Children's Literature Questions
Bring on the tough stuff. There's not just one right answer.
- Given that some children's books—like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the Harry Potter series—have also been very popular with adults, how do we draw a distinction between children's literature and literature written for adults? Is such a distinction meaningless?
- Children's literature itself is subdivided into categories. There's young adult fiction, for example, which usually targets teenagers. Can we lump all of children's literature together or is it important to distinguish literature written for different stages of a child's development? Why are such distinctions important?
- One of the characteristics of children's literature is illustration: children's books often tend to be illustrated. Why is the relationship between image and language so important in this literature?
- Why do you think that children's literature tends to be so optimistic? Why do we find so many "happily ever after" endings in this genre? Are such happy endings realistic? And if not, do they mislead children into believing that the world is more fair or just than it is?
- "Children," as a separate category from "adults," didn't always exist. Children's literature only came into being when we began drawing a distinction between kids and grownups. But how do we draw that distinction? When, and how, does a child become a "grownup"?
- We won't find too many characters having internal monologues in children's literature. Why do you think that children's literature tends to focus on action—characters doing things—rather than thought?
- We all know, now that we're grownups, that dragons don't exist. Why is it that children's literature perpetuates fantastic and magical ideas that we come to realize aren't real once we grow up? Are those sneaky children's authors just playing tricks on innocent little kids? What function does fantasy serve in this genre?
- Why do you think that repetition is such an important part of children's literature, especially literature written for very young kids?
- Children's literature, of course, is written by adults. These are people far beyond the realm of childhood. How do you think that these authors manage to stay in touch with children's perspective on the world? How do they use point of view in their writing?
- Why is children's literature so didactic? Why is there such an emphasis on distinguishing good guys and gals from bad guys and gals in this genre? What purpose does such didacticism serve?