Textbook Reflections (LSSL 5360)

Textbook Reflections 1-5

Chapter 1: Introduction

Introduces the book, the fact it is free, and that it is created by Dr. Perry and Dr. Lesesne. This is a booklet as opposed to a book and will be used in place of a true book until the two of them are done with creating their own textbook.

Chapter 2: Why do we share literature with children?

The following are the top five (with an additional) reasons why we should share literature with children as discussed by Professor Lesesne and Perry:

1. For fun!
2. Aids life long language acquisition and development
3. Helps children develop empathy
4. Promotes life long readers
5. Develops imagination
6. Transmits culture

FUN! When reading becomes less of a task and more of a fun activity, the child is more apartment to engage. K&T mention it goes for grade level K-12, but also includes big children AKA adults. When K&T receive new books, they like to sort through them, look at the awards they received, and talk about the covers. All of these are important aspects in creating a fun way of learning because it involves the student to participate and explore a book without even opening it (which is normally half the struggle).

AIDING! There is a distinct difference between children who read and children who do not. A child who reads for twenty minutes a day learns over a million words in a year and is ranked in the 90th percentile. On the other hand, a child that reads for only one minute a day learns around eight thousand words a year and is ranked in the 20th percentile. These numbers tend to be put on a self recording basis. In other words, a child could say they read for one minute, when in reality they did not read at all, which is why their percentile scores can be so low. The largest accumulation of vocabulary growth occurs between birth and to the age of five years old, all before students enter a classroom. Reading must occur outside of the classroom and at a young age for students to be successful.

EMAPTHY! Not to be mixed with sympathy. Empathy is stronger than sympathy and allows kids to bond with each other as well as books. Empathy helps kids use prior knowledge to develop a sense of relation and connection towards one another.

LIFE LONG! Many key points were hit in this section including the idea of unconscious delight in series versus serial readers, living through vicarious experiences, speculation of philosophical thoughts, and aesthetic reasons.  The unconscious delight is what a student chooses to check out from a library. There are the "series readers" who go through any and every book published by one author, simply because they enjoy their work. An example given was Judy Bloom and how kids graduate from her children's books to adult books. Another example was the Among The Hidden series and how kids can create bonds with characters that they follow over a period of time. "Serial readers" are kids who come into the library and choose a book just to choose one. There is no method to their choice and they are often the children who do not truly enjoy reading because they are not taking the time to find a book they may actually enjoy. Vicarious experiences can occur through books rather than children experimenting in "edgy" ways and facing the consequences. Speculations over philosophical debates can occur from reading novels too. Kids are "heavy thinkers" and need to form their own opinions on ethical, religious, etc. viewpoints and pictures to develop their own feelings. This is where kids begin to ask themselves vital questions: "who am I?" or "what is my place in the world?" and even "why is the world the way it is?". The last reason is for the pure joy and pleasure of reading, the aesthetic means of reading. Effort is not needed as much and joy can replace that.

IMAGINATION! Imagination is aided by reading. During the space race, Russia took away books for pleasure and replaced them with books necessary in aiding the race. After some time, the level of inventions decreased because of the lack of interest sparked in books that allowed people to access their imagination. The window versus mirror idea comes to play here. A child can show books of themselves or ideas to others or they can look through a window and understand others. Imagination is a key part in learning and understanding.

CULTURE! Last but not least, reading and sharing literature allows children to transmit different cultures, ethnicities, traditions, norms, or something as simple as sports knowledge. A diversity of books must be provided to allow all cultures to be celebrated and honored. We tend to celebrate a specific culture during a specific time frame when, in reality, all cultures should be shared all the time, not just African American culture in February.

Chapter 3: Literary Elements

Literary Elements:
Antagonist: a character or group of characters that try to go against the protagonist; often referred to as the "bad guy", that is not always the case, especially if it is an inner conflict.
Character: an individual in a story; can be described directly or indirectly by the author; takes into account their inner and outer actions, thoughts, and dialogue.
Conflict: whether internal or external, the conflict is what is working against the protagonist.
Mood & Tone: mood is effected by the feelings a writer has towards their work, while the tone is effected by the attitude an author has towards a piece of the work.
Plot: the events that take course through a story; plots contain vital information to the story's development and focus on the outcome of the story in reference to the conflict.
Protagonist: considered the main character because he/she/it plays the central role in the work and is most involved with the conflict and its effects on the story.
Setting: the time, place, and mood of a story is established to help readers better understand how and why a story is taking place.
Theme: the overall subject of the piece that can occur throughout the work or mentioned briefly depending on the level of the theme's purpose; the theme is an idea or motif that provides insight into a work.

Literary Devices:
Allegory: a form of symbolism that has a meaning more abstract than the concept originally given.
Allusion: when an author refers to a subject as something other than itself; places, events, or in reference to another form of literary work can be mentioned in the text; the reader is required to make the connection mentioned.
Archetype: a reference to a concept, idea, person, or object that are used repetitively; these references are easily recognized and are used commonplace.
Deus ex machina: not recommended by most; when a new character or idea is introduced into a story to help reduce the conflict and to have the story end on a high note. 
Hyperbole: words or statements that over exaggerate what is actually being said; the point is to over stress the idea to make it seem larger than it really is.
Imagery: when an author evokes the reader's five senses to help them visualize the details taking place in the story; known to be one of the strongest of the literary devices.
Metaphor: a comparison, not using like or as, to convey meaning from one subject well known subject to another lesser known subject.
Motif: continues throughout a story to help reiterate the theme; it should not be something that has to be searched for, rather it should be easy to spot and understand.
Point of view: who the story teller is and how they decide to tell the story; point of view can change the way a reader feels about another character or idea; first person POV is told by the narrator; third person POV is told in a way that the narrator does not have any say in the events occurring in the story and no use of proper pronouns are used in first person.
Simile: using like or as to compare two things that are not related or similar; you can compare people, things, places, and even concepts; similes evoke special meanings to the comparison and elicit more feeling than it being simply stated.
Symbolism: hard to decipher at first, but becomes easier and easier as the story progresses; represents a place, person, idea, or concept by changing the aspect it is normally seen in

Chapter 4: Awards

American Library Association (ALA):

As mentioned from the ALA website (Citation)

Newbery: 

• 1921, Frederic G. Melcher had the medal designed by Rene Paul Chambellan.
• Bronze medal with winner's name on the back with the date.
• ALA's Executive Board in 1922 designated the Childrens' Librarians' Section for responsibility for selecting the book.
• Also has a Newbery Honor Seal in silver.

Caldecott:

• 1937, Rene Paul Chambellan designed the medal.
• Named after Randolph Caldecott was an illustrator in the 19th century of England.
• Bronze medal with winner's name on the back with the date.
• Accepted in 1937, the award is given annually.
• The Association for Library Service to Children has the responsibility for selecting the winners.
• Also has a Caldecott Honor Seal.

Pura Belpre:

• Named after the first Latina librarian at the NY Public Library.
• Established in 1996 and is presented to Latina and Latino writers and illustrators. 
• Co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children.

Silbert:

• Named after Robert F. Silbert.
• Awarded annually for the most distinguished information book.
• Book must be published in the United States and in English from the previous year.

Schneider Family:

• Awarded to an author or illustrator for a book that embodies artistic expression of the disability experience for a child.

Batchelder:

• Awarded to the most outstanding children's book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United Staes.
• The book must be translated into English for publication. 

Geisel:

• Named after Theodor Seuss Geisel.
• Given out annually.
• Awarded to authors and illustrators of the most distinguished American books for beginning readers.
• Must be published in English in the United States from the previous year.
• Established in 2004 and first presented in 2006.

Odyssey:

• Award given annually.
• Presented to the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults.
• Must be available for English within the United States.
• Also has honor books.

Wilder-- Children's Literature Legacy Award:

• Named after Laura Ingalls Wilder, but recently renamed over racial insensitivity, per the NY Times article of June 2018. It took months of consideration and was approved only two months ago by the Association for Library Service to Children.
• It is now referred to as the Children's Literature Legacy Award.

Coretta Scott King:

• Designed to commemorate the life and works of her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Presented annually to African American authors and illustrators.
• Also has books of honor nominated.

Notables (books, videos, audio)

International Literacy Association (ILA):

Children's Choices:

• Sponsored by the Children's Book Council.
• Includes children's recommendations of over 100 titles.

Young Adult (YA) Choices:

• 30 books are chosen.
• Chosen by teenager reviewers.

Teacher's Choices:

• Includes around 30 books rated.
• Ratings are given by teachers, librarians and reading specialists.
• Outstanding use of curriculum.

Texas Library Association (TLA): 

As mentioned from the textbook

2x2:

• For ages 2 through 2nd grade
• Released in January

Texas Bluebonnet Award:

• Third through sixth grade 
• Released in October at Texas Book Festival

Tejas Star:

• Ages 5-12
• Bilingual
• Released December 1

Lone Star:

• Sixth through eighth grade 
• Released December 1

Tayshas:

• High school
• Released December 1

Maverick:

• Graphic novels
• Released December 1

Little Maverick:

• Graphic Novels
• Lists for K-5 grade

Spirit of Texas Reading Programs:

• Middle school
• High school
• Released December 1

Chapter 5: Anatomy of a Book

The Book Itself

• Endpapers: the two blank sheets of paper at the beginning and end of a book. Some have a fun design or pattern on them to intrigue the reader.
• Casewrap: the underneath portion of a hardback book. These can be basic or laminated to add patterns, colors, or images for appeal.
• Book Block: the main text or body of the book after all the signatures have been united.
• Gutter: blank space that separates the binding from the area that is printed on.
• Headband: the small textile bit at the top and bottom of the casebound book (not the hardcover jacket) to fill the gap.
• Backbone: more known as the spine of the book, it connects the front and back cover of a book.

Additional Useful Vocabulary

• Mock-up: earliest, fake version of the book that is made in-house; partially printed and do not always have every page, but offer good visuals for the finished product while it is being finalized in the production phase.
• Format: for readers to interact with the product; examples include: guided journals, games, pencils, paper dolls, temporary tattoos, or anything to get the reader excited about the product.
• Proof: press sheets printed before the binding to check if everything looks clear and accurate.
• Saddle stitch: binding method to fasten books with stitches through the middle of the folded sheets of paper.
• F&G: fold & gather; the unbound copy of the book; typically sent to illustrators for children's books.

Textbook Reflections 6-10

Textbook Reflections 6-10

Check out my Smore account for a KWL chart!

Chapter 6: Picture Books

From the earliest of times, we have learned through a language of pictorial representation. Therefore, adults have created the first visual dictionary with its own vocabulary. The evolution of picture books can be traced as a means of storytelling mediums to artistic techniques and even a peak at the process of illustrators and their sketchbooks. 

Not all authors have been a fan of picture books, preferring books with actual words rather than a book without proper publishing marketability. In specific, Walter Crane, a Victorian-era picture book innovator, was very vocal about a few well known publishers. Lewis Carroll made a rather interesting take on illustrations with words when he created his work The Mouse's tale.

Until the late 19th century into the early 20th century, picture books didn't start to become popular amongst authors. A new development of printing technology changed the attitude of many, forcing them into a new golden age of sorts. 

In the 1950's, a cultural shift occurred that began to blur the lines between author and artist. Because of this, a group of famous graphic designers began to write and illustrate picture books as a way of exploring a visual way of thinking.

Despite the new love and large scale distribution of picture books, traditional booksellers and marketing departments of major publishing companies have remained strict about how these books are labeled and sold.

Chapter 7: Traditional Literature

Traditional literature is another one of umbrella terms and is given to literature which owes its form and format to the oral literature of long ago. This does not mean that they need to be told orally or that they cone for ancient tales, rather it does mean that they have their roots in tales from long ago or exist in forms from traditional texts. Cinderella, for example, is one of those traditional stories that come from another country entirely and varied its story through the years. From France, to the gory rewrite of the Grimm Brothers' rendition, all the way to the happy "once upon a time" Disney version, Cinderella has grown and changed significantly over the years.

Traditional literature, as an umbrella term, encompasses the following varieties of literature:

• Myths
• Started as tales to explain natural elements.
• Later, they were joined with tales of the gods/goddesses of various cultures.
• Gods/goddesses controlled the world but encompassed human characteristics, leading to some sort of downfall. 
• We share myths from many cultures.
• Legends
• Often tied to historical events, but are not true no matter how believable they may sound.
• Legends and the individuals within them tend to have exaggerated aspects (i.e. Robin Hood and King Arthur).
• Folk Tales
• Marked as another umbrella term, these tales from the folk include other types.
• Fairy tales
• Cumulative tales: also referred to as a chain tale; action or dialogue repeats and builds up in some way as the tale progresses (i.e. There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly).
• Por quois tales: a fictional narrative that explains why something is the way it is (i.e. why a tiger has stripes or why a snake has no legs).
• Beast tales: animal characters acting as humans and usually lacks a moral unlike fables.
• Tall tales (i.e. Johnny Appleseed).
• Trickster tales: often has a tricky or selfish character that loses in the end (i.e. The Gingerbread Man and The Leprechaun's Gold).
• Noodlehead tales: considered to be part myth, part fable, and part fairy tale; talking animals appear in most of them (i.e. The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood).
• Fables

All of the above umbrella terms share some kind of common trait even if they differ in form and/or format.

To determine the quality of the various types of traditional literature, we look at a few distinguishing features:

• Does it have an indefinite setting?
• Are there archetypes and/or stereotypes?
• Are the characters flat, like most, or do they seem to differ?
• Is there a motif?
• Is there an element of magic?
• Does it include some form of repetition? 

Chapter 8: Poetry

Poetry is not considered a genre, but it is a form that literature can take. Poetry and verse can be found in numerous genres. Poetry and verse are not identical, but they do take the a similar format.T&K take the screen over again for a YouTube video of information. In part one, they begin by discussing the criteria for poetry with some examples. They consider poetry to be the most neglected form out there. It can be difficult to read, hard to evaluate, there are debates on if it is good or not, and kids can find it dreadful to have to read one for enjoyment instead of picking it apart.
There is a difference of poetry choices in what kids want to write and what they want to read. Ann Terry, in 1974, conducted research dealing with children and poetry. It's been over 25 years since the research has been done and could possibly need an update. 

The first point mentioned is that kids prefer narrative over any other form. Kids are used to receiving stories, so a narrative poem is natural to them. A well-known poet who partakes in writing narratives is Shel Silverstein. The two types of poetry they disliked was free verse and haiku. This research was conducted on elementary students and they tend to want rhyme in poetry, making haikus difficult. The preferences of students was rhyme, rhythm, and sound devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, etc.). Children also love funny books, animal topics (fiction or nonfiction), and familiar poems (Mommy overslept so Daddy made breakfast). Additional criteria mentioned is a "vision" should occur via imagery, poetry doesn't need to be silly to bring it down to a child' level, kids should be able to interact with the poems, and repeated readings should be fun and not monotonous. 

Part two of poetry, a text document, mentions six reasons to share poetry with children as by Jean Le Pere:

• Enjoyment
• Provides knowledge of concepts
• Increases vocabulary
• Helps children identify with people and situations
• Helps children understand their feelings
• Grants insights to their feelings and universal emotions

Through the grade levels, each group prefers a different form of poetry as studied by Margaret Natarella:

• Grades 1-3 prefer narrative poems, limericks, ideas of strange and fantastic events, traditional poems, rhyme schemes, and when sound devices are used.

• Grades 4-6 prefer excitement aspects to decline and find that contemporary poems are better, they prefer poems with familiar and enjoyable experiences, when a story is told with humorous aspects, it can include rhyme or not, and has no heavy imagery or implied emotions.

• Grade 7-9 prefer rhyme, humours narratives, and familiar experiences.

It seems that each grade group seems to flow into the next. Funny enough, grades 7-9 seem to be more aligned with what grades 1-3 enjoy, leaving grades 4-6 wanting deeper ideas. This makes sense to me because that is a critical time in a child's life where they are learning about the world and each other in a new way.
Elements of poetry include:

• rhythm

• rhyme

• alliteration

• assonance

• onomatopeia

• repetition

• imagery

• shape

• lyrics

• narratives

• ballads

• limericks

• concrete

• haiku

• nonsense and humor: Mother Goose; spontaneous  poems; rhyme included; strange or no meaning to them

• Edward Lear

• Lewis Carroll: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

• Laura E. Richards

• Shel Silverstein: the ever popular children's poet who uses rhyme, silliness, and familiar aspects in his work

• Jack Prelutsky

• William Jay Smith

• John Ciardi

• N. M. Bodecker

• John Frost, Alleen Fisher, Byrd Baylor, and Paul Fleischmann: nature poets focusing on its beauty

• Myra Cohn Livingston, Valerie Worth, and David McDord: familiar aspects in poetry that allow the child to relate to the situations and experiences

• Langston Hughes and Cynthia Rylant: evoke mood and feelings

• Alleen Fisher and William Blake: animal focused poems

But, how can we actually involve a child in reading and interacting with poetry? Try to read it aloud before reading to an audience, read it at a pace that feels natural to you whether it be fast or slow, learn where to make pauses and take breaths, and read it like you are interested in it. When you do this, children might feel the urge to move around or dance. Have fun with poetry, the same way you want your students to!
Forms of poetry include:
Poems and Poets of note:

Chapter 9: Historical Fiction

Charlotte Huck wrote a guide to evaluate historical fiction with. The novel needs to blend history and the story harmoniously, the facts need to be historically accurate for the most part and one should be able to research that information, if the values of that time period are present, does the social milieu match the time period, and the theme of the story needs to relate to the readers of the current time period.


It was funny how she mentioned The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 as her choice of historical fiction because that was the second novel of choice that we read in my classroom. My mother was born in 1962, so the book to her isn't history at all, but growing up. To me, it is historical, and, to my students, it is ancient. It really put into perspective what we consider history. I have visited the concentration camp of Auschwitz and Birkenau and have had the privilege to speak with many Holocaust survivors. While it is history, it doesn't seem as far away to me as other time periods because I have been so active in the history of it. When you can come face to face with someone or something, it seems less far away on our timelines.

Put into simplest terms, it is set in the past and has been known to be difficult for kids because they cannot always distinguish what is considered history and what is considered last week's news. With that being said, there are many options for what can be labeled as "historical" because it all depends on what age group you fall under.

Chapter 10: Realistic Fiction

To evaluate realistic fiction, you need to follow a few specific details:

• Does the "real world" in the book match with the actual real world? Are the words used, behaviors made, and other elements match what a child would do in the real world? At the same time, no stereotypes should come into play.

• The theme needs to come about naturally, not forced, preached, or thrown at them. Good realistic fiction should have more than one pertinent theme.

• The book and subject matter within the book need to relate to modern readers. Realistic fiction is realistic, so some of the ideas that are introduced can be a bit sensitive at times. Sensitive material could be death, loss, sexuality, sexual orientation, divorce, and more.

One of my favorite genres to read with young adults is realistic fiction for the sole reason of how so many kids can relate or find a way to relate with the book. Realistic fiction is a great way to get kids to interact with each other and find out things they may have never known about their peers. Kids can use other books, movies, and songs to relate to the themes of realistic fiction as well.

Realistic fiction has also been called CRF, contemporary realistic fiction, or MRF, modern realistic fiction, all of which with a modern setting where stories are believable. Realistic fiction is different than historical fiction and science fiction because characters, settings, and events are real, or could be considered real, and do not have a historical, futuristic, or fantasy aspect.

Textbook Reflections 11-13

Textbook Reflections 11-13

Check out my Smore account for a KWL chart!

Chapter 11: Nonfiction

Nonfiction is hard to pinpoint a specific definition for because the term itself is an umbrella of other terms. Terms associated with nonfiction include narratives, expository writing, biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. While there is no one template for writing a nonfiction, there is criteria that needs to be met.

One way to make sure the author is credible, you need to check the qualifications that they have. To check these qualifications, you can check their website, read their notes and research on accuracy, and do our own research to validate facts. As a reader, it is the author's job to be credible on their facts from their own research.

Depending on the type of nonfiction you choose for your library, the information and scope of the books can be broad or narrow. The more accurate, the better a child will learn from it. Another idea to consider is the chronological order of the set up of the book. The set up of the book could include a table of contents, a glossary, an index, and even a timeline. All of the criteria listed above is to help the student find information easier and understand it in a start to finish way.

Chapter 12: Fantasy/Science Fiction

Science Fiction is introduced and the different types of each We learn that science fiction is a subgenre of fantasy and not its own genre. All sci-fi is fantasy, but not all fantasy is sci-fi.

• Post-apocalyptic/ Apocalyptic: there is a difference between the two; post is dealing with the end of of apocalypse and how they are dealing with their new world because years have past, while apocalyptic is dealing with the catastrophe at the time of the event and can have a primitive setting (The 5th Wave, The Testing, Hunger Games, Divergent, Tumble and Fall)

• BioPunk: a spin off of cyber punk; includes hackers, corporations, darker side of genetic engineering; dark atmospheres are prominent; many different types of "punk" (Killers of Enemies, Little Brother, Bzrk series)

• Dystopia: really exploded in the 2000's when The Hunger Games came into play; propaganda, information being hidden from society, citizens under surveillance, resistant to the government; main character often joins the revolution to bring down the government; post-apocalyptic flows over to this type very often (Eve trilogy *also post- apocalyptic, The Declaration, Bumped)

• Extra sensory perceptions: "second sight" has been around for a long time and the term esp came into play when a book was titled that; associated with books with telepathy, clairvoyance, and premonitions (The Odyssey, The Diviners, Soulless)

• Robots/androids/cyborgs/artificial intelligence

• Time travel/parallel universe

Chapter 13: Graphic Novels

Graphic novels are not a genre or subgenre, but rather a form or format, so a graphic novel can fall under any subgenre we want it to. Graphic novels are what the title expresses, a novel completely made up of graphics, and these books can span from young children all the way to adults. 

The term graphic novel is used to describe books that resemble a novel in length and the development but in a comic format. While it can look like a picture book, graphic novels still convey  story, give information, and develop characters like a regular novel.

Random House Kids, RHK, had an an extremely long list of books to pick for the perfect age group you want to cater to. Research (by Edwards and Summons and O'Briant in 2009) has shown that more and more people prefer graphic novels, even though a survey conducted (by Lesesne and Perry in 2016) suggested that an average of 67% of teachers do not read them.

Graphic novels are to be read left to right, just like any old regular book. Dialog balloons are read left to right or top to bottom, just like how you would read the panels. Graphic novels can include any or all of the following on a page:

• panels: squares or rectangles that contain a single scene

• gutters: the space between the panels

• dialog balloons: contains communication between or among characters

• thought balloons: contains a character's thoughts

• captions: contains information about a scene or character