The Magical World of

Children’s Literature

Catherine T. Shafer, PhD www.catherineshafer.co

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“ Children need to value reading and writing as pleasurable and enriching experiences. The desire to read is as important as is the act of reading. Reading to relax, to satisfy curiosity, and to gain new information are important benefits. A love of books, enthusiasm for reading and writing, and a positive attitude, if established at a very early age, greatly facilitate literacy development. In their encounters with reading and writing, children’s emotions are engaged and their imaginations stirred and stretched. If children are to develop lifelong reading and writing habits, they must experience the excitement and personal fulfillment that print brings to them.”

I LOVE BOOKS!!!!

I love to read and to read to others because:

My parents read to me.

Mark Twain books

I love to read ~ big and little books!

Because of the pleasure I derived from reading to, with, and by my own children; visiting the library; enjoying books together.

I STILL love to read!!

• To my sweet grandsons!! … • To myself for PLEASURE RELAXATIO N KNOWLEDGE

OK OK!!! BUT why have books in an early childhood setting????

For ENJOYMENT!!

To INSPIRE the IMAGINATION

For VICARIOUS EXPERIENCE

To gain UNDERSTANDING and EMPATHY

To understand one’s HERITAGE

To develop MORAL REASONING

To develop ARTISTIC and LITERARY PREFERENCES

For the DEVELOPMENT of READING SKILLS

For the DEVELOPMENT of

WRITING SKILLS

To teach

CONTENT AREA SUBJECT S

To develop An Appreciat ion of ART

Eric Carle:

“With many of my books I attempt to bridge the gap between the home and school. To me, home represents, or should represent warmth, security, toys, holding hands, being held. School is a strange and new place for a child. Will it be a happy place? There are new people, a teacher, classmates - will they be friendly? I believe the passage from home to school is the second biggest trauma of childhood; the first is, of course, being born.

Literature for the Developing Child • Age 0 to 2: – Clearly defined, brightly colored – brief, plotless, “concept” books; – familiar objects in infant’s life; – board books; – matched with song or rhyme; – interactive: manipulation of book; – LEARNING TO TALK!; – Cuddling time is at a

Literature for the Developing Child • Ages 2 to 4 – Books about daily routines and familiar – Picture storybooks; – Humor; – Counting, alphabet, colors, etc. in books; – Naming and labeling objects; – Rhymes, songs; – Folktales; of morality; -- ~5 words a day!!!

Literature for the Developing Child • Ages 4 to 7: – Picture storybooks; – Choose favorites; – Memorize words; – Folk tales – Humor, rhyme, rhythm, music; – Easy-to-read books; – About challenges they face; – To satisfy curiosity; – Language BOOMING right along – in school age kids, ~ 20 words a day added!!

Ways to Support Emerging Literacy in ANY classroom

• Saturate your classroom with books – on shelves and tables, bulletin board displays of literature and reading, etc. …

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” --Sir Francis Bacon

to the class, to small groups, or to individual students Whisper From the Woods

Tell STORIES!!!!

• Storytelling, or the art of narrating a tale from memory rather than reading it, is one of the oldest of all art forms, reaching back to prehistoric times.

TALK!!!!

• Tell stories • Laugh or cry • Question • Explain • Count • Pose conundrums • Memorize • Be expressive in face and hand movements • Carry on conversations

Keep journals

• Part of portfolio assessments … if children are old enough, let them write their own journals.

• Keeping your own journal makes you more introspective, more able to understand the written word, and more able to express yourself in writing. As you become more adept, your joy in reading and writing will grow!

Use Creative Arts … • Collages • Posters • Dioramas • Mobiles • Mapping • Sculptures • Coloring, painting, … • Cook, eat • Make puppets • Put on a play • ETC.!!

“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement.” --Rachel Carson

Sing, Rhyme, Dance, Play

ENVIRONMENTAL through recognize the colors, shapes, pictures. PRINT!!!!!!!!

Learning to read can be enhanced environmental print because children BINGO!!!!

• “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” Oscar Wilde • “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss

“We read to know we are not alone.” C.S. Lewis “A home without books is a body without a soul.” Marcus Tillius Cicero

“The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination.” Elizabeth Hardwick

“No two persons have ever read the same book.” Edmund Wilson “I grew up watching TV and I turned out TV.” Homer Simpson

The End. Thank you.