The Place of Literature in Children’s Heart

From the beginning of education in the country, children’s literature has always had a place in the
school curriculum. Although the emphases in the literary experiences in of the young people at school
have changed time to time, the basic commitment to literature as a valuable ingredient to their
education has remained.

Except for textbooks for classroom training, children have not been exposed to a wealth of challenging
materials for their own pleasure. Textbooks are not enough: books that young people can read for
enjoyment and profit are needed. The practical values of children books have not been fully recognized.
Because of dearth reading materials, children turn to anything within their reach, anything that is
accessible to them, like comics, song-books, and magazines that are done hardly in good taste especially
local comics that abound in magazine stands on practically every corner. They watch TV mediocre shows
and listen to the soapbox operas and other humdrum radio programs. Movies that claim to be of social
relevance are nothing more that the glorification of the feasts of the infamous characters endowed with
folk-hero appeal and are nothing more than exercises in erotica.

This kind of environment produces a deprived child with questionable values in life. Those existing
conditions are not impossible to change as long as there are people who are aware of the needs of the
child and are willing to do something to counteract what brought such conditions. These changes should
be a cooperative undertaking combining the effort of those who touch the child’s life- parents, teachers,
as well as librarians.

A child’s appreciation of good literature comes partly from exposure to stimulating stories and books
which starts at home.

Teachers, Librarians as well as parents, can work effectively in developing children a love for literature
to expand and enhance their worth as children who will someday become worthwhile adults who can
contribute to their country’s progress and prosperity and who can be versatile in meeting the challenges
of a rapidly changing milieu.

The world of books offers children rich opportunities for developing into citizens and well-rounded
personalities who will be assets to their family and society. Through books, they may partly fulfil their
basic emotional needs- an indispensable condition for personality development.

Books are no substitute for living, but they can add immeasurably to its richness. When life is difficult,
they can give momentary relief from trouble, or a new insight into problems, or a source of information,
comfort and pleasure to those who know how to use them. This is as true with children as well as for
adults. There is therapeutic value of literature that must be recognized. Literature provides release, and,
in reading, the writing of others, many children are able to project themselves so that they receives help
for their own problem. They come to understand human nature by learning that their problems are not
unique.

Through literature the child develops his tastes in reading for pleasure. If he experiences satisfaction in
the stories the teacher reads, he will seek out this satisfaction in other stories. Satisfaction, happiness,
contentment, fun, joy, and positive release, pleasure: all of these should accompany the literature
period in the classroom.
Literature fulfils a need in the classroom which does not confine it to the language arts alone. It touches
on every aspect of living and should be an integral part of the school program. At least every day or in
some situations or instances more than this, a teacher should read a poem or a story to the children
regardless of their age range or grade placement. There is a wealth of good literature for every occasion
that the teacher can choose from.

Children need literature in order to enrich their own language. Literature is a beautiful language, thus
freeing him to expose its meaning to expose its meaning and requiring