CHILDREN'S LITERATURE IN ENGLISH (TOPIC 16)

Before starting to talk about children's literature, we should state what children means. According to
Peter Hunt, who based his definition on Piaget's theories “childhood is the period of life which the
immediate culture thinks of as being free of responsibility and susceptible to education”. Following
this, we can say that children's literature is one of the means to accomplish children's maturation
process.

1. Classification

It was not until Eighteenth Century that children's literature was established as an independent
subject. Since then, some classifications have been devised, and the one I am going to use here
involves the following taxonomy:
• Fairy tales: In Tolkien's words “Fairy stories are not in normal English usages storjes about
fairies or elves, but stories about Faërie, the realm state in which faeries have their being”.
Fairy tales share the following characteristics:
1. They take place in an undetermined time and place
2. Characters are stereotyped
3. A conflict or prohibition affects the plot
4. Magic and supernatural are present
5. Metamorphosis
• Poetry: since the 50's, children's poetry has experienced an extraordinary growth, as scholars
started to consider a good children's poem as two poems; one for children and one for adults.
They fulfil the following criteria:
1. They have playfulness and creativity in profusion
2. They are colloquially entrenched
3. They posse questions
• Illustrated books are the first books children's read. Visual support helps to fulfil the
linguistic gaps, helping understanding. They share some properties:
1. Very clear illustrations
2. Illustrations portray the core of story
3. There should not be fissures between text and illustrations
4. Pictures should reinforce difficult items
5. Illustrations have to be colourful and attractive
6. Pictures must raise questions
• To finish, educational books are those whose main aim is to develop specific linguistic
skills, usually reading competence. They must fulfil the following criteria:
1. The age of target-reader must be made explicit
2. It should take into account children's psychological development
3. There must be connection between book's content and official curriculum
4. The plot must be meaningful.

2. Historical background

In the Middle Ages there isn't something as children's literature, but a core of texts shared by both
adults and children in the shape of folk tales and fables. This is the case of “Aesop's Fables”,
“Reynard the Fox” and “The Geste of Robin Hood”.

The Sixteenth Century brought the distinction between books made for children instruction and
cheap, funnier books sold in the streets as Comenious Orbis “Sensualim Pictus”. Puritanism can be
blamed for the lack of entertainment children books, as reading for pleasure could not be conceived.
James Janeway's “A token for children: Being an exact account of the conversation, holy and
exemplary lives and joyful deaths of several young children” is a perfect example of this.

In this century Charles Perrault laid the foundations for the Fairy Tale with stories like “Little Red
Ridding Hood” or “Cinderella”.

From Eighteenth Century we should mention “A Little Pretty Pocket Book” by John Newberry and
“The History of Sanford and Merton” by Thomas Day.

In Nineteenth Century we find two of the most important figures in children's literature: Lewis
Carroll, who began to write to amuse his family, is the author of globally famous “Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland” (1865 and “Through the Looking Glass” (1872).

Beatrix Potter gave us the “Tale of Petter Rabbit” one of the most popular bed-time stories in
United Kingdom.

Twentieth Century and the advent of film adaptations gave children's literature a never seen
popularity. Works as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl, “Harry Potter” by J.K.
Rowling or “Artemis Fowl” by Eoin Colfer and their adaptations have made of children's literature
an important product for literary market.

3. Relevant titles in English speaking countries by age.

3.1. Books for 5-7 year old children

These books usually include visual support to and comprehension of youngest children. The stories
will try to explore familiar topics, fulfilling the children's taste for identifying themselves with the
characters. Among these books we can highlight:
• “The BFG” by Roald Dahl
• “The Iron Man” by Ted Hughes
• “My naughty little sister” by Dorothy Edwards

3.2. Books for 7-9 years old children

Respect the aforementioned stage, these books reduce the size of illustrations meanwhile the plot
becomes more complex. Some books are:
• “Woolf” by Allan Ahlberg
• “The Indian in the Cupboard” by Lynne Reid Banks
• “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl

3.3. Books for 9-12 years old

In this stage, books have a deeper tone. In them, older characters are involved in problems or
adventures without losing their identity. We can highlight:
• “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” by J.K. Rowling
• “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien
• “The Chocolate Wars” by Robert Cornier.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hunt, Peter “An Introduction to Children's Literature” Opus Oxford 1994