Using Literature to Support Low Literate Parents as Children’s First Literacy Teachers

Parents are viewed as children’s first literacy teachers. As such, they are often encouraged to book share and read with their young children. Low literate parents may lack not only basic reading skills, but also second order skills related to sharing books successfully. Early childhood professionals are encouraged to form a dynamic, reciprocal relationship with parents wherein everyone learns and supports the literacy needs of children. Seventeen current children’s books are reviewed and recommended for sharing with children and families.     

My Place in My World: Literature for Place-Based Environmental Education

This article explores how children can learn about environmental sciences through place-based education and children’s literature. Recent studies suggest that there is a lack of environmental science knowledge among citizens of all ages. Scholars and educators recommend introducing young children to the places in which they live to create an impact on how they will view and respect the natural world as adults. Selection and use of developmentally appropriate and scientifically accurate literature can be an effective tool to help children understand their place in and connections to the natural world. Guidelines for selecting place-based literature are presented using the Midwest United States as an example. Twelve children’s books are recommended and reviewed.     

Going to school with Madame Curie and Mr. Einstein: gender roles in children’s science biographies

One of the first places children encounter science and scientists is children’s literature. Children’s books about science and scientists have, however, received limited scholarly attention. By exploring the history of children’s biographies of Marie Curie and Albert Einstein, the two most written about scientist in children’s literature, this paper taps this unutilized resource to cultivate a unique perspective on the history of gender and authority in science and science education. Through analysis of explicit discussions of womanhood and science and implicit gendering of Curie and Einstein’s school experiences within these books, this study demonstrates that while much has changed in how these stories are framed the gender of the scientist is still central to how they are represented in children’s literature.     

Authenticity,Past and Present in Ghanaian Children’s Literature

In this paper we explore the portrayal of the “authentic” past in children’s literature in Ghana, as well as the problems it poses for the achievement of the broader goal of moulding children to fit into tomorrow’s society. We look at two main aspects: the social and moral settings portrayed in selected books. The social order refers to the time and place in which the story is set, as well as the nature of social organization pertaining to this setting. The moral order denotes the moral and psychological implications of the physical and social environment. Based on these criteria, we examine some unsuccessful texts and contrast them with successful ones. Our aim is to explore how tradition, more broadly conceived, can be effectively used in children’s books in order to combine the goal of cultural preservation and transmission with other equally lofty ones such as stimulating children’s imagination, arousing and sharpening their perception, developing their sense of observation and critical thinking, and shaping their emotional potential.     

Envisioning Possibility: Schooling and Student Agency in Children’s and Young Adult Literature

This article provides a rationale for using literature in the classroom to explore conceptions of curriculum and teaching. We discuss a number of exemplars from children’s and young adult fiction, both mainstream and less well known; offer a taxonomy for categorizing the range of visions of curriculum and teaching in the literature; and describe the responses of a group of middle school students to a unit that examined schooling in literature. We argue that reading literature which addresses student experiences in school can help students make sense of those experiences and, more importantly, open their minds to ideas about teaching and schooling that they otherwise might never have considered.John Kornfeld is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the School of Education at Sonoma State University. His research in curriculum, children’s literature, school/ university collaboration, and the politics of schooling has been published in such journals as Theory into Practice, Social Education, and Theory and Research in Social Education.Laurie Prothro is a school library consultant and children’s librarian in Sonoma County, California. She specializes in collection development and young adult literature. Her most recent publication with John Kornfeld, entitled “Comedy, Conflict, and Community: Home and Family in Harry Potter,” appears in Elizabeth Heilman’s Harry Potter’s World: Multidisciplinary Critical Perspectives.     

Describing individual incidents of sexual abuse: a review of research on the effects of multiple sources of information on children’s reports

Objective: For successful prosecution of child sexual abuse, children are often required to provide reports about individual, alleged incidents. Although verbally or mentally rehearsing memory of an incident can strengthen memories, children’s report of individual incidents can also be contaminated when they experience other events related to the individual incidents (e.g., informal interviews, dreams of the incident) and/or when they have similar, repeated experiences of an incident, as in cases of multiple abuse.Method: Research is reviewed on the positive and negative effects of these related experiences on the length, accuracy, and structure of children’s reports of a particular incident.Results: Children’s memories of a particular incident can be strengthened when exposed to information that does not contradict what they have experienced, thus promoting accurate recall and resistance to false, suggestive influences. When the encountered information differs from children’s experiences of the target incident, however, children can become confused between their experiences—they may remember the content but not the source of their experiences.Conclusions: We discuss the implications of this research for interviewing children in sexual abuse investigations and provide a set of research-based recommendations for investigative interviewers.     

Monet, Malaguzzi, and the Constructive Conversations of Preschoolers in a Reggio-Inspired Classroom

This study was conducted in a Reggio inspired child care classroom of 4-year olds where the fundamental principles of Reggio Emilia preschools are interpreted for a Canadian context. Qualitative case study methodology was employed to investigate how social interaction plays a role in young children’s learning processes. Drawing on social constructivist views of children’s learning and socialization, children’s discussions and interactions within a preschool learning group were examined. Examination of children’s discourse is valuable not only for understanding individual and group learning experiences but also for illuminating children’s agency and their active roles in their own learning. The study focused on the in-depth study of six children’s activities during a ‘Shades of Pink’ project. As the project, ‘Shades of Pink’ unfolded, the children faced cognitive conflict while they were talking about the details of Monet’s painting, but worked toward building common understandings. In this study, children are considered to be meaning makers and active participants in their own learning processes. In addition, the relationships between children became a context in which the co-construction of theories, interpretations and various understandings of reality took place. Small group work became a basis for creating unity, a space in which thoughts took shape as well as a way to compare interpretations; with the result that new thoughts and meanings were produced.     

Enjoying A Good Story: Why We Use Children’s Literature When Teaching Adults

Early childhood teacher educators frequently enhance their teaching by reading children’s books to their adult students. It is not unusual for faculty outside of early childhood to question devoting precious class time to read-alouds which they may consider a curious, if not frivolous, instructional strategy. Quality children’s literature can, however, enhance students’ experiences in the college classroom, contribute to their understanding of course content, promote their personal growth and self-understanding, increase their appreciation for quality children’s literature, and enhance their ability to integrate storybooks into their own teaching. Children’s books often capture a child’s point of view. They have the potential to provide historical or cultural perspectives on children and families. They also can lead to the examination of universal truths and can facilitate the discussion of sensitive or emotional issues A list of books with suggested uses is included.     

Confucian Principles: A Study of Chinese Americans’ Interpersonal Relationships in Selected Children’s Picturebooks

There has not been enough critical analysis of children’s literature by and about Chinese Americans, especially when compared to other minority groups in the United States. In particular, Chinese American historical books lack extensive analysis. It is important to reflect cultural accuracy in literature and to help children develop clear concepts of self and others by providing precise cultural and physical characteristics of people. While cultural authenticity allows children the opportunity to see a reflection of real experiences within a book instead of seeing stereotypes or misrepresentations, obtaining correct information about a certain time period can help children to see images of immigration accurately represented in literature. Using the Confucian delineation of interpersonal relationships as the major criterion of cultural authenticity, this article examines three currently available children’s picturebooks set in the historical period between 1848 and 1885. In addition to exploring how Chinese Americans’ interpersonal relationships are portrayed in these children’s historical books, this article argues for more proactive inclusion of the diversity in selection of picturebooks.     

Multivariate relationships among developmental age, global engagement, and observed child engagement

The purpose of this study was to explore patterns of relationships among developmental age, teacher ratings of global engagement, and observed engagement in the classroom setting. Sixty-two children (age 9.5 to 63.6 months) were observed during free play, structured activities, and mealtimes. All children were administered a developmental test to assess their developmental age. In addition, teachers completed a rating scale to assess children’s typical engagement profiles. Canonical correlation analysis revealed two uncorrelated patterns of relationships among the variables. Function I reflected the positive relationship between children’s developmental age and high levels of engagement, and the negative relationship with lower levels of engagement. Function II represented the bivariate relationship between high levels of engagement regardless of developmental age.     

Family Processes and Psychosocial Problems of the Young Korean Gifted

It is widely known that Korean parents have a high aspiration for providing opportunities of higher education and high expectations for their children’s academic achievement. Young Korean gifted children with ages from four to ten years did not show many psychosocial problems. However, some showed such problems as distractibility and inattentiveness, aggressiveness, helplessness, or psychiatric symptoms, when parents exert pressure, fathers are not involved in education, or parents do not discipline children’s behavior. Korean young gifted children showed high motivation for learning, when parents provide support, help, and supervision on TV watching. Based on the results, it was suggested that parents provide support for learning, rather than pressure on learning, and discipline their children’s behavior when they are young. In addition, fathers need to be more involved in their children’s learning in order to prevent psychosocial problems of the young gifted.     

Values Embodied in Children’s Literature used in Early Childhood Education in Israeli State Schools

Societies can examine themselves and their values through examining their literature and the way they use literature in values education. This research investigated the values embodied in children’s literature used by early childhood teachers in Israeli state schools. On the basis of questionnaires completed by 14 early childhood educators, and analysis of the official list of recommended children’s books published by the Israeli Ministry of Education, the value “mutual respect and friendship” was found to be most prominent. Structural aspects of children’s books were seen to emphasize the values the books convey.     

Early Attachment Relationships as Predictors of Preschool Children's Emotion Regulation with a Distressed Sibling

The present study examined (1) the emotion regulation of preschool children by observing their emotional responses to a distressed younger sibling during a separation episode; (2) whether children's regulatory responses were related to sibling interaction observed during the separation episode, and (3) whether individual differences in these children's regulatory responses and the quality of sibling interaction could be predicted from early attachment relationships. Older siblings who ignored their younger siblings' distress were more likely to experience personal distress and use avoidant coping strategies. Emotion regulation strategies were related to the quality of sibling interaction such that older siblings who offered comfort to a distressed younger sibling were more likely to express positive affect in sibling interaction, whereas older siblings seeking adult assistance were less likely to engage in conflict and hostile behavior with a younger sibling. Preschool children who had an insecure-resistant infant-mother attachment at 1 year, were more likely to seek comfort from their younger siblings and engaged in more sibling conflict and hostility when they were 4 years old. The quality of infant-father attachment relationships was not significantly related to the child's emotion regulation at 4 years of age. Results are discussed with respect to the social origins of preschool children's emotional self-regulation and the consequences of emotional dysregulation in preschool settings.     

Writing Self-Efficacy in Young Children: Issues for the Early Grades Environment

The intent of this study was to examine young children’s perceptions of writing self-efficacy (Grades K–1). Most research studies find a significant relationship between self-efficacy and achievement in older students (Grades 4–16). Research has also shown that children are affected by personal perceived self-efficacy. Therefore, self-efficacy can affect young learners as well. There are few self-efficacy studies among young learners, especially kindergarten and first grade. This study was conducted to determine if young learners could describe their writing self-efficacy and, if so, how student perceptions compare to teachers’ and researchers’ perceptions.The data showed that participating students from kindergarten and first grade could describe their writing self-efficacy. Several characteristics of children with high and low writing self-efficacy are discussed. Comparisons between teachers’, researchers’, and children’s perceptions of writing self-efficacy showed consistency with 14 of the 18 student participants.     

Utopia Explored: Three Recent Fictionalizations of Fruitlands for Young Readers

Three recent novels for children offer fictionalizations of the year that Louisa May Alcott spent at the utopian community of Fruitlands: Little Women Next Door, by Sheila Solomon Klass [New York: Holiday House, 2000]; Becoming Little Women, by Jeannine Atkins [New York: Putnam, 2001]; and Fruitlands: Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect, by Gloria Whelan [New York: HarperCollins, 2002]. This essay explores the strikingly different ways in which three different authors approached the project of presenting to children the inspiring but ultimately disillusioning story of a real-life dream of a utopian community that failed to come true.Claudia Mills is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado and the author of many children’s books, most recently Makeovers by Marcia and Ziggy’s Blue Ribbon Day (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2005).     

True Love or Just Friends? Flemish Picture Books in English Translation

Most scholars who discuss norm conflicts in translated children’s books focus on the deletion of taboos. Drawing on two English translations of Flemish picture books, this article shows how norm conflicts can also lead to translation strategies other than deletion. Whereas the adaptation of Carll Cneut’s The Amazing Love Story of Mr Morf demonstrates a conservative approach towards children’s literature, the English version of Ingrid Godon and André Sollie’s Hello, Sailor was carried out and marketed to address the subject of homosexuality for the very young.     

Creating a Context for the Learning of Science Process Skills Through Picture Books

This article provides suggestions on ways in which science process skills can be taught in a meaningful context through children’s literature. It is hoped that the following examples of how process skills can be taught using children’s books will provide a starting point from which primary teachers can create additional examples. Many possibilities exist within the world of children’s literature to develop process skills in a meaningful way.     

Families’ Selection of Children’s Literature Books

This study examined families’ choices of children’s literature books for joint story reading. Teachers, parents, and their children from five kindergarten classrooms participated in the study. Over a 4 months period, family members joined other parents twice a week to learn and practice story reading techniques. They selected children’s literature books that were of interest to both of them and their children and were developmentally appropriate. Family members were interviewed and responded to a questionnaire before the intervention. The results provided insight in relation to the parents’ perceptions about literacy, reading with families, and story reading. All members of the families read to their children frequently or daily and engaged the children in conversations about the books read. The books chosen to be read to the children were categorized by genre, with modern fiction being the most popular genre.     

‘Keep Telling Until Someone Listens’: Understanding Prevention Concepts in Children’s Picture Books Dealing with Child Sexual Abuse

Children’s picture books dealing with the topic of child sexual abuse appeared in the 1980s with the aim of addressing the need for age-appropriate texts to teach sexual abuse prevention concepts and to provide support for young children who may be at risk of or have already experienced sexual abuse. Despite the apparent potential of children’s picture books to convey child sexual abuse prevention concepts, very few studies have addressed the topic of child sexual abuse in children’s literature. This article critically examines a selection of 15 picture books (published in the US, Canada and Australia) for children aged 3–8 years dealing with this theme. It makes use of an established set of evaluative criteria to conduct an audit of the books’ content and applies techniques of literary discourse analysis to explain how these picture books satisfy criteria for child sexual abuse prevention. The analysis is used as a way to understand the discourses available to readers, both adults and children, on the topic of child sexual abuse. Key themes in the books include children’s empowerment and agency, and the need for persistence and hope.     

The Development of Children’s Concept of a Substance: A Longitudinal Study of Interaction Between Curriculum and Learning

This paper is a reflection on a three-year longitudinal study that explored the development of children’s concept of a substance, for which detailed results concerning children’s understandings have been reported elsewhere. The attention in this paper is on the methodological features related to the longitudinal nature of the study and the insights into pupils’ learning that were afforded by its design. There is, of course, an extensive literature on children’s understandings of scientific ideas, and the nature of conceptual change involved in learning is a contested area. I argue in the paper that longitudinal studies are uniquely placed to inform the debate, and by focusing on this particular study the aim is to demonstrate the kind of contribution that can be made.