The world of childrens books offers a rich and fascinating landsc

The world of children's books offers a rich and fascinating lands
cape for you to explore. No matter how old you are, you will fin
d in children'sbooks moments of beauty, pleasure, humor, and in
formation. In children's books adult readers revisit old friends li
ke Horton and Winnie-the-
Pooh, and meet new ones like Olivia and Elephant and Piggie. B
ut perhaps the most pleasurable and meaningful aspect of childr
en's literatureis the way it opens up the world for children. Our
children today are growing up in a world of increasingly comple
x messages, delivered moreoften through screens than pages, bu
t there is still something magical that happens when an adult sha
res a book with a child.
This book is written for the adults who are committed to sharing
quality literature with children—parents, day-
care workers, and early childhoodeducators. Its aim is to help y
ou choose and use children's books that will appeal to prereader
s, new readers, and young readers from infantsto 8-year-
olds. Children's books bring the world to young children in fasc
inating and exciting ways, but it is the job of adults to ensure th
atchildren have access to plenty of quality children's books. Of
all the things we do to help children grow and develop, sharing
books with themand helping them learn to enjoy reading may be
the most important, because it starts them on a path of endless
possibility that they canexplore for the rest of their lives.
In this chapter, we will look at the many ways literature can ben
efit children and give an overview of the study of children's lite
rature, includingthe concept of multiliteracies. We will discuss
what developmental stage theories and the theory of multiple int
elligences tell us aboutdevelopmentally appropriate children's li
terature. The chapter will conclude with descriptions of brick-
and-
mortar and online resources forchildren's books, including majo
r awards given to children's books.
1.1 The Benefits of Children's Literature

Imagine what it must be like to be a newborn: You've left a worl
d of warmth, comfort, and consistency and have been thrust into
a place ofunpredictable noises, bright lights, and comparatively
rough handling. The regular heartbeat and soft sounds of the liq
uid environment that hasenveloped you for the past nine months
are suddenly gone, replaced by electronic beeps, sharp bangs a
nd clangs, and loud and unfamiliarvoices.
Remarkably, newborn infants do have some resources to cope w
ith the strange environment in which they find themselves. Neur
otypicalinfants can track a brightly colored ball as it passes in f
ront of their eyes, and they can recognize a human face. If their
hearing is functional,they will respond to a familiar voice, prefe
rring a voice whose music they have heard while in the womb. T
hey have instincts for sucking andvocalizing that prompt respon
ses from adults. Thus, they already have many of the tools they
need to begin the long process of ordering,understanding, intera
cting with, and manipulating their world.
However, as neuroscientists are quick to point out, all human in
fants are born prematurely, meaning that despite the nine month
s ofdevelopment in the womb, the human brain and body still ha
ve a long way to go in terms of developing neural connections a
nd pathways thatcoordinate both thinking and moving. To beco
me fully human, infants need to learn how to use language the w
ay other people in their culturedo, how to read and interpret ima
ges and gestures, how to regulate their emotions and behaviors,
how to communicate with others and takeup a meaningful place
in that culture as individuals, how to find out things they don't k
now, and how to participate in community activities andrituals.
This is where children's literature comes in. Through storytellin
g, poetry, song, and printed texts, children learn
· how their culture is organized,
· what it values,
· how it differs from other cultures,
· how they can both assert and develop their individuality, and
·
how they can become valued and responsible members of a com

munity.
That seems like a lot of weight to put on children's books, whic
h on the surface may seem simple, sentimental, or sometimes ev
en silly. Butthroughout this book, we will explore the richness o
f the interaction between children and quality literature. Childre
n's literature, through itsforms, its messages, and the conversati
ons it inspires, helps children understand the complex world the
y have entered. It expands theircapacity to enjoy that world by p
roviding pleasure. It may even help them change their world by
stimulating their imaginations and developingtheir intellects.
Swimmy, by Leo Lionni,features a character who useshis physic
al difference to savehis friends.
Copyright © 1963, 1991, by KnopfChildren, from Swimmy by L
eo Lionni.Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, animprint of
Random House Children'sBooks, a division of Random House, I
nc.
Consider, for instance, the picturebook Swimmy (1963), by Leo
Lionni. Swimmy is the lone blackfish in a school of red ones. B
esides being a different color, he is also a faster swimmer than h
isfellow fish, which is why he alone escapes on that fateful day
when the rest of his brothers andsisters are swallowed up by a la
rger fish. After the loss of his family, he swims around the ocea
n andmeets many wonderful and unique creatures, but he is lone
ly for his own kind. When he meets upwith a new school of sma
ll red fish, he joins them and teaches them that together they ca
ncamouflage themselves in such a way as to scare off big fish—
they mass into a big fish shapethemselves, with Swimmy as thei
r black eye.
As children enjoy this story of a small fish who uses his intellig
ence and his physical difference tosolve a problem, they learn m
any things about the social organization of their world. They lea
rn, forinstance, that big fish eat small ones and that this is a pro
blem for small fish. They learn that beingdifferent can be hard b
ut that it has its rewards. They learn that the world is full of stra
nge andmysterious things that are worth finding out about. And

finally, they learn that working together cansave them from dan
ger. These messages are similar to other Lionni books, which of
ten featurecharacters whose difference and special qualities are
essential to the success of the group. Aschildren grow, they will
face many pressures to talk, act, and think like everyone else, b
ut Swimmy isaccepted for who he is because the group recogniz
es that they need him to be and think differentlythan they. His s
tory expresses a core cultural value of accepting and honoring i
ndividual differences.
Different books offer different messages about a range of cultur
al values. Sometimes, thesemessages are explicit and easy to un
derstand. Often, though, they are subtle, and child readersabsor
b them unconsciously as they enjoy the story. One of the reason
s it is important for parents,professional caregivers, and early c
hildhood educators to study children's literature is because child
ren's literature always teaches childrensomething about the worl
d, and we need to be aware of what those lessons are. Because c
hildren have limited experience with the worldaround them, and
because their brains are so active in taking in new information
and making connections, they are remarkably open to boththe ov
ert and the subtle messages embedded in the stories we share.
Explore and Reflect: Subtle Values in Children's Stories
Many fairy tales of European origin end with the words "and the
y all lived happily ever after." Think about the endings to"Cinde
rella," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Sleeping Beauty,"
and "Beauty and the Beast." What are the conditionsneeded for
"happily ever after" in each story (for instance, marriage, castle,
etc.)? What do these repetitive conditions teachchildren about
what is necessary for their own "happily ever afters"? How have
these children's stories influenced your ownideas about what m
akes for a happy life?
1.2 What Do Children's Literature Researchers Study?
There are many ways to go about the study of children's literatu
re. Literary researchers, for instance, study the literature itself.
They might lookat books, folk stories, poems, and films from a
historical perspective, asking why certain stories and poems bec

ome classics. Alternately, theymight look at form, that is, how t
he art and the words of children's books invite children to read t
hem, and how those forms have changed overtime. Still other lit
erary researchers focus on the messages of children's literature,
as we just did with Swimmy, to try to determine how thesemess
ages are communicated to children through their books. They ca
ll these sorts of messages ideologies, which are the unconscious
beliefs and values that underlie our behavior. Our cultural belief
s and values seem like common sense to us, when really they ha
ve beentaught to us through various means, including children's
literature, throughout our lifetimes.
Scholars in the fields of Education and Library and Information
Sciences focus more on the interaction of children with books.
They want toknow how to get children to engage with books so t
hat they can meet educational and personal goals and enrich thei
r lives through reading.Educators understand that children acqui
re literacy and literary understanding in stages, and they researc
h how engagement with literaturehelps children progress throug
h these stages. Librarians are committed to a practice they call a
readers' advisory, which aims to put the rightbook in the right p
erson's hand at the right time. In order to help children engage
with books, teachers and librarians need to understandsomething
about children's preferences as well as have a broad knowledge
of what sorts of books are available.
1.3 What Will You Study About Children's Literature in This B
ook?
This book will introduce strategies from all of these different w
ays of looking at children's literature, which includes not only p
rinted books, butalso oral stories and poems, music, film, and di
gital media. In Chapter 2, you will see how the history of childr
en's literature reflects the ideassociety has had in different perio
ds about who children are and what they need. You will learn ho
w to analyze pictures and stories in Chapters3 and 4 so that you
can assess them for quality. And throughout the book, you will
explore how the interaction between adults, children, anddevelo
pmentally appropriate, quality literature enriches children's live

s.
Of course, one of the primary purposes of children's literature is
to help children learn to read. Learning to read, however, is mu
ch morecomplicated than simply knowing which marks on a pag
e correspond to which sounds. In order to be truly literate, child
ren must learn to makemeaning from texts and pictures, to trans
form the words on the page into mental images of places, charac
ters, and things that move andinteract with one another. They ne
ed to connect causes and effects and problems and solutions, an
d they need to be able to follow paths ofgrowth and developmen
t as they unfold. As we move through the chapters of this book,
we will think carefully about how children's braindevelopment g
rows alongside their increasing language and literacy developm
ent. This introductory chapter will offer an overview of howthes
e factors interact, while Chapters 6–
10 break down the interaction more precisely and suggest how t
o select and share developmentallyappropriate, quality literature
with children at different stages of their reading development.
Additionally, in this first chapter we will explore the various re
sources available to help readers find good books. In studies tha
t focus oncommunity and state literacy rates, researchers have f
ound that access to many good books is the single most importa
nt factor affectingsuccessful literacy acquisition (McQuillan, 19
98; Shin, 2004). Ensuring book-
rich environments for all children should thus be a top priority f
orearly childhood educators. Throughout this book, we will disc
uss the types of books available for children and the appropriate
ages at which tointroduce them.
By the end of this book, then, you should feel confident in your
ability to find, select, and share quality, developmentally appro
priateliterature with young children from birth to age 8.
What Does "Developmentally Appropriate" Mean?
"Developmentally appropriate" is a loaded term when it comes t
o describing literature for children. To assess whether a book is
developmentally appropriate, however, we need to understand h
ow language development and literacy are connected and how le

arninghappens, but perhaps most importantly, we need to be attu
ned to children's preferences and emotional concerns.
Children are more likely to enjoy reading if theyhave access to i
nteresting literature thatcorresponds to the issues of their develo
pmentalage.
Comstock Images/Thinkstock
It is tempting to rely solely on a mathematically based formula f
or assessingreading level and call that "developmentally appropr
iate." Most publishers ofchildren's books produce series of level
ed readers, that is,books that have beenrun through a formula th
at calculates variables such as sentence length,percentage of dif
ficult words, and average number of syllables per word. Whatth
ese formulae don't take into account is reader interest and devel
opmental age,which produce motivations or barriers that can oft
en differ greatly from a simplisticassessment of reading level. F
or instance, Scholastic Inc., the largest publisher anddistributor
of children's books in the world, has a resource on their website
calledthe Book Wizard, where you can enter the title of a book
and obtain a reading levelfor that book. According to their level
ing system, Stephanie Meyer's Twilight has areading grade level
equivalent of 4.4 (Twilight, n.d.). This means that 50% of allst
udents in their fourth month of fourth grade have attained the re
ading levelnecessary for understanding the words and sentence s
tructures of that book. Bycontrast, the interest level of the book
is listed as grades 9–
12. However, noconsideration beyond interest is given to the ap
propriateness of the content for thedevelopmental age of the chi
ld. For examples of the various formulae used todetermine reada
bility levels, click here.
In this book, we take a holistic approach to determining develop
mental appropriateness by focusing on children's preferences an
d theirdevelopmental concerns. We believe that while children n
eed appropriate supports in learning to read, they are more likel
y to want to read ifthe literature they encounter is interesting to
them, which means that it corresponds to the concerns of their d

evelopmental age. Moreover,they will stretch to more difficult t
exts if their prior experience with literature is engaging, meanin
gful, and satisfying. In Chapters 6–
10 we focuson the kinds of texts most likely to correspond to ab
ilities and preferences correlated with developmental age as wel
l as where children are intheir literacy development. We also us
e these factors to suggest the most effective ways to share those
texts with children to ensure that theyacquire fluency and confi
dence in reading.
Choosing Developmentally Appropriate Literature
1.4 Changing Definitions of Literacy
Literacy seems to have always been a vexed issue. Over the year
s, people have worried about how to teach it, who has access to
it, how it isrelated to power and progress. Definitions of literac
y have changed over time. For instance, in the early 19th centur
y in America, the ability tosign one's name was all it took to be
considered literate. However, prior to that, beginning in the 160
0s in the colonies, local schools supportedby their communities
in New England fostered high levels of literacy in order for chil
dren to be able to read and understand the Bible. Theselocal sch
ools did not last through the Revolutionary War, but by the end
of the 1700s, the idea of public, state-
funded schools had caught on inNew England with the interestin
g fact that the ability to read was a prerequisite for the 7-year-
olds who wanted to attend the public grammarschool, at least in
Boston. The idea of secular, compulsory public schooling was i
ntroduced in the 1800s, a move that fostered the universalexpect
ation of literacy for all citizens, if not its actualization.
The 20th Century: Dick and Jane Versus Eloise
During the 20th century, literacy always seemed to be in a state
of crisis, a phenomenon epitomized by the mid-
century book entitled WhyJohnny Can't Read—
And What You Can do About It (Flesch, 1955). A 1954 article i
n Life magazine claimed that one of the main reasonschildren di
dn't learn to read well was that the primers used in schools were
boring. They featured spiffy, White, middle-

class children who wereuniversally good-
natured and always did the right thing; rather than challenging c
hildren with adventure and conflict and acknowledging thefact t
hat bad decisions often turn into the best stories.
Popular children's books oftenfeature naughty charactersmaking
bad decisions, whileschool readers used in the1940s and ‘50s hi
ghlighted well-behaved children making goodchoices.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
More interesting books were out there, certainly, featuring ramb
unctious, humorous charactersmaking dubious choices. Consider
Curious George (Rey, 1941), The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Potter,1
902), and Eloise (Thompson, 1955), just to name three books av
ailable at the time. But books likethese weren't being used in sc
hools to teach children how to read. The director of the educatio
naldivision at Houghton Mifflin, William Ellsworth Spaulding,
presented the findings of the Life article asa challenge to his fri
end Ted Geisel, who, nine months later and using a pen name, p
resented himwith a manuscript for The Cat in the Hat (Seuss, 19
57). This book used only 236 words, all but 13 ofwhich appeare
d on a list of words every first grader should know, and started
a revolution of sorts inearly reader books by combining educati
on and entertainment. Arguably, though, this trend startedlong b
efore Dr. Seuss, as we will see in Chapter 2. It might be more ac
curate to say that Seuss'sBeginner Books series presented the fir
st significant challenge to school curriculums in the 20thcentury
, in that the books paid attention to the needs of reading instruct
ion at the same time as theysought to tell interesting stories.
The emphasis in this midcentury literacy crisis mentality center
ed on students' ability to accesstraditional forms of reading and
writing in a single language, and it arose at least in part out of a
general philosophy of standardization and assimilation. In other
words, this anxiety arose out of thebelief that the purpose of sch
ooling was to ensure that everyone could function at roughly the
samelevel in the national language and achieve a certain level o
f what E. D. Hirsch in the 1980s called"cultural literacy." Hirsc

h's project caused some controversy, however, and not long afte
r hepublished his authoritarian, directive curriculum of "what ev
ery American needs to know" (Hirsch,1988), the emphasis shifte
d away from assimilation and shared cultural knowledge to an e
mphasison showcasing and honoring cultural and linguistic dive
rsity.
In the 21st century, given this shift in sensibility and the signifi
cant changes wrought by technology on our daily lives, educator
s are now beingasked to radically re-
conceptualize our ideas of literacy. Children today are growing
up in an increasingly image-rich and media-
saturatedculture. Becoming literate means being able to "read" n
ot only print but also images, moving images, and soundtracks d
esigned to appealdirectly to their emotions. While there is wides
pread worry that this increase in media will detract from traditio
nal literacy acquisition and resultin a decline in the habit and ab
ility to read (see, for instance, NEA, 2004), an expanded definit
ion of literacy can actually be quite helpful inconsidering literat
ure for young children.
Multiliteracies
The New London Group (NLG), a group of 10 well-
known literacy educators from the United States, Australia, and
Great Britain,advocates for a shift in understanding and teachin
g literacy to incorporate multiliteracies (New London Group, 19
96; Kalantzis & Cope,2012). They suggest that we focus on six
different ways that we make meaning:
·
linguistic literacy, which includes elements of tradition verbal a
nd written language;
· audio literacy, which includes music and sound effects;
·
visual literacy, which includes elements of visual design, such a
s color, perspective, shape, position, and so forth;
·
gestural literacy, which includes behavior, gesture, physicality,
feelings, movement;

·
spatial literacy, which includes elements of geographical and ec
osystem design and architectural and sculptural design; and
·
tactile literacy, which includes elements of touch, smell, and tas
te.
According to the NLG, the ability to analyze and use these mod
es is necessary for both understanding our world as it is and for
crafting afuture that we find meaningful and fulfilling. More im
portantly for our purposes, however, is the understanding that th
ese literacies are crucialfor young children as they learn to read.
Infants begin the process of learning to read gestures and other
visual information almost immediatelyafter birth. They also star
t to interpret sounds and space as they become habituated to thei
r environments; they learn, for instance, toassociate their cribs
with being alone, or kitchens with community and interesting ac
tivity and smells.
As they grow, their understandings and manipulations of these l
iteracies become more intentional and form the basis for their u
nderstanding ofliterary texts. When children have stories read to
them, they use their embodied experiences to make sense of the
words and pictures. Theydraw on their knowledge of sounds, fa
cial expressions and gestures, spatial environments and features,
what things feel and smell like, andvisual information to turn w
ords into mental images that make a story come alive. The stori
es themselves then expand those mental models sothat they can i
magine worlds and scenarios beyond their everyday experiences
. This is how reading works and how it provides pleasure: Itstart
s by linking our sensory experiences to the words on a page, and
then the words on the page help our imaginations reach beyond
whatwe have experienced into new possibilities.
Because good reading—
that is, the ability to make meaning from texts—
depends on children's ability to employ these multiliteracieseffe
ctively, it is important that we help them build a wealth of multi
modal experiences and engage them in conversations that encou

rage theirunderstanding of the various modes. We will explore t
his process in more depth in future chapters, using the NLG's m
ultiliteracies as our guideand organizational strategy. Our focus
is on literature appropriate for children from infancy to age 8, o
r third grade. However, there aredifferences in the ages at which
children acquire literacy, as well as different terminology used
by literacy specialists, so we have divided ourdevelopmental dis
cussion into three broad stages of reading development: preread
ers, new readers, and young readers. For each level, therewill be
one chapter devoted to the development and enrichment of audi
o and linguistic literacies and another that focuses on visual, ge
stural,spatial, and tactile literacies. For a more extensive discus
sion on multiliteracies and the work of the New London Group,
see http://www.newliteracies.com.au/what-are-new-
literacies?/138/and http://newlearningonline.com/multiliteracies
/.
Online Resources: Stages of Reading Development
Various models have been developed for describing the stages o
f reading development, including the following:
For an overview of noted literacy expert Jeanne Chall's Stages o
f Reading Development:
http://newlearningonline.com/literacies/chapter-14-literacies-
and-learner-differences/chall-on-stages-of-reading-
development/
For a model developed by the Pacific Resources for Education a
nd Learning:
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/51574/
For a discussion on the stages and goals of reading development
by the Institute of Reading Development:
http://readingprograms.org/our-approach/stages-of-reading-
development/
1.5 How Does the Path to Literacy and Literary Enjoyment Begi
n?
Ellen Dissanayake, a scholar who studies the role of art in cultu
res around the globe, claims that the bond between infant and ca
regiversbegins in what she and others call "communicative musi

cality" (2009, p. 23). Mothers and infants develop relational call
-and-
response patternsthat bring them in sync with one another and e
nable bonding. Dissanayake explores this bonding behavior as a
n explanation for the origins ofmusic in human society, but we c
an link it to how an appreciation of literature begins. The literat
ure we share with children is a way ofcommunicating with them
the wonder and possibilities of the world we live in. And it beg
ins with helping them recognize patterns anddeveloping the skil
l of joint attention.
Being new to the world is certainly stressful for the baby, but h
aving a new baby is also stressful for the caregiver; getting to k
now a whole newperson who is wholly dependent on you for sur
vival can be overwhelming. "Getting to know someone" means f
iguring out what is predictableor consistent about that person's r
esponses and behaviors. Part of getting to know a new baby inv
olves actively helping the baby establishpatterns of predictabilit
y that will make the baby feel safe by imposing some order on t
he world. One of a caregiver's or early childhoodeducator's most
important roles in working with infants and young children is t
o help them structure their world so that they have categoriesan
d patterns into which they can fit new information. Adults help
children make sense of their world.
Dissanayake stresses, however, that communication between ad
ults and infants is not a one-
way street. Instead, she says, babies teachadults how to talk to t
hem by responding in different ways to different utterances. Inf
ants are more likely to respond positively to expressionsthat are
"simplified, repeated, exaggerated, and elaborated" (2009, p. 2
3). Again, although Dissanayake's claims are made in the servic
e ofexplaining how music functions in human culture, we can se
e how these observations of infant preferences can be mapped o
nto not only thekinds of music they enjoy but the literature they
favor as well. Children's poetry and nursery rhymes typically m
ake use of the qualities of simplification, repetition, exaggeratio
n, and elaboration.

Dissanayake also says that children prefer multimodal presentati
ons—
that is, through "simultaneous vocal, visual, and kinesic (relatin
g tomotion) expressions" (2009, p. 23). Children's literature is a
lmost always presented in a multimodal format—
that is, a format that engagesmore than one of the five senses. S
torytellers use their bodies and voices to convey their message,
and often incorporate music andcostuming and invite children to
participate in the storytelling process, either by joining in on a
repetitive refrain or by acting out a behavior.Action songs and r
hymes are a large part of children's literature and culture. But p
erhaps the most dominant and familiar form of children'sliteratu
re, the form that defines the genre, is the children's picturebook
—
a multimodal form of infinite variety that in so many ways ushe
rschildren into the world of literacy.
As adults share picturebooks with children, they are engaging th
em in an activity that draws on all six multiliteracies in order to
make meaning.While looking at the pictures and simultaneousl
y hearing the words or having conversations about the book, chi
ldren are engaged in a projectof joint attention with an adult ove
r a special kind of object. They are not eating or being dressed o
r rolling a ball back and forth. Instead, theadult is showing them
something that they are expected to make meaning from. By poi
nting and directing their eyes to the pictures on thepage, adults
help them make the connection between two-
dimensional images, spoken and written words, and objects in th
eir world. Childrenbegin fitting the images on the page and the
words they hear into mental models they have developed from t
heir own experiences. Eventually,they come to understand how
books work. That is, they learn that images and words are not ju
st objects to be looked at, but that they haveintentions, so to spe
ak. They are trying to say something that the child needs to try t
o understand. This is the starting point of print literacy.
Developmental Considerations
In first-

world cultures such as the United States, literacy development i
s as important to children as learning to walk and talk. Research
ers inthe development of identity argue that this is because we d
evelop our sense of self from words and images that are availabl
e to us, and theseinclude images from print and nonprint literatu
re and media (Bracher, 2009; Gergen, 2000; Strenger, 2005). Ch
ildren's texts in particularprovide a range of images that childre
n learn to identity with and imitate on the one hand, and dis-
identify with and distance themselves fromon the other. So it is
necessary to understand how development occurs, and the role li
terature and literacy play in that development, in order tounders
tand how to choose and share developmentally appropriate litera
ture that supports healthy growth, a strong sense of self, and ap
ositive orientation toward others.
Developmental psychologists have developed stage theories to d
escribe various aspects of how children grow and change in rela
tivelypredictable ways. Two things are important to remember a
bout stage theories: First, children progress through stages at di
fferent rates,depending on innate abilities, temperament, and en
vironmental factors, so the age range attributed to stages is appr
oximate. The order of thestages is more important than the age a
t which each stage is achieved. Second, stages should not be tho
ught of as one-
way gates towardprogress. That is, once children have moved fr
om one stage to another, they don't simply abandon the ways of
thinking that characterized theearlier stage forever. Instead, the
y have more complex ways of thinking available to them as they
approach a task. A better way to think aboutstages is that each
stage offers what art education professor Michael J. Parsons call
s "a cluster of ideas" (1987, p. 11) for considering aproblem or t
hinking about a work of art or an aspect of a relationship.
Reading to a baby while holding him or her makesthe baby feel
safe.
Christopher Robbins/Digital Vision/Thinkstock
Parsons adds that each stage of development, whether it be cogn

itive, moral,social, or aesthetic, moves progressively toward a g
reater capacity to consider theperspectives of others (1987). Thi
s is important in terms of literacy developmentand literature app
reciation. The ability to understand stories requires the ability t
otake the perspective of characters and think about why they be
have as they do. Inturn, the more children listen and respond to
stories, the greater their capacity toenter into the perspective of
characters. This helps them consider more optionswhen they app
roach conflict in their own lives.
Another reason to consider stage theories in relation to literatur
e is to considerwhat kinds of books children will likely be inter
ested in at what stages. For instance,British doctor and psychoa
nalyst D. W. Winnicott asserts that an infant's mostcrucial need
is for an adequate "holding environment." Babies need to be hel
d,literally and emotionally, so that they are able "to feel the bod
y is the place wherethe psyche lives" (Winnicott, 1964, p. 194).
Literally speaking, holding a baby whilereading a book or singi
ng to him or her helps the child feel safe. Many children'sbooks,
such as Mem Fox's Time for Bed (1993), Denise Fleming's Slee
py, Oh So Sleepy (2010) and Jean-
Baptiste Baronian's Con Todo MiCorazon (originally published
in French as De Tout mon Coeur, 1998) offer comforting images
of holding, in which human and animal parentscuddle their babi
es. As they grow older, Winnicott notes, children work through
their ongoing need for physical holding through the use of a"tra
nsitional object" such as a blanket or a teddy bear. The beloved
character Corduroy was introduced in 1968 (Corduroy, Don Fre
eman) andremains popular today precisely because children rela
te to the need for a transitional object.
The most influential developmental stage theories were framed
by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, German-
born American developmentalpsychologist Erik Erikson, and A
merican psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg. We will briefly revie
w their theories here and relate them to thekinds of themes com
mon in books for young children. In Chapters 6–
10, we will hone in more specifically on how understanding dev

elopmentcan assist in choosing developmentally appropriate lite
rature in terms of format and presentation.
Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development
Piaget proposed a model of intellectual or cognitive developmen
t. He believed that children's intellectual development grew in t
andem withtheir physical development. As children grow, he rea
soned, they organize their experience into categories. Early con
cept books, whichfeature objects grouped according to a single
characteristic, such as color or shape, and concept books, which
are informational booksorganized around a single subject, help
children with the work of categorizing. Learning requires that th
ey adapt those categories in one of twoways: assimilation or acc
ommodation. Assimilation occurs when new information can be
made to fit existing categories. For instance, a childmay have en
vironmental experience with a particular kind of dog, but when i
ntroduced to Matthew van Fleet's Dog (2007), which shows 20di
fferent kinds of dogs, the child inputs a variety of new data into
his or her category of dog.
Accommodation occurs when the new data can't be made to fit t
he existing category, so the category itself needs to be adjusted.
Suppose achild knows what a horse is and then watches the chil
dren's film Racing Stripes (2005) or reads a traditional alphabet
book. The child knowsthat horses can come in different colors a
nd have patterned hides, but a "horse" with black and white stri
pes is not a horse at all. The childthen has to change his existin
g knowledge to accommodate the new information.
Although Piaget proposed these are two separate kinds of learni
ng adaptations, they most often happen in concert with each oth
er, withchildren testing and exploring what things are like other
things and how categories can be formed to break up the world
into manageablechunks. Books for very young children assist in
the development and expansion of mental categories by presenti
ng various objects groupedby one or two dominant characteristi
cs. For instance, Matthew van Fleet has a series of board books
that focus on a single species (Dog,2007; Cat, 2009) or body par
t (Heads, 2010; Tails, 2003). Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury intr

oduce the concept of diversity in their board book Ten Little Fin
gers and Ten Little Toes (2008) by featuring a cast of multicultu
ral tykes from different environments all over the world thatnev
ertheless share the characteristic of having ten little fingers and
ten little toes.
Table 1.1: Books for stages of cognitive development
AgeRange
Stage ofdevelopment
Characteristics
Appropriately themed books
Birth–age2
Sensorimotor
Infants and toddlers learn about the worldthrough their senses a
nd movements.
Early concept books that depict everyday objectsorganized by q
ualities such as color, size, species,habitat, etc.
Ages 2–7
Preoperational
Children understand symbols (words andimages). Language is d
eveloping rapidly.Pretend play is increasingly prevalent.
Concept books where objects are labeled withwords or organize
d according to relationships, likeopposites, counting, alphabet; s
tories that promotepretend play; stories that introduce challengi
ng newvocabulary.
Ages 7–11
Concreteoperational
Children begin to understand inductivelogic (that is, can go fro
m a specificexample to a general principle); they canalso begin
to manipulate mental categoriesto solve problems.
Nonfiction about environmental processes,architecture, and mak
ing things. Fantasy fictionfeaturing gadgets.
Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development grew out of
Sigmund Freud's theory of psychosexual development. Freud lin
ked each stageto a particular erogenous zone of the body that a
child focuses on to achieve satisfaction, including an oral stage,

an anal stage, and phallicstage. He tied these stages of develop
ment to problems of sexual and gender identity and general effe
ctiveness as a human being later in life.His focus on psychosexu
al development made his work very controversial, but later Freu
dian thinkers, such as Erikson, expanded Freud'sfocus beyond g
ender and sexual development to the development of the person
ality as whole. While Erikson developed his theory beyondchild
hood all the way to old age, we will focus on the relevant stages
from birth to age 8.
Erikson formulated his stages around a set of basic conflicts tha
t children must work through as they grow. The way children re
solve theseconflicts creates a pattern of relationality that can pe
rsist throughout their lives. Understanding the nature of these c
onflicts helps usunderstand which books may be useful to childr
en at certain times in their lives. Children can use the stories an
d behaviors modeled in booksand other media to help them unde
rstand and work through the conflicts they are experiencing.
Table 1.2: Books for stages of psychosocial development
Agerange
Basicconflict
Characteristics
Appropriately themed books
Birth–18months
Trust vs.distrust
Infants are seekingroutines, stability, andreliable patterns ofcare
.
Picturebooks and early concept books that reflect their own ever
ydayenvironment and show babies in loving relationships with o
thers willreinforce their sense that the world is stable and predic
table. Repetitivesongs and nursery rhymes also help establish a
sense of an ordered world.
2–3 years
Autonomyvs. shameand doubt
Toddlers are learningself-
control throughtoileting as well asgreater physicalcompetence t
hroughsafe exploration oftheir environments.

Picturebooks that show loving resolutions to simple conflicts su
ch as going tobed, welcoming a new sibling, toileting, and eatin
g new foods will affirm theirdeveloping competence and autono
my in these areas. Also, most children willbe ready for simple st
ories about parental separation and reunion. Nurseryrhymes like
"Jack Be Nimble" and action songs help them get started withsi
mple communal action. Picturebooks that focus on transitional o
bjects arealso important in this stage, as children need reassuran
ce that just becausethey are becoming more independent, they ar
e not losing the comfort theyonce enjoyed.
3–5 years
Initiativevs. guilt
Children are startingto experiment withhow much power theyha
ve over theirsituation.
Picturebooks about going to school or going on fantasy "explore
s" areappropriate as children's imaginations and environments g
et bigger. Storiesthat feature characters who are naughty or expr
ess anger, or books withpowerful characters, such as monsters o
r dinosaurs, help children cope withaggressive feelings or feelin
gs of powerlessness. Also, books aboutcharacters who undergo
positive physical change help children imagine theway they too
are changing and growing.
6–11years
Industryvs.inferiority
Children are learningto cope with newsocial demands aswell as
learningacademic skills. Theyneed to feel as if thework they do
isimportant to thefunctioning of theirfamily or social group.
Books that showcase characters who made a difference in their c
ommunitiesor world. Realistic or fantasy fiction that highlights
problem solving skills.
Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development
Lawrence Kohlberg supplemented Piaget's theory of cognitive d
evelopment with a breakdown of the stages of moral developme
nt. Hedeveloped his theory through extensive conversations wit
h children. However, it is important to remember that the level
of children's moralreasoning does not always correspond to thei

r moral behavior. Children often act out of compassion or selfis
hness even when it goes againsttheir principles. The later stages
of Kohlberg's system have been criticized for overemphasizing
the importance of individualism and personalrights and freedom
s, while other cultural values, such as the importance of interde
pendence and social responsibility are devalued. However,the ea
rly stages do seem to correspond to children's developing moral
reasoning.
Table 1.3: Books for stages of moral development
Agerange
Stage
Characteristics
Appropriately-themed books
Birth–1year
Stage 0:Preconventional
Children feel that whatever meets theirneeds and preferences is
good.
Early concept books that show baby faces withdifferent emotion
s give infants mirror images toexpand their emotional range.
1–5 years
Stage 1:Preconventional:obedience andpunishment
Rules are absolute and children obeythem so as to avoid punish
ment.
Stories that show actions and consequences, bothgood and bad,
will open up discussions about howbehaviors lead to results. Sto
ries that treat benignbad behaviors in a humorous way help chil
dren feelsuperior in their own knowledge of the proper waysto b
ehave.
6–12years
Stage 2:Conventional:individual andexchange
Children want to be thought of as good,and they want to maintai
n social order.Sometimes these come into conflict withone anot
her, and they must choose toconform to the group or act in their
ownself-interest.
Stories that challenge gender stereotypes and poseproblems that
focus on conforming versus standingon one's own can open disc

ussions aboutconsequences of moral actions.
These theories of development can act as fairly reliable guides t
o choosing books that children will find interesting and relevant
to theircurrent situations. As we move through the chapters of t
his book, we will introduce further details about development fr
om differentperspectives so that we can get a fuller picture of w
hat developmentally appropriate literature means.
Multiple Intelligences
In addition to considering developmental stages when choosing
literature for children, it is also helpful to understand Howard G
ardner's theoryof multiple intelligences (1983). There is conside
rable conceptual overlap between the NLG's articulation of mult
iliteracies and Gardner'stheory, considering that they both respo
nd to the diverse ways we interpret experience. Gardner argues t
hat there is no general way ofconceiving of intelligence but that
people are intelligent in different registers. He proposes nine s
uch ways of being smart:
· Spatial: an ability to understand and visualize objects in two-
and three-dimensional space
· Logical-
mathematical: an ability to reason through abstractions, recogni
ze patterns, perform calculations, think critically, and consider
multiple hypotheses
·
Linguistic: an ease with spoken and written language, including
storytelling, creative uses of language, debate and discussion, a
nd theability to learn multiple languages
· Bodily-
kinethestic: an ability to effectively use and control one's gross
and fine motor skills and to train those skills until they becomes
eemingly instinctual; also includes a strong sense of time, space
, and goals with regard to bodily actions
·
Musical: an ability to distinguish sound, pitch, rhythm, meter, m
elody, and tone
·

Interpersonal: a sensitivity to the emotional needs and expressio
ns of other people and an ability to cooperate with and/or direct
groups
·
Intrapersonal: an ability to understand and reflect on one's own
actions and motivations
·
Naturalistic: a sensitivity to one's natural environment, includin
g animals, plants, and geographical features
·
Existential: a sensitivity to and ability to contemplate ideas and
phenomena that transcend the senses (Gardner resisted the idea
of aspiritual intelligence but considered this an acceptable subst
itute)
Gardner contends that education programs emphasizing only lin
guistic and logical-
mathematic intelligence (which are dominant in mostschool setti
ngs) miss many of the ways in which children approach the worl
d. According to Gardner, all people possess all of theintelligenc
es to some degree, with one or two being dominant. Children pr
efer to approach tasks and activities that use the modalitiesthrou
gh which they excel.
Many of the intelligence modes interact and overlap with each o
ther; for instance, people with a high degree of musical intellige
nce may alsotend to excel in logical-
mathematical tasks, since there are similarities in musical and m
athematical structures. But sometimes, people with ahigh level
of empathy, or interpersonal intelligence, might be seen as troub
lemakers in school or day care settings, since their concern foro
ther people often runs afoul of classroom rules of staying quiet,
attending to their own work, and keeping their hands to themsel
ves.Alternately, immature leadership skills may devolve into bu
llying if teachers and caregivers don't recognize and channel thi
s expression ofinterpersonal intelligence in sensitive ways.
Understanding the various kinds of intelligence enables parents
and caregivers to select books for children that respond to their

interests andtheir modes of approaching the world. For instance,
3-to-5-year-
olds who have a tendency to ask big questions about why the ph
ysical worldworks the way it does (existential intelligence) will
appreciate the philosophical and metaphorical connections in M
ary Lyn Ray's and MarlaFrazee's Stars (2011). Children who de
monstrate a naturalistic intelligence will appreciate Joyce Sidma
n's poetry and gravitate toward booksthat explore animal behavi
or and habitats. Stories about family relationships and friendshi
ps will appeal to children who favor inter-
andintrapersonal intelligence modes.
In addition to aiding book selection, an understanding of multip
le intelligences can assist educators in determining the best way
s to sharebooks with their particular children. Young readers wi
th interpersonal intelligence skills can be encouraged to share th
eir favorite books withprereaders in one-on-
one reading sessions. Logical-
mathematical learners can be paired with bodily-
kinesthetic learners to create sets, props,and puppets to augment
story times. Children who demonstrate musical intelligence can
be asked to create and perform a song in response toa book.
Explore and Reflect: Multiple Intelligences
Imagine you are designing a unit on butterflies. One of the book
s you have chosen to use is Eric Carle's The Very HungryCaterp
illar (1969). Select three of Gardner's intelligences and suggest
book-
related activities that would engage students inthose modes. Sha
re and exchange your ideas with your classmates.
Choosing the right book for the right children at the right time d
epends on careful observation skills. By paying attention to the
habits, fears,and preoccupations of the children under your care
and thinking about them in light of developmental stages and di
fferent kinds ofintelligences, you can assess what topics, themes
, and kinds of books will be most likely to meet their needs and
preferences. The question,then, becomes where you find the boo
ks themselves.

1.6 Where to Find Children's Books
Children's books are everywhere, from grocery stores to large d
epartment stores to specialty bookshops. With nearly 30,000 chi
ldren'sbooks published every year, the sheer volume of books av
ailable can be overwhelming. Getting to know your way around
your local publicor school library is a good first step to finding
what you need.
Libraries and Bookstores
The most general categories that books fall into are fiction and
nonfiction. Fiction encompasses all stories that are imaginary, t
hat neveractually happened. This doesn't mean that they are not
"true," because all good stories have elements of truth to them,
but it is psychologicalor moral truth, not historical truth. Nonfic
tion, then, covers all books that relate incidents that actually ha
ppened, or explain known facts aboutthe world. That doesn't me
an that every nonfiction book is "true," because every incident i
s told through a perspective which may or may notbe shared by
everyone who experienced that incident, and what we know abo
ut the world sometimes changes. Fiction books are alphabetized
by the last name of their authors, while nonfiction books are org
anized by topic. Bookstores use broad categories, but libraries u
se the moreprecise categories and subcategories of the Dewey D
ecimal System.
Developed in 1876, the Dewey decimal classification (DDC) sys
tem is a way of organizing library collections into 10 main cate
gories. Eachcategory then has subcategories to make the organiz
ation more meaningful. Books are arranged according to call nu
mbers that correspond tothe subcategories. Most public libraries
have special children's sections that are organized according to
the DDC, but they insert a J before thecall number to indicate th
at it is part of their juvenile collection. It's important for people
who work with young children to be familiar with theDDC so t
hat they can respond to children's interests as well as work towa
rd specific learning goals.
Here are the 10 classifications in the DDC:
· 000–099

Computer Science, Information, and General Works
· 100–199 Philosophy and Psychology
· 200–299 Religion
· 300–399 Social Sciences
· 400–499 Language
· 500–599 Science
· 600–699 Technology
· 700–799 Arts
· 800–899 Literature
· 900–999 History, Geography, and Biography
For instance, nonfiction children's picturebooks on snakes will
be found in the J500s, specifically J597, with other books on col
d-bloodedvertebrates. Andrea Pinkney's Sit-
in: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down is identified by
the call number J323.1196 PIN, whichindicates that it is a book
about civil and political rights and that the author's last name st
arts with the letters PIN.
What you find in some categories may be surprising. For instanc
e, folk and fairy tales might seem oddly out of place in the 300s
, but they areclassified under the subcategory "customs, etiquett
e, and folklore" in J398. Children's poetry will be found in the J
811. Technically, this sectionis devoted to American poetry, but
in children's sections, most poetry books will be in that categor
y.
Notice that there is a literature category (800–
899), but most libraries separate out fiction books so that reader
s can more easily find them. Inchildren's sections, which are usu
ally in a special area of the library, fiction is further divided int
o categories of picturebooks, middle gradeliterature, and young
adult literature. Some libraries also have categories for beginnin
g readers, which is where they shelve leveled readers,both fictio
n and nonfiction, and for early readers, which is where they put
early chapter books, graphic novels for young readers, and serie
sfiction. Other sections may be set aside for board books, audio
books, award winners, and books that are not written in English.
Children's sections in bookstores are often organized in a simila

r fashion, with separate sections for board books, leveled reader
s, earlychapter books, and picturebooks. They may have shelves
set aside for award winners and books in other languages. In ad
dition, they mayhave sections devoted to a specific publisher, li
ke Disney Hyperion. Bookstores are more likely than libraries t
o carry tactile books, such as movable books or activity books (
sticker books, puzzle books, books that have wheels attached or
other toy-
like features, etc.) becausetactile books are not particularly dura
ble or aren't meant to be shared with multiple readers.
Explore and Reflect: Touring the Library
Take a field trip to your local library and explore the children's
section. How are the books arranged? What special sections doy
ou notice? Browse the nonfiction sections as well. Note how ma
ny picturebooks are found in the nonfiction as well as thepicture
book sections. What else besides books does your local library i
nclude in its children's section? Compare yourexperiences with
others in your class.
Introducing Children to Librarians
Librarians can help childrenlearn about a library's servicesand r
esources.
iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Books are not the only important resource in the library or the b
ookstore: School and publiclibrarians, fellow teachers, and book
store employees are enormously valuable resources in helpingyo
u choose books for individual students as well as classroom use,
particularly when you are juststarting out in the profession. Ma
ny libraries will arrange guided tours of their facilities for day-
caregroups. Some have outreach librarians who will visit your f
acility to share books and introducechildren to the services that
libraries offer. If possible, you can arrange a regular weekly vis
it to thelibrary with your children so that they learn to feel comf
ortable there.
It is also important for children to develop the confidence to ap
proach a librarian on their own. Sinceyoung children can be bas

hful, and since approaching unfamiliar adults can be intimidatin
g, the keyis preparation. Maria Montessori, founder of the Mont
essori educational approach, included whatshe called "grace and
courtesy" lessons as part of the Montessori practical life curric
ulum. Shebelieved that children need the sense of order that soc
ial manners provides. While many childrenare taught manners, g
reeting protocols, and proper ways to get the attention of an adu
lt as a matterof course, many are not, and this can make it diffic
ult for them to feel comfortable in unfamiliar socialsituations. Y
ou can help your children become more comfortable with adults
by teaching themproper manners. Consider the following sugges
ted books about manners.
Books About Manners
Cole, Babette. Lady Lupin's Guide to Etiquette. (2002, Spanish
edition, El Libro de Etiqueta de Lady Lupina, 2003).
Cooper, Ilene and Swiatowska, Gabi. The Golden Rule. (2007).
Dutton, Sandra. Dear Miss Perfect: A Beast's Guide to Proper B
ehavior. (2007).
Eberly, Sheryl. 365 Manners Kids Should Know: Games, Activit
ies, and Other Fun Ways to Help Children Learn Etiquette.(2011
, teacher resource).
Goldberg, Whoopi and Olo. Whoopi's Big Book of Manners. (20
10).
James, Elizabeth and Barkin, Carol. Social Smarts: Manners for
Today's Kids. (teacher resource, 1996).
Joslin, Sesyle and Sendak, Maurice. What Do You Say, Dear? (1
986).
Keller, Laurie. Do Unto Otters: A Book about Manners. (2007).
Leaf, Munro. How to Speak Politely and Why. (2005).
Melling, David. The Scallywags. (2006).
Polisar, Barry Louis and Clark, David. Don't Do That!: A Child'
s Guide to Bad Manners, Ridiculous Rules, and InadequateEtiqu
ette. (1995).
Rosenthal, Amy Krouse and Dyer, Jane. Cookies: Bite-
Size Life Lessons. (2006).
Sierra, Judy and Seibold, J. Otto. Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wo

lf. (2007).
Sierra, Judy and Bowers, Tim. Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur: A
First Book of Manners. (2012).
Willems, Mo. Time to Say "Please!" (2005).
Another method of preparing older children (that is, 5 years old
and up) to approach librarians is to have them do a personal inte
rest inventory.These are useful for students to clarify their own
interests as well as for you to keep on file as you design curricu
lum for your students. It isalso interesting to revisit them later i
n the school year to see if interests and attitudes toward reading
have changed.
Explore and Reflect: Taking Inventory
Look at several of the interest and reading inventories in the we
bsites listed here. Using these as models, create one thatyou feel
would be useful and appropriate for children in kindergarten th
rough second grade. Exchange your inventory with apartner, and
offer suggestions and feedback.
http://www.st.cr.k12.ia.us/reading/readinginterestinventoriescho
icepage.htm
http://coedpages.uncc.edu/dbtaylor/Resources/IntInv1.pdf
http://www.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/s/S
B1711%20Dec_3-5_ReadingInterest_LO1.pdf
http://www.lauracandler.com/filecabinet/liter acy/PDFRead/Read
ingInterestInventories.pdf
Once students have completed the inventory, role-
play the interaction between the student and a librarian. Begin b
y having the studentintroduce him or herself, and politely ask fo
r the librarian's name. This step is one we often skip in such int
eractions, but the goal is for thestudent to develop a trusting rel
ationship with this very important adult, so it helps to know eac
h other's names. Then have the student ask fora book on a certai
n topic he or she would like to pursue. The librarian will likely
ask questions that the student will have already answered onthe
inventory, such as what sort of books he likes or even a specific
title that he particularly enjoyed. Because students have done t
heinventory, they will have a ready answer, which will increase

the likelihood of a successful reader's advisory.
Now, they are ready to meet their librarian. If this activity is li
mited to a school context, the school librarian will likely have a
lready met thechildren in your class, and be familiar with both y
our curriculum and their interests (librarians are wondrously go
od at getting to know individualstudents' reading preferences an
d habits). It is important, though, to have the students meet the
public librarian in their town as well, sincepublic libraries often
have different collections than school libraries, and they are op
en in the summer. A class trip might be arranged, but itwould be
better if students could go in small groups, which could be acco
mplished through the enlistment of parent and grandparentvolun
teers who would be willing to take children in small groups to t
he library during or after school hours. Involving parents in thes
eexcursions can have the added benefit of introducing them to li
brary services as well; bear in mind that some parents may be as
uncomfortable as their children with such an outing, so arrangin
g to meet them at the library with their children might help the
m feel moreconfident. Remind the parents, though, that the goal
is for their children to learn to speak for themselves, so they sh
ould stand back and let thechildren make their own introduction
s and inquiries.
Readers' Advisory and Learning to Use the Library
Finding Books Online
Another way for you to find books, of course, is online. When y
ou want to find a list of books focusing on a specific topic, you
can simply enteryour query into your favorite search engine (Go
ogle, Bing, etc.), and let the vast online community of parents, l
ibrarians, teachers, authors,illustrators, and children's literature
bloggers make suggestions for you. Reviews of books are widel
y available from multiple sources. (A fewexamples are listed in
Websites to Save and Explore at the end of this chapter.) As alw
ays with Internet searches, however, you shouldconsider the sou
rce of the information. Some websites have specific ideological
or commercial interests. This can be very helpful, dependingon

your community, but you need to educate yourself regarding the
perspective of the site and cross-
check its information against other sites.
Additionally, while many websites and blogs that review and hi
ghlight children's books are free, others have subscription fees f
or full access.For instance, teachingbooks.net offers a wealth of
resources to inspire and complement your lesson planning, such
as video author interviewsand readings, themed book lists, boo
k guides and lesson plans, suggestions for Common Core curric
ulum alignment, and professionalarticles. They offer licensing o
ptions for school districts and public libraries, as well as homes
chool groups.
Another way to search is to enter a single author or title into a s
earch engine. Among other options, you will be directed to onli
ne bookstores.Online bookstores such as Amazon and Barnes &
Noble feature reader reviews, lists, and suggestions for other tit
les, so a simple search canopen into a wealth of options and pos
sibilities. These vendors often allow you to preview the book th
rough the Look Inside feature.Additionally, Amazon, Barnes &
Noble, and Google have e-
book apps that can be loaded onto multiple devices, and many o
f the booksavailable are free or very low cost.
Award Winners
One way to steer your way through the dizzying number of child
ren's books published each year is to keep up with the various a
wardsthat are presented to children's books authors and illustrat
ors. The following is a list of awards, with their focus and links
to their archives.
American Indian Youth Literature Award
Presented by the American Indian Library Association to honor
the books that best "represent American Indians in the fullness
of theirhumanity in the present and past contexts": http://ailanet
.org/activities/american-indian-youth-literature-award/
American Library Association Awards
All of these awards, except the Batchelder, are limited to Ameri
can authors:

·
Batchelder Award: Best book originally published in a language
other than English in a country other than the United States and
thentranslated: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedi
a/batchelderaward
·
Belpré Medal: Awarded to the Latino/Latina author and illustrat
or who best portrays, affirms and celebrates Latino cultural exp
erience: http://www.ala
.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpremedal
·
Caldecott Medal: Awarded to the artist of the most distinguishe
d picture book of the year: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants
/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal
·
Carnegie Medal: Awarded to the most outstanding children's vid
eo: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/carnegieme
dal
·
Coretta Scott King Award: Awarded to African American author
s and illustrators who demonstrate an appreciation of African A
mericanculture and universal human values: http://www.ala.org/
emiert/cskbookawards
·
Geisel Award: Most distinguished book for beginning readers: h
ttp://www .ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/geiselaward
·
Newbery Medal: Award for the most distinguished contribution
to American literature for children: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awa
rdsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberymedal
·
Odyssey Award: Best audio book for children and/or young adul
ts: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/odysseyawa
rd
·
Sibert Award: Most distinguished informational or nonfiction b

ook for children: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmed
ia/sibertmedal
Boston Globe/Hornbook Awards
Selected by an independent panel of three judges appointed by t
he editor of The Horn Book Magazine, a journal that features re
views andarticles about children's literature, awards are given in
June to the best books in the categories of Fiction and Poetry, P
icture Book, andNonfiction:
http://archive.hbook.com/bghb/
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbons
Selected by a panel of reviewers that includes scholars in the fie
lds of English, Education, and Library Sciences, as well as child
ren'slibrarians, this list is comprised of the best books of the ye
ar in three categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Picturebooks:
http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/BlueRibbons/blue11.html
Gryphon Award
Awarded by the Center for Children's Books at University of Illi
nois Urbana/Champaign to the book written for an audience of
K–
fourthgraders that best bridges the gap between reading aloud a
nd reading independently:
http://ccb.lis.illinois.edu/gryphon.html
Jane Addams Peace Association Children's Book Award
Given annually to the children's books that effectively promote
the cause of peace, social justice, world community, and equalit
y of allsexes and races:
http://www.janeaddamspeace.org/jacba/index_jacba.shtml
National Council of Teachers of English Awards
·
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children: htt
p://www.ncte .org/awards/orbispictus
·
NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children: http://www
.ncte.org/awards/poetry
Summary
Selecting quality, developmentally appropriate literature for chi

ldren starts with an understanding of what children's literature d
oes for childrenand how it does it. The purpose of this book is t
o explore these issues in depth. In this chapter, we introduced th
e multiliteracies anddevelopmental perspectives that will inform
our explorations of children's literature and the role it plays in
children's developing literacy. To findliterature that will interes
t your children and help you nurture their successful developme
nt, you can use libraries, bookstores, onlineresources, and childr
en's book awards lists.
Teaching Ideas
Prekindergarten
·
Go to the J 641 section of the library and locate several cookbo
oks. Have students look through the cookbooks and design a "dr
eammenu."
Kindergarten–Grade 1
·
Ask the librarians in your local or school library to put together
a class pack of alphabet books. (Most libraries offer this service
—
youjust need to tell them how many students you have and what
types of books you want.) Having students share the books in s
mallgroups and pick their favorite letter to present to the class.
Grades 1–3
·
Design a library scavenger hunt. Have students work in teams to
find a fairy tale, a book about snakes, a cookbook, a biography,
apicturebook, and so forth. Tailor this activity to your group an
d the time you have. Have each team present their books to the
class.
Websites to Save and Explore
Daily children's book recommendations from well-
known editor and literary critic Anita Silvey: http://childrensbo
okalmanac.com/
Informative blog about books by former children's literature libr
arian Julie Danielson. Contains a huge list of links to sites relat

ed to children'sliterature: http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblething
s/
Website, blog, and outreach program focused on multicultural c
hildren's literature: http://papertigers.org/
Website for The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, up
dated monthly and including an annual gift-
giving guide arranged by age: http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/
Children's Books and Films in the Chapter
Baronian, Jean-Baptiste. Con Todo Mi Corazon. (1998)
Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. (1969)
Fleming, Denise. Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy. (2010)
Fox, Mem and Oxenbury, Helen. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Litt
le Toes. (2008)
Fox, Mem. Time for Bed. (1993)
Freeman, Don. Corduroy. (1968)
"Lionni, Leo. Swimmy. (1963)
Potter, Beatrix. The Tale of Peter Rabbit. (1902)
Racing Stripes. Directed by Frederik Du Chau. (2005)
Ray, Mary Lyn and Frazee, Marla. Stars. (2011)
Rey, H. A. Curious George. (1941)
Seuss, Dr. The Cat in the Hat. (1957)
Thompson, Hilary. Eloise. (1955)
Van Fleet, Matthew. Cat. (2009)
Van Fleet, Matthew. Dog. (2007)
Van Fleet, Matthew. Heads. (2010)
Van Fleet, Matthew. Tails. (2003)
Key Terms
Click on each key term to see the definition.
activity books
Books that encourage children's interaction and manipulation, s
uch as sticker books, books with toy features such as wheels or
built-inpuppets, puzzle books, etc.
audio literacy
Ability to recognize and interpret aspects of music, noise, and s
ound effects; hearing and listening.
board books

Books printed on thick paperboard with washable surfaces.
concept books
Informational books organized by concepts, such as opposites,
weather, counting, alphabet, animal habitats, etc.
developmental age
A measure of a child's development (physical or psychological)
charted in terms of peer norms.
early chapter books
Short books for newly independent readers arranged in chapters,
usually have some illustrations, often appear in series.
early concept books
Informational books for very young children that are organized
by simple concepts, such as color, body parts, shape, everyday i
tems oractivities; have very few words.
elaboration
In communication with young children, to expand familiar utter
ances and actions with more or different details.
exaggeration
In communication with young children, to amplify movements,
gestures, and tone of voice beyond normal registers.
fiction
Books that feature stories that never actually happened.
gestural literacy
Ability to recognize and interpret the meanings of behavior, ges
ture, physicality, feelings, movement, dance.
ideology
The ideas, beliefs, and values of an individual, group, class, or
culture.
joint attention
The shared focus of two or more individuals on a single object.
kinesic
Relating to motion; more often spelled kinetic.
leveled readers
Books graded according to a mathematical formula that calculat
es variables such as sentence length, percentage of difficult wor
ds, andaverage number of syllables per word.

linguistic literacy
Elements of tradition verbal and written language.
movable books
A term that applies to any kind of book that includes three-
dimensional features, such as pop-ups, tunnel books, pull-
tabs, life-the-flap,wheels, etc.
multiliteracies
A term coined by the New London Group to refer to the six mod
es we use to make meaning, which include audio, gestural, lingu
istic,spatial, tactile, and visual literacies.
multimodal
The combination of one or more styles or forms of expression.
nonfiction
Informational books that include facts about events, people, pla
ces, or phenomena that exist or have existed.
picturebooks
Books where the pictures are as important as the text to convey
the story or information.
readers' advisory
A service offered by librarians or booksellers that involves sugg
esting fiction or nonfiction to readers based on their stated inter
ests.
repetition
The act of saying or doing the same or similar things over and o
ver again or in a similar way.
simplification
In communication with young children, to limit utterances to a f
ew familiar words or concepts.
spatial literacy
Ability to recognize and interpret features such as personal dista
nce, relational size, elements of geographical and ecosystem des
ign,architectural and sculptural design.
tactile literacy
Ability to recognize and interpret elements of touch, smell, and
taste.
visual literacy

Ability to recognize and interpret elements of visual design, suc
h as color, perspective, shape, composition of still and moving i
mages.
Chapter 1 Flashcards
Critical Thinking and Discussion Questions
1.
In what ways could it be argued that all children's books, no ma
tter what their content, are teaching texts for children?
2.
How do politicians and other policy makers seem to define liter
acy today? How do you define literacy? What are some differen
ces, if any,between the way educators and policy makers unders
tand literacy?
3.
Why are the six multiliteracies identified by the New London Gr
oup important for developing strong independent readers in cont
emporaryculture?
4.
What are the qualities to consider when determining whether a b
ook is developmentally appropriate for a particular child or grou
p ofchildren? Are there any qualities that you would consider m
ore important than others?
5.
How does your understanding of multiple intelligences affect yo
ur ability to choose books to share with children?
Assignment - Career Project (Research Paper)
Directions: Choose 3 different careers related to health, fitness,
sports and/or therapy. Prepare a research paper describing three
separate careers using the guidelines provided below. The
paper should be a minimum of 1500 words long (not including
the Title Page and Works Cited /References pages). You should
have a minimum of 4 references/sources of no more than three
years old. One of the resources can be your textbook. This
project should be written on a college level with proper

grammar. Remember to properly cite all information used from
outside sources. After you have chosen your careers, find out
the following subject matter information below for EACH
career in your paper:
A. Job Description – What does a person do when working in
this career?
B. Job Demand – Look at what job duties would be expected for
someone pursuing this career, including the perks and possible
downside of the job. Try to be as detailed as possible. If you
were to pursue a job in each of these careers, would you have a
hard time finding a place to get hired locally or would you have
to move to a large city? There are some careers that are in very
high demand, but there are others that are very specialized and
are more difficult to get into.
C. Average Annual Income – look at the expected income in
bigger cities as well as in smaller communities.
C. Required Education – Look at whether you would need to get
a certification, a college degree, a graduate degree, or
additional training in order to get hired for this position. Also,
talk about any local universities that offer programs in these
fields.
Additional Helpful Information:
Choosing a Topic: Before you choose your careers, read pages
365-373 in the textbook.
You can choose from many careers in Health, Physical
Education, and Recreation to write about, including: Exercise
Physiology, Sports Medicine, Physical Education, Teacher,
Coach, Bio-Mechanical Specialist, Exercise Science, Cardiac
Rehabilitation Specialist, Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainer,
Personal Trainer, Exercise Psychologist, Nutritionist, Exercise
Specialist (For Special Populations), Fitness or Dance
Instructor, Sports Media, Sports Management, or any other
health, physical education or recreation related degree that you
may be interested in pursuing. You can find more careers at
this website link:

Careers In Health/Sport/Fitness
Include in the Paper: (Points toward your total grade in
parenthesis)
~ A title page. (Worth 8 points)
~ An introduction (abstract) paragraph about the topic(s).
(Worth 10 points)
~ The main body of your paper should talk about your topic(s)
using the A – D subject matters provided in the main directions.
A conclusion paragraph based on the information provided in
the body of the paper. Grammar & Spelling should be on a
college level. Use at least 1500 words long (not including the
Title Page and Works Cited page). (Worth 60 points)
~ A References Page / Works Cited page. All facts used fr om
the resources are cited correctly. (Worth 22 points)
Extra Help:
1. "Research Paper - Requirements" gives additional
information on what I am looking for when you write this
research paper. It is found below this assignment in the next
Canvas module.
2. Search health journals, books, online sources, and schools
and your local hospital that employ people who do the job(s)
you are interested in. These resources could give you a better
understanding about your topic(s). Flyers/brochures are great
tools to distributed for additional take home information.
3. Interview someone who already has a career in your chosen
field, they would be a great source. You can often find
someone who has a job that you are interested in online. You
can e-mail or call this person and ask questions about what they
do. A person you interview can count as one of your references
as long as you include their name and contact information. If
you quote something from them, make sure it is written word
for word and in quotation marks “…” with their name connected
to the sentence.

Jack and Jill Learning Center is a high quality learning center
that serve children 6 month to 12 years. Our facility is a warm,
safe, and clean environment. The Corporation has been in
business for 10 year.
About Us
We have been in operation for ten years. Our facilty has been
nominate forthe best serving children award for the last 5
years. We are licensed by the Mississippi State Department of
Health. We are also USDA aproved to help serve your child a
healthy breakfast, lunch, and snacks. We offer finiacial service
to help with tution as well.
Explain the centers scope of services including: Ages served,
hours of service, location of center and tuition or fees.
Our center serve children ages 6 months to 12 years old. Our
hours of operation is from 7 a.m to 6 p.m Monday- Friday. We
are located at 2432 West Blvd, Clarksdale, Ms. 38614. Tuition
is $375 a week. Our late fee is $50 after one week. If late
paying tuition over 3 times within a month can result in yiur
child being removed from the program. Program Structure
Establish daily structure including a curriculum unit plan, a
sample lunch and snack menu, and explanation of your
curriculum and developmentally appropriate practices
Monday
B-apple, cereal, milk
L- pizza, oranges, corn, milk
S crackers, cheese, milk
Tuesday
B- banana, milk, juice, oatmeal
L- ham&cheese sandwich , bread, milk, peas
S- pretzels, milk

Wednesday
B- applesauce, milk, toast
L- mashed potatoes & gravy, Salisbury steak, jello, carrots,
milk
S- goldfish crackers, juice
Thursday
B-pancakes, juice, milk, syrup
L- hotdogs, coleslaw, milk, fruit
S- graham crackers, slice apples, milk
Friday
B- sausage, egg, milk, juice, peaches
L- hamburger, mandarin oranges, milk, lettuce, tomato, French
fries
S- carrots, milk
· Philosophy
Our philosophy at the Jack and Jill Learning Center is that each
child will learn regardless of their different learning styles.
They will gain knowledge in both academic and socially. We
will prepare curriculum that will fit the needs of all children.
Our curriculum will be will provides teachers with strategies
that will ensure that all children are getting the necessary skills
that will allow them to learn at their own pace. We will create
standards that will help teachers deliver quality teaching and
hands on activities. All students will be given a fair chance at
learning and excelling. Our teacher will attend monthly

workshops to make sure that they will continue to gain
knowledge on how to teach different learning styles for all
children.
· Outline the philosophy and focus of the program, including
your chosen theory from Chapter 1 and construct your center’s
philosophy based on this theory.
· Design a statement that demonstrates how your center will
address each of the ten NAEYC Standards:
· Relationships
·
· Curriculum
· Teaching
· Assessment of Child Progress
· Health
· Teachers (how you support your staff)
· Families
· Community Relationships
· Physical Environment (indoors and out)
· Leadership and Management (summary of your most recent
professional development experience)

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