Reflective Bibliography - Teaching Children's Literature

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Reflective Bibliography

Following are a series of academic articles from the course readings which I particularly enjoyed for their insights and how they pushed me to investigate further into the presented topics. The ‘professional prods’ from the academic articles inspired further research and reflection on my own practice and experiences. Ultimately, each of these academic reads pushed me deeper into professional and personal examination which, rather than feeling like heavy coursework, was a source of great delight as I uncovered new-to-me, exciting and engaging high-quality children’s literature.

I have organized this collection of works into categories to help my organization of the paper and to guide my reflections. Each category contains references to insightful required readings and the resources they inspired me to explore.

Just for the Fun of It - The Read-Aloud

1.      What Next in the Read-Aloud Battle?: Win or Lose? By Mem Fox

Some key words that stood out to me from this reading were

·         “enchanting engagement” (p.4)

·         “shared, secret joy” (p.6)

·         “a wide and exquisite vocabulary is absorbed” (p.7)

For me, this language brilliantly summarizes my thoughts on childhood experience of the read-aloud and the delights of reading in community. I agree with Fox that the read-aloud has incredible value for students, but I have also found it a source of delight for me, as a teacher/reader. The chance to give voice to characters and experience the emotional journey of the story along with students are rich and enduring sources of joy for me. Here are some read-aloud treasures I discovered in my explorations:

Fox, M. (2013). What next in the Read‐Aloud battle?: Win or lose? The Reading Teacher, 67(1), 4-8. 

Barnett, M. (auth), Klassen, J. (illus). (2014). Sam & Dave Dig a Hole. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

Kids love this hide-and-seek book following the boys on their epic underground search for diamonds. But even more, the curious ending which lands them back at ‘home’ where everything is opposite from where they started. Kids read the pictures as much as they enjoy the words!

Barton, C. (auth), Jack, C. (illus). (2016). That’s Not Bunny!. White Plains, New York: Disney-Hyperion.

It is a delight to give voice to this emotionally explosive hawk! His gumption-packed internal dialogue (“is he a carrot-hawk or a hawk-hawk?”) provides a fun juxtaposition to the “swoosh” of his dives and his screams of delight/failure. There is much to enjoy in this as a read-aloud both for the reader and the listeners!

Polacco, P. (1994). Just Plain Fancy. Decorah, Iowa: Dragonfly Books.

Patricia Polacco offers many enduring classics, and this treasure is no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming story of two Amish girls who find an exceptionally “fancy” egg in amongst their plain white chicken eggs. The final reveal of their beloved Fancy is breathtaking and perfectly timed, and the illustrations provide many opportunities for deeper reading and conversation. The Amish characters provide delightful opportunities to practice multiple ‘voices’ and accents in the reading aloud which is always fun for both reader and listener!

Palacio, R.J. (2016). 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne’s Precepts. St.Louis, Missouri: Turtleback Books.

This is my read-aloud find for middle years students. As a teacher librarian, I don’t see students for long enough stretches to delve into a full-length novel. I often read picture books to my older students, but this title is a true winner! Students will love to hear quotes that fall on their birthdates and the quotes provide wonderful provocations for authentic conversation and foster empathy. Many teachers use Wonder in class novel studies, and this is an excellent companion text to enrich and support their classroom work.

On the Complexity of Children and Children’s Literature

1.      The Origins and History of American Children’s Literature by M.O. Tunnel and J.S. Jacobs

This fascinating article offers a thoughtful analysis of the development of children’s literature and insight into the development of the concept of childhood. The reading caused me to reflect on “unsettling story elements for adults” (Tunnel, Jacobs, 2013). Many early books for children such as Grimm’s frightening Fairy Tales and even Peter Pan kidnapping kids in the night were not ‘disturbing’ themes for the original adult readers, whereas Max disagreeing with his parents is considered a revolutionary and disquieting theme.

The module for which this article was required, encouraged us to examine how children’s literature reflects cultural views of childhood. From the list of picture books suggested in the module, I chose the following books. Each of these reflect progressive views on the capacities of children to understand complex concepts – colonization, finding peace and literary structures such as dialogue and plot.

Tunnell, M. O., & Jacobs, J. S. (2013). The origins and history of american children's literature. The Reading Teacher, 67(2), 80-86.

Marsden, J. (auth); Tan, S. (illus). (2010). Australia: Hachette Publishing.

Don’t forget this book when discussing colonization! Published in Australia, this book could also be a stepping-stone for inquiry about colonization in other countries: how have imperialism and colonization looked around the world? The illustrations are stark and angular and I find they truly enhance the emotional gravitas of the story.

Joyce, W. (2012). The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. New York, New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers.

A tender look at the power of story. This book gently walks readers through the life of Morris Lessmore (readers may take a while to catch the ‘joke’ of his name) and the role that books play in helping him find himself and build a life. The author nudges readers to consider the enduring quality of story, even beyond our lifetimes. I found this book both sweet and thought-provoking. I read this story to my son and we immediately had to re-read the pictures upon completion; we found it both visually stunning and emotionally touching.

Willems, M. (2010) We Are in a Book!. New York, New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Lighthearted and full of playful wonder and curiosity, this book is a wonderful introduction to the entire Elephant and Piggie series. We Are in a Book! Introduces readers to the concept of dialogue, characterization and audience/reader. I love Willems’ easy delight and playful spirit in these books. I enjoy reading these with different voices for Elephant and Piggy and Willems’ trespass to speaking with the audience surprises and invites young readers deeper into the characters they love!

Smith, L. (2010) It’s a Book. New York, New York: Roaring Brook Press.

A fabulous read-aloud, this book pits two characters against each other as they discuss digital vs paper books. Lane Smith sits the two characters across from one another through the entire book; it is entirely dependent on the witty interplay between them. The “jackass” language of the ending may be a little shocking for some readers, but overall the language connects well with the characters and the general ethos of the story.

Auch, M. J. (2009). The Plot Chickens. New York, New York: Holiday House.

This sweet and humorous story has many characters that lend themselves well to various comical ‘voices’ and makes a great read-aloud. It is also a simple summary about the writing process and how to write and appreciate a good story.

2.      Children’s Literature – A Cinderella Story by RAȚĂ, I.

RAȚĂ, I. (2014). Children’s literature - A cinderella story. Cultural Intertexts, 1(2), 236-251.

This article referenced many ‘classic’ children’s books that work ‘subversively’ (RAȚĂ, p.244) to challenge cultural understandings of what it means to be a child. RAȚĂ’s framework for great works of literature for children is that they (p.244):

·         Are highly imaginative

·         Encourage questioning

·         Appeal to the “rebellious child within us”

·         Renew and incite “instinctive energy”

·         Act as a “force for change”

RAȚĂ, I. (2014). Children’s literature - A cinderella story. Cultural Intertexts, 1(2), 236-251.

RAȚĂ mentions many books that achieve these goals throughout the article, some of which I had not previously read. Here are two I enjoyed:

Zusak. M. (2007). The Book Thief. Toronto, Ontario: Knopf Books for Young Readers.

This is a fascinating story about a young German girl in Berlin during the Nazi regime. This story provides the unique perspective of what it may have felt like to be an idealized blond-haired, blue-eyed German child during the Holocaust. This story examines privilege and empowers readers to consider how small actions can make a big difference. While this book has been on my school library shelf for many years, I had yet to read it. I am grateful for the nudge to pick up this read so I can better dialogue with students about it in future! I find many of my students are fascinated by WWII stories, and this is an excellent addition to that theme. This story would appeal to all readers and provides a truly unique perspective!

Pullman, P. (2001). The Golden Compass. Toronto, Ontario: Knopf Books for Young Readers, Random House Canada.

I admit to devouring this classic series quickly, my daily walk becoming increasingly longer as I listened to the audiobook series. This story pits children against adults and angels, examining concepts of good and evil, power and corruption. This story certainly meets RAȚĂ’s requirements for subversion – it takes on everything from religion to time and space travel and empowers children as agents of change, responsible for the fate of the world. I have, in the past, worked in a faith-based independent school setting where Pullman’s books were not actively encouraged because of their deep questioning about God and authority. I would be interested, if the opportunity arises, to delve more deeply (and gently) into this discussion with faith-based teachers: how does censorship help and harm our students? Where do overtly secular books such as these fit in a faith-based canon? How can students (and teachers!) engage these titles without fear?

3.      Sendak, Maurice. (Dec, 2011). How To Take the Dive. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/xXAjkLUv7dY

I had to include this lovely piece simply because of Sendak’s profound statement that he ‘doesn’t know how to write a children’s book’! His words have stayed with me causing me to reflect on what makes literature for children or adults, and (even more importantly), how to engage children on an intellectual level. Sendak’s books often touch on major themes that adults find uncomfortable – consider Max’s independent adventure he has in Where the Wild Things Are and kidnapping in Outside Over There. Sendak obviously believes in the intellectual and emotional capacity of children to grasp these concepts on their own level. His brief talk in this video has inspired me to invite more intellectual discussion with my students beyond literary conventions or “how does this make you feel?”. I long for my students to lean into difficult concepts through literature and engage the discomfort that comes from good conversation and the emotional and intellectual development that comes from deep reading and discussion! Better questions might include “Who is missing from this book?”, “How would you react in this situation?”or “How would you manage this differently?” which gently nudge students to begin to examine deeper issues such as power dynamics and gender.

Evolution of the Literary Canon – Graphic Novel Form and New Adult Literature

1.      Graphic Narratives and the Evolution of the Canon: Adapting Literature for the New Generation by W.J. Fassbender, M. Dulaney and C.A. Pope.

I thoroughly enjoyed this article about Fassbender’s pedagogical learning journey of including graphic novels in his literature classes. He writes with a freshness and energy that drew me in as he challenged readers to be “great teachers” (p.24): flexible in their practice, willing to try new things and always focussed on enhancing the learning experiences of their students.

Fassbender, W. J., Dulaney, M., Pope, C. A (2013). Graphic narratives and the evolution of the canon: Adapting literature for a new generation. Voices from the Middle, 21(1), 19

Some graphic novels I have since discovered are:

Hale, S. (auth), Pham, L. (illus). Real Friends. New York, New York: First Second.

I chose this book because LeUyen Pham is one of my favourite illustrators. It is an endearing story about friendship and how difficult it can be to change friend groups and make new friends. Shannon Hale writes a wonderful memoir about making friends in middle school. This book hasn’t reached the mass popularity of Raina Telgemeier’s Smile series, but it fits perfectly with that canon.

The publisher, First Second, exclusively publishes graphic novels. A quick search reveals their extensive list of excellent published titles which includes some new ‘classics’ such as Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese and the girl-power Zita the Space Girl series.

 

Satrapi, M. (2004). Persepolis. New York, New York: Pantheon.

This is a stunning read! The black and white images are full of detail and contrast. While the images initially appear quite simple, they reflect complex situations, emotions and experiences – there is so much to read in the illustrations of this story! As an elementary school librarian, I am not sure if my students are ready for the intensity and content of this story. I think it would definitely be a good fit for a high school library collection.

The module notes also encouraged us to consider wordless book read-alouds. The Flotsam example is beautifully read by a child and brilliantly summarized.

2.      Villalobos, DeAnna. (January, 2014). FLOTSAM by DAVID WIESNER - oral presentation. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/rxmSpQqKUU0

This led me to explore other wordless books I might share with students.

Idle, M. (2013). Flora and the Flamingo. San Francisco, California: Chronicle Books.

I just loved this sweet story! Whimsical and heartfelt, this lovely little lift-the-flap story stole my heart with its pretty pink pictures and sweet story. While this story may not provide ground-breaking new perspectives, its stunning visuals enrich and delight the reader and inspire our inner artist.

3.      Wetta, Molly.  (2016, December 1). Categories blur as teen lit comes of age.  Retrieved December 28, 2016, from http://www.slj.com/2016/12/teens-ya/categories-blur-as-teen-lit-comes-of-age/#_

Wetta’s article examines the age categories for YA fiction and questions how the categories are defined. She introduces the concept of New Adult (2016) literature for readers between the ages of 18-25. It seems that the concepts, content, pace, readability of YA-style literature is a hook for older readers. This was an interesting discussion for me. As a keen reader of YA fiction, I have definitely read some more mature NA literature along with my YA favourites. The reflection questions for this module caused me to wonder whether one ‘graduates’ from YA literature to ‘adult’ literature. Is this a necessary transition? I’m not sure that it is. Quality literature reflects a vast array of life experience and well-rounded individuals read their own experience in stories as well as peek into the lives of others. Bishop (2018), as I discuss in the next segment, introduces the powerful concept of story as “windows, mirrors and sliding glass doors”. The irony about YA and NA literature, is that it does not simply discuss youth experience. The stories contain powerful universal themes that fit the narratives of all our lives.

The Queen of the Tearling Series is a crossover YA series aimed at older adults, as described by Wetta. This dynamic fantasy series describes a dystopian future that looks a lot like Earth’s dark ages where a community seeks to build a new utopia. While this series amply fulfills Hall’s description of YA literature, it is better suited to Wetta’s “New Adult” (2016) classification because of the increased language, graphic violence and sexuality.

Diversity of Content and Student Response

1.      Hill, C., & Ebooks Corporation. (2014;2008;). Young adult literature and scholarship come of age. In, The critical merits of young adult literature: Coming of age. New York, NY: Routledge. (chapter 1, pp.1-25)

This article was a thick analysis of Young Adult literature and how it is growing into its own unique genre beyond simply being “subsumed” (p.2) in children’s literature. Hill argues that young adult literature is not simply for teenagers, a third of YA readers are adults between 30-44 years of age (p.5) and while this literature may be targeted toward readers under 20, the defining characteristics are simply that it reflects the experiences of young adults, it is often written in the first person to encourage empathy and connection and challenges the assumptions conveyed to adolescents (p.8).

Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina is an excellent YA novel that does just what Hill describes for the genre. Seraphina is part-human and part-dragon and the story reflects her struggles to come to terms with her experience and to find solidarity. Seraphina embarks on solving a mystery that draws her into a complex web of racial tensions, emotionally compromised adults and political intrigue. Her story empowers YA readers to question status quo and embrace difference. This book received many literary awards and was a finalist for the 2012 Governor General’s award.

2.      Bishop, R. (2018). Mirrors, windows and sliding doors. [online] YouTube. Available at: Mirrors, windows and sliding doors

Seraphina also pairs perfectly with Rudine Sims Bishop’s Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Doors. While definitely a ‘white’ story, Seraphina so aptly describes the physical insecurities (around bodies, race, family) of the coming-of-age experience that I think it would also be a valuable inclusion in the Diversity canon. This story touches on significant themes of race, advocacy, insecurity, gender and sexuality, friendships, family dynamics, betrayal and trust and the political rules and tensions that further complicate our cultural understanding and exploration of these important themes. Hartman’s work steps away from particular races and allows readers to consider their own circumstances by allowing readers to “look through and see other worlds” (Bishop, 2018) through Seraphina’s eyes. This story touches powerfully on so many themes, it would be impossible for readers not to find themselves within, or empathize with the plights of others (Bishop, 2018).

But further consideration on helpful resources for my particular situation led me to recall wonderful works I used in an earlier assignment in this course. My community, Courtenay BC, has a strong and proud indigenous heritage, nestled in the Comox valley alongside the Komoks First Nation, among others. Our school district has a highly successful indigenous primary school Strong Start through grade 1 program which is popular among both indigenous and non-indigenous families. Some quality indigenous texts I discovered along the way are:

Daniel, D. (2017). Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox. Toronto, Ontario: Groundwood Books.

Alexie, S. (2016). Thunder Boy Jr. New York, New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Both of these are worth including in this reflection because of their value as “mirrors” and “windows” (Bishop, 2018) in reflecting and inviting others to experience other cultural realities. I appreciate that these two stories invite readers to engage in everyday indigenous experience and they invite readers to observe common experiences (names and identity, emotions) from a new perspective. These are both keepers; beautifully illustrated, thoughtfully written and sensitive to the individual voice of a child.

3.      Multimodal Responses to Literature by C. Leland, M. Lewison and J. Harste

This reading is a treasure! It reads very much like Donalyn Miller’s Reading in the Wild and is full of practical classroom application ideas (reminiscent of every Faye Brownlie lecture I’ve attended). While we were required to read a single chapter, the remaining text is also rich with ideas for stories to use in class accompanied by a plethora of multimodal response activities ranging from trading homemade Art Cards to creating Cultural X-Rays representing cultural values (p.183). The authors discuss using visual arts, digital arts, drama, music in innovative ways to enhance in-depth learning and engagement. I am eager to try some of their ideas in my own classroom. As a literacy expert in my school situation, I long to build collaborative connections with teachers to design and provide innovative learning ideas for students. This book is full of excellent ideas I will keep to share with my colleagues so we can work together to enhance multimodal literacy in our classrooms!

Leland, C., Lewison, M., & Harste, J. (2012). Multimodal responses to literature. In Teaching children's literature: It's critical. Taylor andFrancis, p. 125-236.

4.      Dalton, B., & Grisham, D. L. (2013). Love that book: Multimodal response to literature.The Reading Teacher,67(3), 220-225.

This article describes a series of innovative multimodal response strategies for students to explore literature and engage in “close reading” (p.220) of the text. Multimodal responses increase student engagement and personal response, increase critical analysis and appreciate and help “expand the literacy palette” (p.220) by providing unique opportunities for students to respond in a mode that suits their needs for expression.

The authors suggest using PowerPoint, Garage Band, VoiceThread, YouTube, Glogster as technology tools to facilitate multimodal student expression.

On the discussion page, one classmate suggested BookBento on Instagram in which readers gather a selection of items to represent the stories:

I have enjoyed using glogster.com to make posters. Here is an example of a poster I prepared for Andrea Beaty’s Rosie Revere, Engineer:

And I’ve also enjoyed building infographs with canva.com. Here is one of my creations:

Conclusion

This curation represents a vast amount of new learning and exploration and provides me with a useful list of amazing resources to use in the coming school year and to share with my colleagues to enhance our common practice. As a teacher librarian, my task is to seek out positive collaborative relationships with my colleagues to provide quality resources to enhance and support their work in the classroom; this collection contains wonderful additions to enrich our collaborative work as teachers.

However, fundamentally, this curation represents a personal journey of professional learning. Many of the academic articles surprised me by their readability and their capacity to inspire me to delve deeper into their topics. As I review the collection of works highlighted and the explorations they prompted, I reflect on the feelings of lightheartedness and delight produced by my inquiries. As a student, I can easily become bogged-down by the intense intellectual readings required for module completion. However, these articles provided me with the delightful opportunity to explore some wonderful children’s literature that warmed my heart, challenged my thinking and inspired my teacher’s imagination. Rather than bogging me down, the articles acted as catalysts for joyful inspiration and a salient reminder of why I am taking these courses in the first place: my enduring delight in children’s literature and its firm place as a beloved genre in my personal literary canon. Not only have I been refreshed and delighted as a reader, but I have been professionally inspired and pushed to enhance my teaching practice using high quality, diverse children’s literature, multi-modal responses and vibrant read-alouds.