Mary E. Brown, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Information Science
Brown@SouthernCT.edu
Resources for Students:
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UNIT 8
UNIT 8 READING ASSIGNMENT
Read in Butler the seven poems found on pp. 146-149 and the three rhymes found on pp. 150-152
UNIT 8 LECTURE
Genre of Children's Literature
We will cover nine genres of children's books:
- Picture books
- Mother Goose and nursery rhymes
- Folk literature
- Poetry
- Fantasy
- Realistic fiction
- Historical fiction
- Biography
- Informational and reference books
Each genre is covered in an outline. Find and read at least three examples of each genre. Find passages within each example that highlights how this example meets the requirements to be classified as that genre. NOTE: some examples may fit into more than one genre category
Today we begin with Picture Books.
Picture Books
- Picture Book: A book in which the text and pictures are equally important
- Illustrated book: A book in which the text is primary
- Wordless picture book: A book containing only pictures. NB: There is controversy as to whether a wordless book can be considered literature. Many wordless picture books can the literary elements we look for in texts: view, theme, character studies, setting, tone.
- Narrative art: art that tells a story. Picture books are a form of narrative art.
THE ILLUSTRATIONS IN PICTURE BOOKS
- Illusion: a technique used by artists to make us see things that are not really there: distance, depth, texture.
- Illustrations in picture books must project a mood that is appropriate to the text.
Principal Elements of the Art of Illustration
The principal elements of the art of illustration are: line, space, shape, color, texture, composition, perspective.
- Line
- to define objects by outlining
- to suggest movement, distance, feeling/emotional responses
- curves, circles: warmth, coziness, security
- sharp, zigzag: excitement and rapid movement
- horizontal: calm, stability
- vertical: height, distance
- figures at top of page: further away than those at bottom or sides
- Space (very powerful)
- draws attention to specific forms on the page
- generous use of space: emptiness, loneliness, isolation
- lack of open space: claustrophobic feeling, confusion, chaos
- Shape
- massive grouped shapes: stability, enclosure, confinement, awkwardness
- lighter, delicate shapes: movement, grace, freedom
- rounded: similar to curved and circular lines
- squarish, angular shapes: excitable reaction
- Color
- children do not require brightly colored pictures
- color can detract from the text if overpowering or inappropriate
- the least imaginatively used artistic element in childrenıs picture books (that is, conventional colors are used, for example, for the sky, grass, etc.)
- psychology of color (cultural phenomena)
- reds, yellow: excitement
- blues, greens: calm, quiet
- purple, royalty
- green: envy, illness
- blue: depression
- yellow: cowardice
- used to suggest cultural distinctions
- Texture
- creating characteristics of a three-dimensional surface on a flat surface
- used to emphasize the realistic quality of a picture
- used to enrich the visual experience and to stimulate the viewerıs imagination
- Composition/Perspective
- Composition: the arrangement of the details in the picture
- good composition creates a sense of rhythm in moving from page to page--a rhythm that is in keeping with the narration
- good composition creates a sense of unity between the illustrations and the text integrating them into one on the page
- Perspective: the vantage point from which the viewer looks on at the objects or events in the picture
Artistic styles found in childrenıs books
- Representationalism: presents objects realistically, but not necessarily photographically; may be used with non-realistic subjects
- Expressionism: deliberate distortion and exaggeration using line, space, color, shape, texture, composition; abstraction is extreme expressionism
- Impressionism: uses splashes, speckles, dots of paint to achieve an interplay between color and light; creates a dreamlike effect; distances the viewer from the action
- Surrealism: an otherwise realistically depicted object subjected to unnatural juxtapositions and bizarre incongruities; the product can be nightmarish
- Cartoon: uses gross exaggerations and distortions for satiric or humorous effect; uses solid lines and bold, unshaded colors
- Folk Art: designs and images peculiar to a specific culture--to effect the mood of the culture; particularly suited to folktales
- Photography: used mostly in realistic stories and informational books
Artistic media
- Painterly techniques:using paint as the primary medium--watercolors, tempera, gouache, poster color, oil paint, acrylics, pastels, chalk, pencil, ink, crayons
- Graphic techniques: blocks or plates that are inked and imprinted on paper--woodblocks, linocuts (linoleum), scratchboard, stone lithography
- Montage (grouping of different pictures or designs to create a single picture) and collage (grouping materials--string, cotton, weeds--with pictures to create a single picture)
Picture-book layout
- text must be carefully placed in relation to the pictures
- the pictures must illustrate what the accompanying text describes (called juxtaposition)
THE STORIES IN PICTURE BOOKS
- Principal types of stories
- Folktales, legends, myths
- initially passed by word-of-mouth
- adhere to the traditional storytelling patterns: often begin with ³Once upon a time² and end with a ³happily ever after²
- typically take place in an imaginary place where magic is commonplace
- Modern fantasy stories
- take place in modern settings and employ magic as a principal feature
- most omit the potentially threatening forces of evil that characterize the folktales
- Talking animal stories
- avoid magic
- focus on everyday issues in quite realistic contemporary settings
- early exposure to symbolism: animal or inanimate characters symbolize facets of human nature
- Realistic stories
- few subject taboo in childrenıs picture books today
- includes complexities of our world
- literature for children is foremost for enjoyment
- expose children to other cultures; depict sympathetic characters with whom the child can identify or empathize
- children like to read stories about other children who are like themselves
- Narrative elements
- Plot: sequence of events leading to a specific goal
- must be clear and fairly direct
- should have a clearly defined beginning, middle, end
- focuses on a conflict which must be resolved
- conflict can be internal (struggle within a character) or external (between characters)
- for young children the plot must use a simple, chronological time frame; more complex plot structures for older children
- young children like action, suspense, humor
- Character
- focus is one character
- character is a human (usually a child) or an animal with childlike qualities
- characterizations are quite simple (picture books are not long enough for complex character development)
- Setting
- usually conveyed visually by picture
- still a story element because setting determines much of how and why things happen in the story
- success depends on effective selection of scenes
- Subject and theme
- subject should hold meaning for a young child (e.g. child disobedience but not toxic waste disposal)
- theme--the principal idea that governs the story (e.g. disobedience of parental authority often results in dire consequences)--should not be confused with morals or lessons (didactic stories)
- Literary style
- boredom results which something is either too simple (all common monosyllable words) or too hard (complex sentences with many unfamiliar words)
- as picture books are often written for non-readers, they must read well aloud
- he best picture books challenge childrenıs thinking without overwhelming it
- Social concerns and the picture storybook
- need to be aware how picture books portray and interpret society (e.g. stereotyping)
- need to be aware of the underlying message but this does not mean we must censor or forbid certain books
- childrenıs reading should include a diverse selection of social attitudes.
UNIT 8 QUIZ ON LECTURE
See WebCT
UNIT 8 WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Describe the use of fools in childrenıs stories and their important in setting a mood (350 words). Enter your writing under Peer Editing.
UNIT 8 PEER EDITING
After you have entered your Type Three writing, read the entry immediately before yours and make suggestions for improving the writing, based on the focus correction areas (FCAs). [First person will need to read the last entry.] Upload your writings to the Peer Editing / Threaded Discussion for the day/unit due. Remember to make comments promptly on classmates' writings so they can be used in rewriting to the Type Four assignments. Type Four writings are expected to be a substantial improvement over the Type Three assignment. .
On this class site, every effort has been made to acknowledge the work of others. Any omission is unintentional. If anyone finds an oversight, please contact me at brown@southernct.edu immediately so that any error can be corrected.
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