TOPIC 16

CHILDRENS LITERATURE IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. DIDACTIC TECHNIQUES TO HAVE ACCESS TO ORAL COMPREHENSION.
INTRODUCING AND ENCOURAGING READING HABITS AND APPRECITING THE POETIC FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE.

1.- INTRODUCTION:
Basic characteristics of Children's Literature.
2.- GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHILDREN'S LITERATURE IN ENGLISH.
3.- Didactic application techniques for listening comprehension; introducing and encouraging reading
habits and appreciating the poetic function of language.
a)
Why use stories?
b)
Comprehension techniques.
c)
How should reading habits be introduced and children be taught to appreciate the poetic
function of language?
d)
Which childrens literature books to choose?
e)
Where can these books be obtained for our students?
f)
Activities the teacher must plan. Activities for children before, during and after listening
comprehension of books.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
ELLIS AND BREWSTER: The Story telling handbook for Primary Teachers. Penguin.
GARVIE: Story as a vehicle. Multilingual matters.
PERRY: Into books: 101 literature activities for the classroom. Oxford University Press. Madrid.
MORGAN and RINVOLUCRI: Once upon a time. Cambridge University Press.
ROSEN: Shapers and Polishers. Teachers as Storytellers. Mary Glasgow.
WRIGHT: Why stories. Oxford University Press. Madrid.

INTRODUCTION: Basic characteristics

There is some debate as to what constitutes children's literature. In general, the term
comprises both those books which are selected and read by children themselves, as well as those
vetted as 'appropriate for children' by authorities, e.g. teachers, reviewers, scholars, parents,
publishers, librarians, bookstores, and award committees.
Some would have it that children's literature is literature written specially for children; however,
many books that were originally intended for adults are now commonly thought of as works for
children, such as Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
The opposite has also been known to occur, where works of fiction originally written or marketed for
children are given recognition as adult books; Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass, and Mark
Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, for example, both won Whitbread
Awards, which are typically awarded to novels for adults. The Nobel prize for literature has also been
given to authors who made great contributions to children's literature, such as Selma Lagerlf and
Isaac Bashevis Singer. Often no consensus is reached whether a given work is best categorized as
adult or children's literature, and many books are multiply marketed in adult, children's, and young
adult editions; a prominent example of this is the Harry Potter series, which was published in
separate editions for children and adults.
There are a number of problems inherent in childrens literature: For example
Much of what is commonly regarded as "classic" children's literature speaks on multiple levels,
and as such is able to be enjoyed by both adults and children. For example, many people will reread
Alice in Wonderland or The Wind in the Willows as adults and appreciate aspects of each that they
failed to appreciate when they read the books as children. Many critics regard such multiplicity as
having drawbacks, however; an adult may see the adult themes of a book and deem it unsuitable,
despite the fact that such themes will likely be lost on children.
One example of this is Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, throughout which the word "nigger" is
used liberally. Many people feel that the word's racist and discriminatory connotations make it
unacceptable to use anywhere, and particularly in a book aimed at children. Others, however, claim
that to call the book racist because of this usage is to miss its point; Huckleberry Finn was after all
one of the first American books in which a black character is portrayed as someone to be emulated,
in this case serving as the voice of reason for a cast-off urchin and a middle class white boy.
Parents wishing to protect their children from the unhappier aspects of life often find the
traditional fairy tales, nursery rhymes and other voyages of discovery problematical, because often
the first thing a story does is remove the adult influence, leaving the central character to learn to
cope on his or her own: prominent examples of this include Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Bambi
and A Series of Unfortunate Events. Many regard this as necessary to the story; after all, in most
cases the whole point of the story is the characters' transition into adulthood.
Many authors specialize in books for children. Other authors are more known for their writing
for adults, but have also written books for children, such as Alexey Tolstoy's The Adventures of
Burratino, and Carl Sandburg's "Rootabaga Stories". In some cases, books intended for adults, such
as Swift's Gulliver's Travels have been edited (or bowdlerized) somewhat, to make them more
appropriate for children.

An attempt to identify the characteristics shared by works called 'children's literature' leads to
some good general guidelines that are generally accepted by experts in the field. No one rule is
perfect, however, and for every identifying feature there are many exceptions, as well as many adult
books that share the characteristic. (For further discussion, see Hunt 1991: 42-64, Lesnik-Oberstein
1996, Huck 2001: 4-5.)
Characteristics

All of them can be discussed, as we may find children's literature without theses characteristics and
adults' literature with these characteristics.
Marketed to or written for children
Has children as protagonists
Does not contain adult themes and is 'appropriate for children' -- a problematic criterion, as many
specialists argue that an issue that children confront (eg. eating disorders, rape, sexual abuse, prison, war) is
appropriate by default.
Relatively short
Contains illustrations, in particular books intended for younger children
Written in simple language
Plot-oriented with more dialogue and events, fewer descriptions and ruminations
Deals with themes of growing up, coming to age and maturation
Didactic, educational, or attempts to educate children about societal and behavioral issues; otherwise,
contains tales of fantasy and adventure
Happy ending, in which good triumphs over evil

2. GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHILDREN'S LITERATURE IN ENGLISH.

There are many famous English writers of childrens stories, but the two most famous ones were Lewis Carroll
and Beatrix Potter.
Lewis Carroll, an English writer, was born in 1832 and died in 1898. He is the best-known author of story
books, which are read by children and adults.
His main works are Alices Books (the most famous one), Theres Glory for you and It was the best butter.
Beatrix Potter wrote stories as popular as Peter Rabbit, which everybody has heard of and which became a
film. Others are Taylor of Gloucester and The little mice star: down to spin. In the latter, the mice were not
humanized, although they did weave mens coats. Another popular story is Jemina Puddle.
Oscar Wilde was an Irish author who wrote all his works in English and became one of the best renowned
writers in English literature. He is famous for his plays and his popular theory of beauty. His best collection of
stories are The Selfish Giant and The Canterville Ghost, which is one of the short stories included in his book
Lord Arthur Saviles Crime.
Kenneth Grahame understood childrens tastes very well and invited them to the enchanted circus he created.
His books The Golden Age and Dream Days were immensely popular among children. The ideal world of this
writer seems more percectible and desirable than the world of Peter Pan.
Rudyard Kipling is known as the writer from India, although he never was an ardent apologist of the presence
of the English there. His main works are The Jungle Book (1894-95) and Stories (1902). The Jungle Book and
Kim are blithe books about the world of ideas. His most important book is The Jungle Book: it is the most
accomplished expression of Kiplings quality of work.
B. Frank Baum, a German-North American novelist, was born in Vienna in 1896 and died in 1960. He wanted
American childrens literature to be free of unpleasant incidents. He wrote many childrens books: A New
Wonderland, The Book of the Hambergs, His Book, etc.
Enid Blyton: British author, Enid Blyton, is thought by many to be the bestselling author in the history of
children's literature. Blyton is the author of much-loved children's books, such as The Famous Five, The Secret
Seven and The Magic Faraway Tree series. Her books have exceeded sales of 400 million copies worldwide and
are translated into 90 different languages.
J.K. Rowling: British author, J.K. Rowling is probably the best-known children's author today and also the most
successful. Being the author of the extremely successful, Harry Potter series, her books have been sold in more
than 300 million copies worldwide and are translated into more than 63 languages. She is also the first billionaireauthor.
Jacqueline Wilson: author of the much-loved Tracy Beaker series, Jacqueline Wilson is one of the best-known
children's authors in the UK. In 2004 she replaced Catherine Cookson as the most borrowed author in Britain's
libraries, a position she retained the following year. Her books have won a range of prestigious awards and have
been sold in nearly 20 million copies.
Jane Yolen: A respected and well-known American author, Jane Yolen is one of the most prolific children's
writers today. Her books are frequently translated and have won many awards.
3.- DIDACTIC APPLICATION TECHNIQUES FOR LISTENING COMPREHENSION, INTRODUCING AND
ENCOURAGING READING HABITS AND APPRECIATING THE POETIC FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE.
All of us need stories for our minds in the same way that we all need food for our bodies; we watch
television, go to the theatre and the cinema, read books and exchange stories with our friends.

Stories are especially important in the lives of our children; they help them to understand the world and to
share it with others. Their craving for stories is constant. Every time children enter a classroom, they have a
yearning for stories.
a) WHY USE STORIES?
Stories that rely heavily on words are a constant and great source of experiences for the students.
Stories are motivating, rich in language experiences.
Stories should be the main part of the work of Primary teachers, when teaching a first and a second language.
Reasons:
Motivation. Children have a constant need for stories; that is why they are always willing to listen or read at the right
moment.
Meaning. Children want to find something in a story (meaning) and they listen for that purpose. If they find what
they are looking for, it will be thanks to their ability to understand the foreign language. If they do not find that
meaning, they are motivated to improve their listening comprehension ability and then find meaning.
Listening and fluency when reading. In a conversation with native speakers, the most important ability is
understanding a substantial flow of the foreign language which contains new words for the receiver. This ability is
only achieved by constant and ample practice. The child must develop a positive attitude to comprehending
everything and accomplish the ability to search for meaning, predict and guess (they are experts at this in their
native language).
Knowledge of the language. Stories help children to become aware of the general knowledge and sounds of the
foreign language. Stories also introduce students to several language models and sentence structures which they
have not yet used in oral or written production. This makes up their language stockpile. When the time comes,
those language models will flow within the productive language without any problems, because the language is not
new to them. An obvious example of this is the use of the simple past.
An incentive for speaking and writing. Experiencing a story can give rise to the production of written or spoken
answers. It is natural to express our likes and dislikes, exchange ideas and associations about the stories we have
just heard. In this manner, stories should be a part of a set related activities.
Communication. Reading, writing and aswering questions about stories through writing, speaking, acting and
making art develop certain feelings for listening, sharing and collaborating. Learning a language is useless if we are
not able to communicate, in other words, to use language skills. A story serves to share the construction of a crucial
sense of attention for others.
General curriculum. Most stories can be used to develop attention, analysis and expression, and to relate them to
other subjects in the curriculum, such as geography, history, social and cultural aspects, mathematics and science.
b) COMPREHENSION TECHNIQUES.
Helping children to predict the contents of a story by telling them beforehand in their native language, by
showing them pictures, or by introducing key vocabulary from that story.
While they are being told a story, show them pictures, draw on the board, act and mime, use words that are
similar in meaning in both the first and second languages.
Tell the story more than once. Interrupt the story often and repeat the idea in a differente manner to make sure
that the children do not get lost.
Study the story beforehand and simplify some of the vocabulary, if necessary: words, expressions, verb tenses,
word order and complex sentences.
c) HOW SHOULD READING HABITS BE INTRODUCED AND CHILDREN BE TAUGHT TO APPRECIATE
THE POETIC FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE?
First of all, the stories, in other words, the literary language at this level with children, must essentially be a
source of joy and must meet their interests. If the teacher uses stories or literary texts merely to teach, the children
may reject this and lose their good, natural disposition for stories, which is an enormous potential.
Reading habits can be developed and the poetic function of language can be taught by telling and reading the
children stories that are suitable for them. This implies a set of advantages:
Advantages of reading stories to the children:
1. If the teachers language foreign language competence is low.
2. Showing the children pictures that go with the stories.
3. Letting the children read what the teachers have read to them previously.
4. Allowing the children to realize that books are a source of pleasure and interest.
Advantages of telling stories to the children:
1. It can help the children to understand by repeating the story, pointing out important features, miming,
acting, drawing pictures on the board.
2. By having the children in front of him, the teacher can make any special adaptations at any time.
3. Allowing the children to discover through their experience the magic sense of listening to a story being told
by someone.
d) WHICH CHILDRENS LITERATURE BOOKS TO CHOOSE?
When choosing them, we must ask ourselves the following:
1. Is the first impression about a book valid for us and for our pupils?
2. Does the book meet the pupils interests and hold their attention?
3. Do we accept the values expressed in the book?
4. Can the children understand the story enough to gain something valuable outside of it?

5. Is the story easy to understand irrespective of their knowledge of its vocabulary?

6. The story should be the source of activities, such as drama, story writing, letter writing from one
protagonist to another, or activities relating to a theme.
e) WHERE CAN THESE BOOKS BE OBTAINED FOR OUR STUDENTS?
There are many types of story books. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages.
1. Readers.
Advantages: the language has been simplified to make the reading easier. Easily obtainable.
Disadavantages: they are not authentic books, original works by their author. They do not introduce the language
used by present-day native English-speaking children.
2. Books published for native English-speaking children.
Advantages: the stories may be more interesting. The language is authentic.
Disadvantages: the children might find it difficult to understand most of the language on their own.
3. Books in the pupils native language.
Advantages: within everybodys reach.
Disadvantages: it is up to the teacher to translate them.
4. Traditional and personal stories in the native language.
Advantages: the children are probably familiar with them and enjoy recognizing them when they are read to them in
English.
Disadvantages: the teacher may feel that his English is not good enough to translate them.
5. Stories invented by the teacher and the pupils.
Advantages: the pupils identify with one of them.
Disadvantages: incorrect English.
f) ACTIVITIES THE TEACHER MUST PLAN. ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN BEFORE, DURING AND
AFTER LISTENING COMPREHENSION OF BOOKS.
1. Activities prior to the story.
Prepare the students to focus the theme of the book and the language that they will need to understand it.
2. Activities during the story.
Above all, the children must enjoy the story. Ask them what they think is going to happen and how they feel about
what has happened. They can join the teacher in repeating, miming or drama exercises, among others. They can
be told to put sentences or pictures in the correct order.
3. Activities after the story.
Traditional comprehension exercises; careful not to spoil the experience that the story has caused in the child.
4. Other more creative activities.
Drawing a picture and writing a key sentence.
Making a mural or writing a book with other children with illustrations and key sentences.
Acting out the story.
Writing a letter from one protagonist to another.
Changing the end.
Changing the characters.