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Children's Literature and Critical Theory: Reading and Writing for Understanding
Rarely has children's literature attracted as much attention and debate as it does now. With teachers, legislators, academics, and parents all clamoring for an educational renaissance, literacy is in the spotlight. But what about literary criticism ? A venerated component of the traditional
literature curriculum, critical theory has been all but ignored in the study of children's books. Jill May's unique and vital text sets out to remedy this oversight.
Based on years of thorough research and classroom experience, Children's Literature and Critical Theory argues that critical theory is an essential part of any elementary literature program. The author begins by exploring the writings of scholars who have laid the groundwork in critical theory
for all literature, introducing methods of analysis which are typically used in scholarly discussions about children's books. May continually relates how her students in children's literature classes and teachers in the field have become critics in their own right; how young people who wish to be
teachers can become involved in analysis which leads to making decisions about classroom practices; how instructors can change their perspectives by learning new ways of teaching; and how readers can learn to appreciate divergent writing styles and to argue with the experts. Children's Literature
and Critical Theory discusses numerous fundamental issues, from canon formation to response theory, suggesting their roles in shaping all readers' responses to children's stories. Complete with a comprehensive glossary of literary terms for new readers of criticism and an extensive bibliography for
further reading, this remarkable text is essential reading for students and scholars working in children's literature, education, library science, and child development.
literature curriculum, critical theory has been all but ignored in the study of children's books. Jill May's unique and vital text sets out to remedy this oversight.
Based on years of thorough research and classroom experience, Children's Literature and Critical Theory argues that critical theory is an essential part of any elementary literature program. The author begins by exploring the writings of scholars who have laid the groundwork in critical theory
for all literature, introducing methods of analysis which are typically used in scholarly discussions about children's books. May continually relates how her students in children's literature classes and teachers in the field have become critics in their own right; how young people who wish to be
teachers can become involved in analysis which leads to making decisions about classroom practices; how instructors can change their perspectives by learning new ways of teaching; and how readers can learn to appreciate divergent writing styles and to argue with the experts. Children's Literature
and Critical Theory discusses numerous fundamental issues, from canon formation to response theory, suggesting their roles in shaping all readers' responses to children's stories. Complete with a comprehensive glossary of literary terms for new readers of criticism and an extensive bibliography for
further reading, this remarkable text is essential reading for students and scholars working in children's literature, education, library science, and child development.
- GenresChildrens
264 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 1, 2021
Very good book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2015
While I appreciated May's encouragement of bringing together the analytical and philosophical ideas of children's literature scholars with the practical teaching of children's literature by those who work with living, real children in order to help children build better critical reading skills, I'm not sure if she is always successful in reaching her intended audience. It's clear that May was a very active ChLA member throughout the eighties and nineties, as she references different conversations and presentations at ChLA conferences and quotes past ChLA presidents as well. This text serves as a nice history of the organization
She makes several references to _The Snowy Day_, so it's a useful text for analysis of this book, even if I don't always agree with her views about the book (41). She also made this interesting observation: "A few years ago, while attending a writers conference, I listened to a young African American author describe the biography she had been working on. It was about the first black astronaut she explained, and it included interviews of his family members as well as a summary of the man's life and accomplishments. In some ways, it was a disjointed story because she had not placed the man's life in perfect chronological order. Also, she was less interested in telling a hero's tale but in discovering why this man had become an astronaut while his brother had gone to prison. So far, none of the publishers she had approached had been willing to consider publishing her manuscript. The author running the session nodded in understanding. "Publishers aren't interested in black biographies," he answered. "I wanted to write a biography about African-American sports heroes, but my publisher discouraged me. The argument I got was books about African-Americans don't sell." Why, I wondered as I drove home, aren't stories about African-Americans selling?" (138). She theorizes: "Diversity in literature will be a reality when we know how to read diverse writing styles and learn to listen to new ways of expressing cultural realities" (139).
She makes several references to _The Snowy Day_, so it's a useful text for analysis of this book, even if I don't always agree with her views about the book (41). She also made this interesting observation: "A few years ago, while attending a writers conference, I listened to a young African American author describe the biography she had been working on. It was about the first black astronaut she explained, and it included interviews of his family members as well as a summary of the man's life and accomplishments. In some ways, it was a disjointed story because she had not placed the man's life in perfect chronological order. Also, she was less interested in telling a hero's tale but in discovering why this man had become an astronaut while his brother had gone to prison. So far, none of the publishers she had approached had been willing to consider publishing her manuscript. The author running the session nodded in understanding. "Publishers aren't interested in black biographies," he answered. "I wanted to write a biography about African-American sports heroes, but my publisher discouraged me. The argument I got was books about African-Americans don't sell." Why, I wondered as I drove home, aren't stories about African-Americans selling?" (138). She theorizes: "Diversity in literature will be a reality when we know how to read diverse writing styles and learn to listen to new ways of expressing cultural realities" (139).
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews