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Feeling Like a Kid: Childhood and Children's Literature
In this engaging and reflective essay, Jerry Griswold examines the unique qualities of childhood experience and their reappearance as frequent themes in children's literature. Surveying dozens of classic and popular works for the young--from "Heidi" and "The Wizard of Oz" to Beatrix Potter and "Harry Potter"--Griswold demonstrates how great ch
...moreHardcover, 148 pages
Published
November 1st 2006
by Johns Hopkins University Press
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For everyone who teaches or loves children's literature, I highly recommend this book. I'm ashamed to admit that I've never heard of Jerry Griswold, the director of the National Center for the Study of Children's Literature and a professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University. This is likely because he approaches children's lit from an English background while most of my friends and I come from an education background. Regardless of professional stance, this book i...more
Jerry Griswold explores the unique qualities of childhood experience and the ways in which they reappear as frequent themes in children's literature. The themes include: snugness, scariness, smallness, lightness, and aliveness. "There should therefore be a time in adult life devoted to revisiting the most important books of our youth Even if the books have remained the same,...we have most certainly changed, adn our encounter with them will be a new thing" (Italo Calvino, The Uses of L...more
I didn't even finish this one. It's a good introduction to children's literature, but it's pretty obvious for anyone who has spend even a little time thinking about the genre. Plus, it relies quite heavily on psychoanalytical theory (what do children's books do for the psychological development of children) and I find this line of thinking to be inaccurate and usually not the most interesting. Also, he slips into biographical criticism quite easily (how the lives of the authors affect their work...more
This is a beautiful little book with lovely illustrations from many well-loved children's books. In it, Griswold explores five major themes in children's literature in new and interesting ways, through five essays entitled Snugness, Scariness, Smallness, Lightness, and Aliveness. My only beef is that he refers to "classic" children's books pretty much exclusively (The Wind in the Willows, Stuart Little, Peter Pan, etc.). While this might be appealing to a larger audience of adults w...more
Very cute little book addressing five recurrent themes: snugness, scariness, smallness, lightness, and aliveness. Full of classic illustrations too. A real charming book.
Miss
marked it as to-read
Available in uni library.
An easy read book with wonderful classic illustrations - outlines 5 themes in children's literature - snugness, scariness, lightness...
Not the most original thesis but still a pleasure to read (and a lovely, well-made book).
Great for professionals working with children's literature, kids, or simply if you are reminiscent of the feeling you had when you were a child reading. Examines the way that successful children's literature emotionally resonates with children. Beautifully constructed, from the feel and cut of the paper to the cover and page design.
Really interesting examination of children's literature through 5 themes that recur throughout children's book. Very very quick read too, which is always nice. Love how beautiful this book is -- the design and the lovely illustrations throughout really made this book.
Smiles all through the book, read this in an hour. It divides into themes that we as a child experienced and why books scare us as a child. Books that made us dream big, books that made us feel snuggly, etc.
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