Childrens Lit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Childrens Lit - Essay Example First and foremost, a literature program should aim towards enabling children realize the entertainment aspect of literature (Donna & Saundra, 2007, p.74). They should be able to understand that Literature is fun and they should always enjoy it. Sid Fleischman’s book â€Å"McBroom’s Wonderful One-Acre Farm† focuses on making children laugh and appreciate literature in general. The book contains a lot of humor as the author brings out the unusual fertility of McBroom’s farm and his exciting misadventures in a fascinating way. Secondly, Literature should be able to inform children on history of literature. When reading literature books children should also be able to understand what previously existed and acquire knowledge of life in the past. Daniel Defoe’s book â€Å"Robinson Crusoe† explains about a man who was trapped alone on island and through him the adventure genre of literature developed. This genre exists in Children’s Literatu re up to today. Books written in the past are relevant for they give accounts on how Children’s Literature has developed over time. Thirdly, Literature programs should enable children understand who they are and appreciate others as well as their cultures (Donna & Saundra, 2007, p.74). ... This should help them compare books, rate them and come up with excellent ones. J. R.R Tolkien’s book â€Å"The Fellowship of the Ring† is often described by most readers as the best fantasy collection written for children. Lastly, Literature programs should help children in giving an evaluation of books they read. They should trigger children’s imaginative powers. Lewis Carrol’s book â€Å"Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland† helps in developing imagination due to the fantasies which are well developed and written in the story. Children’s literature has developed due to the changing attitudes towards children. The early 1600’s children were viewed as young adults and most of the literatures, both oral and written were general. There was no specific literature directed to children (Donna & Saundra, 2007, p.45). They majorly focused on Puritanism which dwelled on religious teachings and societal norms. In the late 1600’s some writers started recognizing the importance of literature to children. For instance, Charles Perrault wrote â€Å"Mother Goose Rhymes†, a composition of some of the stories that had been passed to children through word of mouth. In the 1700’s people’s views about children started changing. Children were treated as per their age and not adults. Children’s interpretation of literature was recognized as different from that of adults hence need for their own literatures. More books were written and the interests of children were given priority. 1800’s saw the evolution of Children’s Literature and emphasis on Puritanism started dying. Stress was basically put on the cognitive and social development of the children. Children now