The Magical World The Magical World of of

Children’s Children’s LiteratureLiterature

Catherine T. Shafer, Catherine T. Shafer, PhDPhD

www.catherineshaferwww.catherineshafer.com.com

“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.”

Sean A. Walmsley, PhD

I LOVE BOOKS!!!!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 I love to read ~ big and little books!and little books!

Because of thepleasure I derivedfrom reading to, with, and by my ownchildren; visiting thelibrary; enjoying

bookstogether.Outside Over There; One Fish … , ABC

I STILL love to read!!I STILL love to read!!•To my sweet grandsons!! …

•To myself for PLEASURERELAXATION

KNOWLEDGEBaby Beluga – read and singRed Tent, Time Traveler’s Wife,

Harry Potter 4, Woman …

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

For ENJOYMENT!!

To INSPIRE the To INSPIRE the IMAGINATIONIMAGINATION

For VICARIOUS For VICARIOUS EXPERIENCEEXPERIENCE

To gain To gain UNDERSTANDING UNDERSTANDING

and EMPATHYand EMPATHY

To understand one’s To understand one’s HERITAGEHERITAGE

To develop To develop MORAL REASONINGMORAL REASONING

To develop ARTISTIC To develop ARTISTIC and LITERARY and LITERARY PREFERENCESPREFERENCES

For the For the DEVELOPMENT of DEVELOPMENT of READING SKILLSREADING SKILLS

For theFor the DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT

of

WRITING SKILLS

To To teachteachCONTENTAREASUBJECTS

To develop

AnAppreciati

onof ART

Eric Carle:Eric Carle:“With many of my books I attempt to bridgethe gap between the home and school. To

me,home represents, or should representwarmth, security, toys, holding hands, beingheld. School is a strange and new place for achild. Will it be a happy place? There are newpeople, a teacher, classmates -- will they befriendly? I believe the passage from home toschool is the second biggest trauma ofchildhood; the first is, of course, being born.Indeed, in both cases we leave a place ofwarmth and protection for one that isunknown. The unknown often brings fear

withit. In my books I try to counteract this fear,to replace it with a positive message. I

believethat children are naturally creative and eagerto learn. I want to show them that learning isreally both fascinating and fun.”

Literature for the Developing Literature for the Developing ChildChild

• Age 0 to 2:– Clearly defined,

brightly colored pictures;

– brief, plotless, “concept” books;

– familiar objects in infant’s life;

– board books; – matched with song or

rhyme; – interactive:

participation or manipulation of book;

– LEARNING TO TALK!;– Cuddling time is at a

PREMIUM – attachment.

Literature for the Developing Literature for the Developing ChildChild

• Ages 2 to 4– Books about daily

routines and familiar objects;

– Picture storybooks;– Humor;– Counting, alphabet,

colors, etc. in books;– Naming and labeling

objects;– Rhymes, songs;– Folktales;– Right or wrong sense

of morality;– Vocabularies growing

-- ~5 words a day!!!

Literature for the Developing Literature for the Developing ChildChild

• 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 Ways to Support Emerging Literacy in Emerging Literacy in

ANY classroomANY 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

Read Read aloud to aloud to

the class, the class, to small to small

groups, or groups, or to to

individual individual studentsstudents

Whisper From the WoodsWhisper From the Woods

Tell STORIES!!!!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.

• Kermit Jagger

TALK!!!!TALK!!!!• Tell stories• Laugh or cry• Question• Explain• Count• Pose conundrums• Memorize • Be expressive in face

and hand movements• Carry on

conversations

Keep journalsKeep 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 Use Creative Arts ……

• Collages• Posters• Dioramas• Mobiles• Mapping• Sculptures• Coloring,

painting, …• Cook, eat• Make puppets• Put on a play• ETC.!!

““A child’s A child’s world is world is

fresh and fresh and new and new and beautiful, beautiful,

full of full of wonder and wonder and excitementexcitement

.”.”--Rachel --Rachel CarsonCarson

Sing, Rhyme, Dance, Sing, Rhyme, Dance, PlayPlay

ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL PRINT!!!!!!!!PRINT!!!!!!!!

Learning to readcan be enhancedthroughenvironmental

printbecause childrenrecognize thecolors, shapes,pictures.

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 The End. Thank you. you.