Homecoming

I've just recently read Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt. As I as looking to find a children's book to read for thi class I was really coming up rather empty-handed. I realize that there are millions to choose from but I just really wanted something of content and that I would be interested in. As I began to think it over I realized that I loved to read the entire time I was growing up and why not try and remember some of the books I enjoyed and find them to reread. I started with this one because it was my absolute favorite when I was growing up. I cannot even begin to count how many times I read it as a child. Now, though, as I read it so many years later, I began to see why so many children's books appeal to adults also. I realized that many of the topics that interested me as a child still interest me today, although my perspective is radically different. With the knowledge I've acquired over the years scenes such as the mother leaving the children in the mall parking lot affect me quite differently. Overall, I still love this book, and I think reading it was a good start to what will come to not only alter my perspective of some books I knew as a child, but to discover many works of literature I seem to have forgotten about.

Resources On The Web For Everyone

I just thought now would be a good time to look online and see about the resources that can be provided for those interested in children's literature, whether they be parents, teachers, or children themselves.

http://www.carolhurst.com/newsletters/newsletters.html

Carol Hurst provides and online periodical email newsletter concerning children's literature. It gives resources on the internet, features the newest books while some older ones are also revisited. They also occasionally cover some topics in depth.

http://www.lil-fingers.com/

This is a site provided for children of a toddler age to access in order to be involved in a safe setting where they can learn about literature and other fundamentals in an entertaining way.

http://killdevilhill.com/z/ychildrend/nantucket.html

This is a discussion board for adults to talk about classical children's books, and discuss the issues they hold in them. This site is not meant for children, but for adults looking for an intellectually qualifying conversation.

http://www.audreywood.com/mac_site/clubhouse/clubhouse_page/clubhouse.htm

This is a site where an award-winning author and six illustrators discuss how children's book are created and provide an environment for children to explore the background of what they so commonly read before bedtime.


I hope that I've provided just a brief overview of all of the types of resources that are available on the Internet to a variety of people. The web has given children's literature a new way to reach children's and adults likewise and these sites just show a few of MANY ways that you can involve yourself in that society.

The Princess and the Goblin

I decided to reread the beginning of the Princess and the Goblin and I thought that going through all of it the second time really changes your perspective. This is especially obvious when you reread all of the descriptions of the Grandmother. You really learn to recognize the spiritual correlations even more so. The fact that Irene cannot even find her way back to Grandmother when she thinks she most wants to. Just when she thinks she is prevailing she only finds a new staircase leading her back down into the kitchen. There are so many rules about princesses that come into play, it seems very amusing and one of the quirks that might make the book exciting and interesting for children. It isinteresting how Irene proposes a kiss for Curdie in return for his service even though she is only 8 years old. It is even more obvious how self centered her nurse is as you continue reading.

Revelation.

I was walking in a Barnes and Noble today and I think my experience is worth of a journal entry. I had just walked past the children's literature section to go find my friend that I had come with. I stopped though to pick up a quick book to read and possible use for a journal entry later. I hadn't found one yet, as I was just casually looking. A small child came up to me and asked me to read him the cover of the picture book he was holding. I read it to him and then he told me that he wanted to buy it and that he had already read it three times. I realized that if children are given the options, literature can become not only an exciting part of their life, but a loving part. I realized most children aren't ever even given the opportunity to browse through a section of books, or look at the pictures. I feel like when you're teaching you have to realize that the literature that you expose to chidren in your classroom may be the only thing they read.

Children's Literature Article

http://www.sdkrashen.com/articles/childrens_lit/all.html

Children's literature has come through some very difficult times over the years, and there are many varying topics come up in this article. As they mention a couple of times, I also feel that hopefully the positive forces of children's literature are strong enough to eventually put that resource out to more and more children. As I began to read this article I realized that it was written in 2004. I knowthat since then, many organizations have been created and many donations of money and time have been given to provide children with the option to pursue a literary intellect. I feel very strongly that chidren need to have an adult in their lives to show them the importance that literature can have on not only their lives, but their future. Children's literature can be more than just fun, it can be a lifesaver.

Holes

I read the book Holes for the second time recently and really enjoyed it. I've seen the movie numerous times and found that it is one of the better remakes of books, although I enjoyed the book quite a bit more. While I was reading this book, I tried to relate what the main character was going through to the message that a child might pick up from the novel. I decided that many children would be very satisfied after reading this book, because in the end, the children are given a home, and a new life to live after for the most part being unjustly imprisoned. This is one of those books where in the end good conquers evil, and fills hearts with hope and joy. As corny as that sounds, many children and adults love to finish novels that leave them with a sense of fulfillment. I finished this book with the thought that I would probably still think of Shia Leboeuf every time I think of Holes, but with a better understanding of the positive literary aspects from this novel.

Children's Literature

I was thinking about this class before I wrote my blog today and wanted to take a second to think about some of the stereotypes I had about it. I thought this class was either going to be filled with tones of analytical sessions as opposed to discussions, and therefore unenjoyable; or that it was going to be comprised solely of written papers analyzing the material, with endless classes covering black and white subject matter. Overall, the only reason that I was looking forward to this class was because I enjoy reading very, very much. I'd like to think that my stereotypes of the class were wrong, almost entirely. I enjoy the discussions and thoughts provoked from them. I like all of the different facts and points brought up through the "lecture."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_literature
At this site you can find a very basic definition for children's literature. I noticed that they take note of the fact that children's literature is enjoyed by people of all ages, including myself. I turn 19 next month but I have no shame in admitting I enjoy a good chapter book here and there. I like all sorts of fictional books, and a few nonfiction and am enjoying the class time much more than I thought I would.