Chapter 1:
Why do we share literature with kids:
Summary:
We share
literature with children because we need to share our love of reading. In addition, reading is fun. We often engage in things we find enjoyable
and reading is fun! Sharing literature
with children will give them access to words they would otherwise not be
exposed to. According to Nagy and
Herman, 1987, studies show that reading twenty minutes a day at home will
expose children to 1,800,000 words per year.
Exposing children to a greater word bank aids in language acquisition
and development. This leads to directly
to growth vocabulary. The chapter also
tells us of the importance of reading 1000 books to children before
kindergarten. This allows students to
incorporate learned or heard language into their vocabulary. The chapter also provides information
regarding reading in relation to empathy.
According to Benton & Fox (1985, p. 15) reading develops empathy in
readers. Children that read are more apt
to be respectful. Reading also supports
life long readers. Unconscious delight
is reading a series of books or serial reading.
Series are stories that are written about over serval books. Serial reading is reading based on genre or
following authors. There is also reading
autobiographically, which is reading about something that depicts us. It is reading about people that have similar
experiences as us. There is also reading
for vicarious experiences. It is as if
looking through a window and looking at experiences of others. There is also reading for philosophical
speculation. This is reading to gain
perspective in issues dealing with ourselves, religion or ethics. This kind of reading allows kids to
experience different points of view.
There is reading for aesthetic experiences. This is reading for the pleasure and joy of
reading. Reading also develops the
imagination. Students that read tend to
develop their imagination. This is how
readers start becoming creative and develop things such as phone pop
sockets. Lastly, reading transmits
culture. We need to have diverse books
that represents all cultures regularly and throughout the school year.
Reflection:
I have always
loved reading. This chapter has taught
me the importance of reading and it has shown me a value in reading that was
unfamiliar to me. I had always thought
that some books should not be exposed to students. However, after reading this chapter I feel
that I learned that books that make me uncomfortable for my child to read could
in essence help my child make the right choice given a familiar predicament. I also learned that it I important to show
our kids that there are people that have experienced what they are
experiencing. I’m so glad to hear that
we should promote diversity in culture.
Lastly, although I had read vicariously, through my many Harlequin romance
novels, it’s nice to know the differences in the reading styles.
Chapter 2:
Division of Young People’s Literature:
Summary:
Division of
Young People’s Literature has been broken up by age groups for various reasons. First division is Children’s Literature and
they are for kids for the ages of 0-8.
These books include wordless picture books, regular picture books, easy
readers and early chapter books. These
books are in the category that a parent might want to reading to their child
before kindergarten. There are
illustrated chapter books, such as Nate the Great and Narwhal Unicorn of the
Sea. There are early chapter books like
Ramona Quimby. The next division is
Middle Grade or Tween. These books are
best for children ages 8 to 12. Books in
this category include Roller girl, Rainy Nightingale and the Wonderful
George. Next division is Middle
School. These are for kids in the 6th, 7th
and 8th grades that are between the ages of 11 to 13. We need to be careful so that we do not
confuse Middle Grade with Middle School.
These books include Drama by Raina Telgemeier, which is about love and
LGBT issues. These books, although
appropriate for Middle School Students, are not appropriate for Middle Grade
Students. There is overlap between the
ages of 11 and 12, but the issues dictate the category. The next category is Young Adult, which are
for students or young adults between the ages of 13 to 18. The topics in the books are not appropriate
for Middle School students. Some books
contain language deemed inappropriate for Middle School, topics such as adult
services rendered, gangs and violence.
The last category is New Adult.
This category is for adults ages 18 to 30 years of age. These are books about post high school
experiences, living away from home or first major relationships.
Reflection:
It is important
to make sure that the books in libraries are age appropriate. The divisions have been placed to slowly
integrate the topics to the readers. We
want to be able to expose students or young adults to different contents and
different times so that they are able to understand the topics and be able to
cope with the information being read.
Librarians need to be careful when selecting books for their library. The big concern is the Middle Grade and
Middle School divisions. Because some
ages overlap, one needs to ensure to accurately categorize the books.
Chapter 3:
Anatomy of a book:
Summary:
The anatomy of
a book is broken up based on the different components that make up a book. The books have Endpapers, which are the two
sheets of paper at the beginning and the end of the book. The Casewrap is under the jacket. The Casewrap is the hard cover of a book,
which has been designed and laminated.
Then there is the Book Block, which are the book edges. Some bibles have the book blocks in gold or
silver. The Gutter also makes up the
anatomy of a book. It is the inner part
of the pages that are intentionally left black so that the book can be
bound. A book has a headband. It is a strip that is used to fill in the gap
found at the top and the bottom of the casebound. The backbone of a book is
what keeps the written words nice and tight.
One can also find the title of a book on the backbone.
Reflection:
We often read
books. When we read books, we open up
the cover and read the story within. I
didn’t realize that anatomy that makes up a book. I feel that every part of the anatomy plays a
role in the book as a whole. The jacket
can paint a picture of what the book entails, where as the Casewrap can provide
extended detail of the jacket. When
books are in shelves, we always look at the backbone to facilitate our search
for a specific book. The gutter helps to
ensure that all words are exposed and not in the binding. I would have never thought that the joy of
learning about books would lead to knowledge about the make-up of a book.
Chapter 4:
Genres and Formats:
Summary:
We know what
genres are…, right? Many people think
they know what genre is, but they are getting confused with the meaning. The fact is that there is a difference
between genres and formats. There are
genres and subgenres. Genres are two,
fiction and non-fiction, all others are considered subgenres. Under fiction you have realism and
fantasy. Then under realism you
realistic which include modern and contemporary and then you have
historical. Under fantasy, you have
modern and traditional. On the
traditional side of fantasy is where the categories of folk tale, fairy tale,
myth, ballad, legend and fable. The
modern side of fantasy are the categories of hard fiction, soft fiction, high
fantasy and low fantasy. For these
subcategories the amount of science depends on how they will categorize the
book. These are books that are not based
on real-life, however, a story can be based on events that occur in
real-life. Non-fiction is all
informational. Informational is broken
down into three parts. The first
category under information is Biography, which includes autobiography and
memoirs. The chapter then goes on to
explain in further detail the differences between the three. The second is Narrative Non-fiction is a book
about someone’s life written in story format.
The third is Expository Non-fiction is a book about facts and
information. Then there are subjects or
categories, which include horror, dystopia and war among others. Some libraries use subjects or categories to
generify. Formats are the way in which
books are written.
Reflection:
It is important
to know the difference between genres, subgenres, categories and formats. Students need to know that genres or
subgenres can be written in different formats, and that formats are not
genres. That the elements of genres are
dependent on topics, the amount of a topic and characters, where is formats are
the style in which a book is written.
Chapter 5:
What is YA Literature?
Summary:
This chapter
describes the elements that define YA literature. It describes the roundabout age of
protagonist and describes the general interpretation of the point of view. The
protagonist has to be highly independent and will have a significant change
that will occur over time and in stages.
The protagonist will have consequences and might have incomplete
growth. The story will be straight
forward and the main character should be able to confront an issue. YA will mirror concerns over what issues
arise in today’s society with our youth.
The issues will address how our youth develop. The setting will be limited and the story
will be about a brief period of time in the protagonist life.
Reflection:
I have learned
the characteristics that make up YA reading.
The issues that young adults are faced with daily is what makes up YA
literature. It is important to have
issues that students are faced with in books.
This allows our youth to read vicariously or autobiographically. This will surely provide different points of
view of the issues they face. This will
hopefully aid in the decision making.
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