarious experience of adventure, excitement, and sometimes of struggle that it will give children new perspectives on the world. A history textbook tells that a quality piece of imaginative writing has the power to make the reader feel, to transport him to the deck of a slave ship and force him into the hold until he chokes on the very horror of it. Fifth, literature reflects life although no book can contain all of living. It means that literature develops insight into human behavior. Literature can show children how others have lived and become, no matter what the time or place. The last is that literature continues to ask universal questions about the meaning of life and our relationships with nature and other people. Also literature enables us to live many lives, good and bad, and to begin to see the universality of human experience.

The intrinsic values of literature should be sufficient to give it a major place in the curriculum. Characteristic of the development of all children is the phenomenal growth of language during the preschool years. Kornei Chukovsky, the Russian poet, refers to the tremendous “speech-gifted-ness of the preschool child” and maintains that “beginning with the age of two, every child becomes for a short period of time a linguistic genius.” Many studies confirm that reading aloud to children, discussing literature with children, and children’s independent reading are all positive influences on child language development.

The primary concern of evaluation, however, is a book’s literary an aesthetic qualities. Children show what they think of books by expressing their responses, but they can not critic it. Teachers and librarians need to value children’s own interpretations and judgments. At the same time, they need to help children found what practiced readers look for in a well-written book. The criteria are:

• Plot

• Setting

• Theme

• Characterization

• Style

• Point of view

• Illustration

• Format

• Comparison to others

Knowledge of children’s classic may provide further guidance for evaluating children’s book. Certain book became classics there were very few books from which children could choose. The classics should not be exempted from reevaluation by virtue of their past veneration. What is the continuing appeal of these well-loved books for the contemporary child? Primarily, they are magnificent stories. There are adventure and suspense in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The appeal of many of the classics is based on the type of story they represent. Many classics are fantasies; reactions of children to fantasy are similar to those of many adults, who thoroughly enjoy or completely reject the fantastic.

The award books are not always popular with children. Most of the awards are not based on popularity but on recognized excellence. Two of the most coveted awards in children’s literature are the Newbery and Caldecott Medals. The John Newbery Medal, established in 1992, is the oldest award for children’s book. It is named for John Newbery, father of children’s literature, a British publisher and bookseller of the eighteenth century. This medal is awarded to the author of the most of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published the preceding year. The Caldecott Medal, established in 1938, is awarded to the most distinguished American picture book for children chosen from those first published in America during the previous year. It is named for Randolph J. Caldecott, well known for his sprightly picture books depicting the country life of England.

Evaluation of a particular book for a particular child involves understanding of both literature and the background and development of the child as a reader. Since the subject matter of contemporary children’s books is changing, the need for written criteria of selection has increased. Realism in children’s books and young adult novels reflects the same range of topics that can be seen on TV, at movies, and in current bestsellers.

With the increase of both numbers of books published and objections to the selection of certain books, it is essential that schools develop a selection policy. All library groups strongly recommend that each school district develop such a written statement that governs its selection of material. Factors to be considered in such policy would include the following: who selects the materials, the quality of material, appropriate content, needs and interests of special children, school curriculum needs, providing for balance in the collection, and procedures to follow for censorship and challenged material.

For dealing with censorship, there are some rules if there is a demand for censorship. First is to recognize that anyone has the right to question specific selections. Second is to be prepared or have an accepted response process. The written selection policy statement should contain a standardized procedure to follow. The following guidelines may be useful:

• Do not discuss the issue until you can be prepared.

• Write out a rationale for choosing and using this book with children if you have not already done so.

• Make copies of reviews of the questioned book from professional reviewing journals.

• Notify you principal of the expressed confirm.

• Explain the school’s selection policy and present copies of the reviews of the books and rationale explaining your reason for selecting it at your conference.

• Listen to the stated concern as objectively as possible.

• Inform the person that the material will be reconsidered by the selection committee.

• Submit the reconsideration form to the book selection committee of librarians, teachers, and parent representatives for their discussion and decision.

• Inform the person expressing the concern what the committee decided and why.

Based on this book, a child’s book is a book a child is reading and an adult book is a book occupying the attention of an adult. Before nineteenth century only a few books were written for children. Nowadays, children read some books that intended for adult such as All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. Moreover today children are more knowledgeable and sophisticated about certain life experiences. Also this book notes that the line between children’s literature and adult literature is blurred. Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve and is often illustrated. Usually the story of children’s literature is easier to be understood. Young Adult Literature uses a wide array of themes in order to appeal to a wide variety of adolescent readers. Some of these themes include: identity, sexuality, science fiction, depression, suicide, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, familial struggles, bullying, and numerous others.