Learn:

Be sure to read Chapter 6, pp. 60-63, in our text. Then read through the lecture notes below. 

Children's Literature is the fastest growing segment in publishing right now. One might argue that all baby boomers have children who are having grandchildren, thus creating a huge market for beautiful books for kids. 

One might also argue that our larger discretionary income allows us to treat our children to books of their own or that the renewed emphasis on reading as a marker of successful school completion has also prompted parents to buy lots of books for their families.

In any case children's literature drives the market now and the world-wide popularity of the Harry Potter books is a perfect marker of that power. In fact, when I was in Florence, my English 8 students there found three bookstores devoted solely to children's literature, in Italian of course, so this energy is not strictly an American phenomenon. 

In this lesson we'll map out the territory you will be exploring in depth over the next few weeks. 

As you read the rest of this page, I recommend that you have your text book open to page 61, and pay special attention to Figure 6.1, the Genres of Children's Literature diagram.

Prose or Poetry?

Poetry, Wordsworth wants said was "the [transcribing] of powerful feelings recollected in tranquillity." Poetry is playful use of language. It is language which is charged with emotion or infused with images. It is language which is replete with rhythm and sometimes rhyme and reflects its roots in our oral tradition. 

Prose is written in paragraphs and is not poetry. A simplistic definition but one "that will do." 

Both poetry and prose, as our text suggests, "help us explore the world and give insight into the human condition." 

Here's an metaphor to help you understand their relationship to the genres of literature. Consider both prose and poetry as parallel tributaries to the river that is Writing. They flow together until they fork into nonfiction and fiction.  You'll find a visual image of this relationship below.

Non-Fiction or Fiction?

Fiction often defies the boundaries of our universe. Its genres are invented and flow from the dawn of time to our contemporary world. Fiction genres include traditional fantasy, modern fantasy, historical fiction and contemporary realistic fiction. 

To continue our river metaphor, these categories are fluid and change course (genre) often. See the genres and their characteristics as the shifting banks of a river of ideas, contained but mutable. 

Formats & Categories:

The formats are picture books and poetry. The categories are multicultural books and controversial books. 

Mapping the Landscape of the Genres of Children's Literature:

This is an interactive map; move your computer mouse over some of the genre names on the map to see further description of them.

Look at a text description of the genre landscape.

Open a transcript of the audio.

This is your introduction to the genres, forms, and categories of children's books. In subsequent lessons, we will focus more precisely on each of the individual genres.

What Next?