1.What is children’s literature?
•Books, stories, folklore, riddles, poems.
•From birth through age 18?
•Are there books for different age groups?
•“a significant truth expressed in appropriate elements and memorable language”.
•Literature is more than a piece of writing that clarifies or explains. It delights and reveals
2.Why Study Children's Literature?
Many strong reasons for studying children’s literature
are shaped by the objectives,
values, beliefs, and salable skills of the discipline in which the coursework is seated, but all
courses across the wide educational spectrum share elements that
invite us to the study of
children’s literature. Once we choose to accept the invitation, reward us generously for the
cleverness of our choice.
First and foremost, a study of children’s literature brings into focus personal taste and
beauty
3. Who invented children's literature?
Charles Perrault began recording fairy tales in France, publishing his first collection in
1697. They were not well received among the French
literary
society, who saw them as only
fit for old people and
children
Since
the beginning of time, adults have entertained children with stories and fables.
From these folktales developed an elaborate tapestry of children's literature. Today children's
literature encompasses multiple genres and appeals to readers of every age. Let's take a look
at a brief history of children's literature.
Just as other forms of literature, children's literature grew from stories passed down orally
from generation to generation. Irish folk tales can be traced back as early as 400 BCE, while
the earliest written
folk tales are arguably the
Pachatantra
, from India,
which were written
around 200 AD. The earliest version of Aesop's Fables appeared
on papyrus scrolls around
400 AD.
In Imperial China, story telling reached its peak during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD).
Many stories from this epoch are still used to
instruct students in China
4.What differentiates between children and adult literature?
•Simpler expression of ideas.
•Simple
vocabulary
•Attention span
•Stories are told more directly with r/ship among characters shown clearly.
•Children more open to experimenting with more forms of literature than adults.
•Children find spontaneous pleasure in rhymes & jokes, cartoons, comics, etc.
•Adults tend to stick to one type of literature.