Supporting the Right to Read: Principles for Selecting Children’s Books

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle E. Hartsfield ◽  
Sue C. Kimmel
Keyword(s):  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
The Right ◽  
Right To Read

scholarly journals “Bestimmt wird alles gut”: Journeys and Arrivals in Contemporary German Children’s Books

2021 ◽  
pp. 357-373
Author(s):  
Anneli Fjordevik
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Picture Books ◽  
Foreign Country ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
World War ◽  
Leaving Home ◽  
The Right

In the last few years, many people from war-torn countries have left home to seek safety in distant countries. Refugees have come to Europe to an extent that has not been seen since World War II. It is estimated that around 50% of the refugees are children under eighteen and many of them have ended up in Germany. The fact that many people leave their homes and become foreigners in new countries is also noticeable in literature. In recent years, an increasing number of books on this topic have been published, not least children’s books. This chapter considers how escape from war and the arrival situation are depicted in eight picture books published 2016-2017 in German. My focus is on whether the fact that the families have to escape to a foreign country is problematised in any way: How do the children (and their families) in the books deal with the new language and with communication? Are there any difficulties concerning identity and “otherness”? What expectations/reflections (such as whether or not they made the right decision) on the new life – if any – are being related? How does the stress affect them and their families? And do the stories about leaving home and arriving in a foreign place have entirely happy endings?

scholarly journals M.E.R. – 'Reg op ereplek' as kinderboekskrywer

Literator ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-82
Author(s):  
G. Wybenga
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Literary Context ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right

M.E.R. – 'The right to a place of honour' as the author of children’s books A recognition of M.E.R.’s writing developed late in her career. One of the reasons for this was most probably that she was almost exclusively involved in writing for children in the 1920s and early 1930s. Her many publications for children included not only “Kinders van die Voortrek” and the well-known “Karlien en Kandas”, but many more. It was only in the late 1940s after she had published books for adults that she received recognition for her work – which did not happen in the case of her earlier children’s books. Although she is at present regarded as a pioneer of children’s literature, these books have still not been accepted as part of the canon. This article attempts to indicate why she is considered a pioneer by situating her work in the literary context of the time. By analysing the individual books for children as texts in their own right, the article demonstates that dichotomising her work into literature for children and literature for adults is not justified. From the onset till the end of her career M.E.R.’s publications form one continuous oeuvre. The same trends observable in her early work for children are present in the later work for adults.

The Right to Imagine: Reading in Community with People and Stories / Gente y Cuentos

PMLA ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 746-752
Author(s):  
Marcy Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Military ◽  
Inside Out

In Córdoba, Argentina, a library of books once banned by the military junta's censors (1976–83) now resides at a center called the Espacio para la Memoria (“Space for Memory”). The site, where prisoners were once held and tortured, houses workshops inviting schoolchildren to think about this terrifying period in their history. Under the junta, even children's books were banned, and after reading a few of these titles with the children who visit the center, the workshop leaders ask them why they think the books were prohibited. One of the reasons the censors gave for prohibition was that these books offered “unlimited fantasy.” To explore this idea, in one workshop the kids sang the song “The Backward Kingdom” (“El reino del revés”), by the well-known Argentine singer María Elena Walsh. After hearing the charming lyrics (birds swim, fish fly, babies have beards, 2 + 2 = 3, etc.), students brainstormed to generate their own inside-out or upside-down examples. One child mentioned raining up, another suggested that big kids nap while little kids play, and a third proposed cars driving on the sidewalk while kids play in the street. Upset by this disorder, one of the children exclaimed, “No, that's impossible!” until the boy who imagined cars on sidewalks explained, “But we're just imagining!” His classmate responded, “Oh, okay, in that case it's possible.”

"For Girls" and "For Boys"

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Desmarais
Keyword(s):  
Target Audience ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Good Question ◽  
Good Book ◽  
Firm Commitment ◽  
The Right ◽  
Dedicated Team ◽  
Gender Specific ◽  
The Way

Dear Readers,Occasionally, I receive books from Canadian publishers that are marketed and labeled as “for girls” and “for boys." Not surprisingly, this practice is considered offensive by many people because it so obviously aims to exclude readers. So how exactly do I handle these gender-specific books when they arrive in my mailbox? Good question! I put them on the reviewer shelves outside my office, making them available to our dedicated team of Deakin reviewers to decide for themselves whether they wish to read and review books that are so obviously gender segregated. In other words, we don’t censor books.You can imagine my surprise when I read a pledge on March 16th by literary editor Katy Guest that the Independent on Sunday will no longer review any book which is aimed exclusively at boys or girls. Guest explained, “What we are doing by pigeon-holing children is badly letting them down. And books, above all things, should be available to any child who is interested in them” (http://www.independent.co.uk). I wholeheartedly agree that children’s books should be available to all children, but the irony here is that Guest has made a firm commitment to not review gender-specific books, making them unavailable to Independent readers. She warns publishers not to send books in “glittery pink covers” because they will “go straight into the recycling pile along with every Great Big Book of Snot for Boys.” Naturally, many journalists and readers were appalled and swiftly denounced Guest’s decision to ignore an entire category of children’s books.Publishers have their reasons for marketing books the way they do, and while we may not agree with their strategies, they have every right to market their books to a target audience with pink covers, sparkles, co-packaged toys, multimedia, etc. They are doing what they believe is necessary to help readers figure out what to buy, just like we reserve the right to review all genres of children’s books to help our readers decide what to read. Rest assured, if we review children’s books that are too narrowly marketed to one gender, we’ll say so and we’ll also be frank with our readers about why it is or is not a good book. So, dear publishers, please continue to send us your gender-labeled books, but be advised that we’ll want to understand and assess why your book does not appeal to all children. Happy reading (to readers of all genders)!Robert DesmaraisManaging Editor

scholarly journals The Good Egg by J., J., and P. Oswald

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Best Interest ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
The Right

John, Jory and Pete Oswald. The Good Egg. HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2019. This imaginative picture book by bestselling creators Jory John and Pete Oswald uses beautiful illustrations and humour to tackle social and emotional skills. The Good Egg is the counterpart to the duo’s book The Bad Seed. As the title suggests, the main character of this book is a good egg, “A verrrrrry good egg.” The beginning of the book shows how the good egg stands apart from the rest of the rowdy dozen in his carton by trying to do good deeds—he’s rescuing a cat when we first meet him. But as the story progresses, we see that the good egg is trying so hard to be good, while everyone around him is rotten, that he reaches a breaking point. The good egg literally begins to crack from all of the self-imposed pressure. Deciding that it is in his best interest to leave the carton, the good egg embarks on a journey of self-care, and self-reflection. On his journey, the good egg finds peace by taking walks, reading, writing in his journal, and just breathing. Eventually, the good egg starts to feel like himself again. At the same time, he realizes that he is lonely without his friends. He learns that even though the other eggs aren’t perfect, he doesn’t have to be either. The good egg decides that it is much better to be with those you love than to be alone, so he returns to his carton. The detailed and expressive illustrations by Oswald bring the characters in The Good Egg to life, making them relatable to kids. The story flows nicely with just the right amount of words, making it a good read-aloud, and useful for class and family discussions on topics like perfectionism, self-care, and accepting yourself and others as they are. It is one of those picture books that gives kids an opportunity to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and to empathize. Overall, The Good Egg reminds us of the importance of balance and self-care, and accepting those we love, even if they are a bit rotten sometimes. Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Tara GordonTara Gordon is a University of Alberta SLIS student with a lifelong passion for children’s books. Outside of school, Tara enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. 

Finding “just right” books for children: analyzing sentiments in online book reviews

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunseon Choi
Keyword(s):  
Sentiment Analysis ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Controlled Vocabulary ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Rating Score ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
The Right

Purpose This study is part of a larger research project which aims to investigate whether sentiments in online reviews on children’s books would represent significant factors which are useful for selecting the right books for children. This paper aims to examine whether positive, negative or neutral attitude would be directly associated with the overall ratings of books. Design/methodology/approach The study investigates subjectivity and polarity of online reviews on children’s books such as neutral, positive or negative sentiment. For the investigation of a statistical association between the sentiment values and the rating scores, this study performs correlation analysis. For a clear explanation of the factors affecting the relationships between the sentiment value and the rating score, this study uses the concept-level sentiment analysis of online reviews. Findings The findings of this study demonstrate that there is a weak or low correlation between the sentiment value and the rating score of a book and they are hardly related for most books. The results of this study also uncover key contributing factors that affected the correlations between two variables and made the relationship weak. Research limitations/implications This study increases awareness of the implications of online reviews as user-generated contents for complementing the existing controlled vocabulary. Practical implications This study contributes to improving library catalogs by using latent topics extracted from online reviews which provide additional access points for assisting in the selection of books. Originality/value Although several studies have conducted on online reviews in the domain of business, no research appears to exist on the sentiment analysis of online reviews about children’s books. This study attempts to address the potential and challenges associated with using online reviews to help find the right books for children.

‘Here in India’: Nineteenth-Century British Women Navigating their Position in the Empire through Children's Literature

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-185
Author(s):  
Jesse Aberbach
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Middle Class ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Infants And Children ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Maternal Roles ◽  
Female Writers ◽  
And Control ◽  
Botanical Study

This article considers how the children's books written by two nineteenth-century female writers, Eliza Tabor and Mary Martha Sherwood, when they accompanied their husbands to India, enabled them to navigate this new environment and their position as respectable middle-class women while revealing how India was deemed a place where British childhood was impossible. Just as many women took up botanical study to legitimise their ‘otherwise transgressive presence in imperial spaces’ (McEwan 219), writing for children enabled others to engage with the masculine world of travelling and earning money without compromising their femininity. Addressing their work to children also seems to have helped both writers to deal with the absence of their own children: the Indian climate made it impossibly challenging for most British infants and children. In this way their writing gives expression to what might be termed a crisis of imperial motherhood. Underlying the texts is an anxiety relating to British settlement and an attempt to comprehend and control a place that threatened their maternal roles.

The Adult as Foe or Friend?: Childism in Guus Kuijer's Criticism and Fiction

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Joosen
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Memorial Award ◽  
Adult Reader ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Selection Of

Compared to the attention that children's literature scholars have paid to the construction of childhood in children's literature and the role of adults as authors, mediators and readers of children's books, few researchers have made a systematic study of adults as characters in children's books. This article analyses the construction of adulthood in a selection of texts by the Dutch author and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Guus Kuijer and connects them with Elisabeth Young-Bruehl's recent concept of ‘childism’ – a form of prejudice targeted against children. Whereas Kuijer published a severe critique of adulthood in Het geminachte kind [The despised child] (1980), in his literary works he explores a variety of positions that adults can take towards children, with varying degrees of childist features. Such a systematic and comparative analysis of the way grown-ups are characterised in children's texts helps to shed light on a didactic potential that materialises in different adult subject positions. After all, not only literary and artistic aspects of children's literature may be aimed at the adult reader (as well as the child), but also the didactic aspect of children's books can cross over between different age groups.

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