Textbook Reflections Ch. 1-5

Chapter 1: Why do we share literature with children?

Summary:  

The following are six reasons to share literature with children: 1. it’s fun, 2. it helps in language acquisition, 3. it develops empathy, 4. it supports lifelong readers, 5. it develops imagination, and 6. it can spread knowledge of other cultures.  Children read for unconscious delight, autobiographical reading (mirror view of experiences/characters like themselves), vicarious experience (window view of other’s experiences), philosophical speculation (reading to gain understanding to form one’s own thoughts), and aesthetic experience (for the beauty of it).  With so many wonderful benefits it’s important to teach children the love of reading.

Reflection:

I find reason number two, reading helps in language acquisition and development, particularly important as a mother of a 4, 9, and 11-year-old.  I recall from teaching third grade that reading 20 minutes a day is optimal.  What I learned is reading 20 minutes a day will help children add 1,800,000 words a year to their language.  Wow!  That is impressive.  Reading 20 minutes a day for homework is currently an initiative at my children’s school.  As a librarian, I plan to continue to emphasis the importance of reading 20 minutes a day.  The most significant take-away from this chapter was, “Reading enjoyment is more important for children’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status” (Krashen 1999).  This finding from Krashen highlights the significant positive impact reading can have on children’s lives.  John Green’s 47 Charming Facts About Children’s Books was very engaging.  This video would get children interested in reading books they might not have considered before.   My favorite fact was that A Wrinkle in Time was rejected by at least 26 publishers.  What a wonderful example of persistence.  

Chapter 2: Divisions of Young People’s Literature

Summary:

This chapter covered the four categories of literature for people 0-30 years old.  Children’s literature is for children 0-8 years old.  This category includes wordless picture books, regular picture books, easy readers, and illustrated chapter books.  The middle grade/tween category of literature is for 8-12 years old. This category contains chapter books and graphic novels.  The age range in this category bridges elementary and middle school students, so the maturity of the literature’s content varies greatly.  Careful consideration of the content should be taken when selecting books for the middle grade/tween category.  The young adult category covers 13-18 years old.  Books in this category contain stronger language and include more serious topics such as sex, violence, etc.  New adult books are for 18-30 years old.  These books are usually about experiences people have during high school graduation or after when they can live without adult supervision. 

Reflection:

This is the first I have heard about the new adult book category.  I know that young adult books are popular among adults and enjoy reading them myself.  The new adult literature has filled a need for books about post high school or college experiences.  Watching the Chapter 2 video has sparked my interest in reading young adult and new adult books.  I am fascinated by the middle grade/tween category.  I’ve never contemplated the large maturity/interest gap that exist between 8-12 years.  Children mature so much during these years and their interests change equally as fast.  They don’t necessarily mature at the same rate.  Two eleven-year-old children would not have the same level, maturity, or the same life experiences; so even though they are the same age they may or may not be ready to read literature with more serious content.  The middle grades/tween category present an interesting challenge.

Chapter 3: Anatomy of a Book

Summary:

The anatomy of a book contains six parts: casewrap, endpapers, book block, gutter, headband, and backbone.  Books usually come with a book jacket or cover.  Once the book jacket is removed the front and back outside cover is called the casewrap.  Behind the casewrap at the beginning and end of the book are two pages of paper called endpapers.  The center of the book is called the book block.  The book block the is reason we opened the book, for the words and pictures. The backbone or spine of the book holds together the front and back covers.  When you open the book in the center fold there is blank space inside the inner margin.  This blank space is called the gutter. Finally, the headband is a decorative strip to cover up the small gap between the spine and cover.  Each book has two headbands located at the very top and very bottom on the inside of the spine.  

Reflection:

The Anatomy of a Book blog entry could be incorporated into library lessons.  It could be used for a beginning of the year lesson on proper care of library books.  First, teach the anatomy of a book.  Follow up with how to properly care for books.  Finally, discuss what to do when a book gets damaged.  The anatomy of a book could also be incorporated into a lesson on how books are made.  Mac Barnett wrote How This Book Was Made, which would be the perfect for an elementary level lesson.  Barnett writes about the author, publisher, and manufactures role in making books.  The Anatomy of a Book would expand on the manufactures part in the book making process.

Chapter 4: Genres and Formats

Summary:

There are two genres, fiction and nonfiction.   Each genre can be further divided into sub-genres.  Fiction can be either realistic or fantasy.   If a book is considered realistic fiction it can be classified as either modern realistic fiction or historical realistic fiction.   If a book is fantasy fiction it can be classified as either modern fantasy fiction or traditional fantasy fiction.  The subgenres of traditional fantasy fiction are folktale, ballad, fable, legend, myth, or fairytale.  The subgenres of modern fantasy fiction are hard science fiction, soft science fiction, high fantasy, and low fantasy.  Nonfiction is information and can be placed into the following subgenres biography, autobiography, memoir, narrative, or expository.  Most titles commonly used to generify a library are not genres, they are titles or categories.  Books come in the following formats: poetry, drama, novels, chapter books, short stories, picture books, graphic novels.  The format describes the organization or presentation of the literature within a genres or subgenres.  For example: historical poetry, historical novel, historical graphic novel, historical picture book, etc.

Reflection:

I was glad to get clarification on genres, subgenres, and categories/subjects.  I’ve heard the term generifying recently.  Being new to the world of librarianship, I had to research it to figure out what it was.  I’ve realized that generifying has distorted peoples understanding of the word genre.  Plus, it seems overly time consuming to reorganize a whole collection.  There must be a simpler way to help people find their next read.  Why reinvent the wheel when technology can provide an alternative?  Librarians should teach patrons how to search for books from their favorite categories.  Then patrons can use these searching techniques in other libraries.   I think that the problems that come along with generifying out way the positives.

Chapter 5: What is YA literature?

Summary:

Young adult (YA) literature have several common components.  It is a story containing an independent young leading character told from an adolescent perspective.  The main character is experiencing a life changing event that bring about their personal growth.   YA literature develops stories about problems that are relatable to adolescents.

Reflections:

It seems most YA literature has a main character that for the most part have positive character traits, overcome the odds, and persevere.  These are inspiring stories for our youth.  Every young person will find themselves with their own challenges and it’s how they respond to those challenges that make the difference.  These thoughts have made me wonder, where was YA literature when I was young?  I don’t recall reading many books with main characters experiencing real adolescent problems.  I did a little research on the history of YA literature and found A Brief History of Young Adult Books on Epic Reads http://www.epicreads.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-young-adult-books/.  My young adult years occurred in the early 90s, which was considered a dark time for YA.  Fewer YA novels were published in the early then.  I’m sure this contributed to my lack of exposure to YA literature.  I’m glad our youth have stories about perseverance to inspire them to overcome their own struggles in life.