Week of September 28th: Fantasy Literature

   This week in class we talked about fantasy, which is what Chapter 8 in our textbook, Children's Books in Children's Hands, was about. I learned that in order to enjoy the genre of fantasy, a reader must participate in the "willing suspension of disbelief," but in order for that to happen, the author must "anchor the story in plausibility." So, it "must be believable for us to believe." I understand why this is necessary, because I know that I dislike or lose interest in books or movies that are too out there, or unbelievable.
   We read a story as a class called Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. It is considered fantasy because it involves the use of personified animals. What made this novel believable, was the relatability of the main character, Lily, a mouse who loves school and her teacher, but lacks the patience to wait until the appropriate time to show off her new possessions. I think everyone can relate to the feeling of not wanting to wait to share something.

 

   Later in the class, we had to get into groups and analyze a children's book, and then make a language chart, based on the standards of fantasy literature. The book my group chose was titled The Adventures of Beekle, The Unimaginary Friend. 

I really loved this story. I thought it was the cutest thing. We determined that the book could be classified as "low fantasy." This means that it has "nontraditional events that occur without explanation in the real world." I think what made this book believable was Beekle's feelings, as well as the fact that many of us as children actually had an imaginary friend. 

   We also had a literature circle today on The True Blue Scouts of Sugarland Swamp. My group and I discussed our wonderings about the novel. My wondering was if the ivory billed woodpecker mentioned in the book was a real bird. I researched and found out that it was indeed. I really liked our discussion because it gave me other perspectives on the book. For instance, one person in my group wondered if the author of the book got her inspiration for the Sugar Man from a real life legend of the Honey Island Swamp Monster. Overall, I enjoy our group discussions as they allow me to see different aspects of the novel in different points of view.
 

Week of September 21st: Language Chart

   Today in class we learned about the useful tool of language charts. Language charts basically are a tool used to help students reach a deeper understanding of the book or books they are reading. In the words of our professor from the powerpoint we went over in class, they are "tools for guiding children's exploration of literature." They allow children to break down their books into different elements that can be compared, such as finding the theme of all the books, listing main characters, perspective, and the setting. They can also talk about "literary genres," "literary themes," or "craft of illustrator or author." Having students work in groups to create the chart allows them to see things from another point of view. Children might notice different themes in books, and by working together they can share their personal views and conclusions with the group to create a more in depth understanding for all involved.
   I learned that language charts are supposed to be large. Sometimes they can even take up an entire whiteboard such as this example that our professor showed in class. Students can add to it as they read different books. I think it's a cool idea since the children are the ones that actually write on it and contribute to it. It is a good way to get the students up and involved in their learning.

      We had to create our own language charts in class in groups based on about 3 children's books that we were assigned that all had the same author. Our author was Mo Willems. Our three books were Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and Knuffle Bunny Too. They were all really cute books.

   After we read all of the books aloud, we then started thinking about what we wanted the categories of our language chart to be. We decided on characters, setting, point of view, and theme. Two of our books, the ones about the pigeon, were written in second person. They were talking to the reader the whole time. It was difficult to come up with a theme for those two, as they had very few words on the page and it was just the pigeon asking to do things, to which the reader responds with an implied no. But, we did come up with a theme for each of those together. The easiest part of our language chart to fill out was the character section. The hardest was definitely the theme section. However, I think that that section is the most beneficial to students. It is the one that allows students to look deeper into the actual meaning behind the book, instead of just surface level like the setting and characters. Here is a picture of our language chart.

   Overall, I really enjoyed learning about language charts. They are a useful tool that I had not heard of before, and I am glad that I know about them now so that I can use them in my future classroom. I think that they hold a lot of value for helping children obtain a deeper understanding of literature while involving them in the learning process. 

Week of September 14th: Multicultural Literature Class and Chapter 2 Literary Elements

   This week in class we focused on multicultural literature. We read several books, some of which would be good multicultural books for your classroom, and some of which would not. I really enjoyed this class. It was interesting and fun to experience children's books that shared and expressed a different culture than mine. In today's case, that culture was a Hispanic culture.
   The first children's book we read was called "Just a Minute," and was about an Abuelita who was trying her best to put off going with Senor Calavera, and eventually succeeded by getting him to leave. I think that this book has the potential to be a useful tool in classrooms, because it helps children count, and also exposes them to a different culture and language.

   The second book we read was titled "Nino Wrestles The World," and it was about a little boy who battles ferocious monsters by using non-violent tactics like tickling. This was a really cute book, although as someone who does not speak any Spanish, I would find it very difficult to pronounce and know the meaning of the words that were in it. Once again, it is a good way to expose students to a different language and culture. 

   The third book, entitled "Skippyjon Jones in the Dog House," was one that we did not read in it's entirety. Although it is humorous and entertaining, the language that was used (such as "Skippito") was not an authentic view of the Spanish language or culture. For this reason, I probably would not use this children's book in my classroom. It was very stereotypical and not culturally sensitive. 

  We started a fourth book, called "Chato and the Party Animals," but we did not read very much of it. For each book, we wrote down why or why not we would use it in our future classrooms. I liked this activity because it showed me some of the criteria necessary to evaluate a children's book for classroom use. 

   The textbook chapter that we were assigned to read for this class period was Chapter 2: Literary Elements in Works for Children. It involved things like setting, themes, characters, plots, point of view, and style. I learned that setting is "part of the reader's invitation into an imaginary experience," and that it is portrayed differently in different genres. With themes, I discovered that there are explicit or implicitly. Sometimes, you have to do a good deal of critical thinking to discover the theme, and sometimes it is blatantly obvious. With characters, I learned about the ways that children book writers make their characters come alive in their books. The reader should feel like they actually know a character if the children's book is written well. The plot is also very crucial to a children's book. It allows the readers to follow the story. It begins with a "exposition," then going to "rising action," followed by the "climax," then the "falling climax," and finally the "denouement." I have never heard of these terms before so it was very interesting to read about them. Point of view is also very important, as it determines if the book is in first, second, or third person. Finally, style is "how" things are said in a children's book. 

Week of August 31st: Picture Books

   This week our class revolved around picture books. I read Chapter 3 before class and took notes on it so that I would have the background information on picture books in order to get the most out of class this week. 

   I learned a lot about picture books from reading chapter 3. For one, I learned how dynamic picture books are for children, as they use both good art and a "unique use of language" to capture children's attention. I found it fascinating to learn about the very first picture book, the title of which is "The Visible World in Pictures" translated. It's crazy to think of a picture book that is that old. I also had never really considered how people haven't always had paper to print their books on. That's something we take for granted. It must have been so difficult to make a book a long time ago using techniques like "wood block printing," or lithography. 

   I also learned the different categories of pictures books, from toy books for preschoolers, to wordless books. Wordless books are particularly captivating to me. To think about how an artist can tell and entire story just through pictures is pretty mind-blowing. They have to really consider how a child might perceive their images in order to ensure that a story is indeed relayed in an understandable manner. My favorite type of picture books are simply the ones that use both words and images to work "amplify" each other. 

   I also learned about how different elements of design work together in picture books to help get a message across to readers. I had never really considered before how much thought goes into the little details of picture books, like how different colors convey mood, and how lines can indicate moods as well. We saw this in the book we read and discussed as a class, titled When Sophie Gets Angry-Really Really Angry. In it, the author uses lines around the main character, Sophie, to indicate her mood. Endpages are one part of book design that I previously had given little attention to, when in actuality they can really contribute to a children's book.

   I saw proof of that in class when we analyzed children's books with a partner. My partner and I read Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett. 

It was a really cute story about a Chameleon who was searching for a friend by transforming into the animal or object that he was trying to befriend. Eventually, he meets another chameleon who shows him that by being himself, he can find a friend. After reading the book, we looked at the end pages and they did indeed add a little to the story. The back endpages showed the two chameleons going off together as friends. 

   I love that at the end of each class so far our professor has read us a children's book out loud. It's so fun and really helps connect what we are learning about children's books to an actual book. I don't remember the name of the book this week, but it was a really fun story about a pig and hen couple who get invited for a feast at this mansion that is owned by a wolf who actually wants them for dinner. I liked that we went through it and analyzed the details of it so that I could see all the things that the author put into it in order to capture children's attention.