Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Discussion Forum “The Lesson & Differences w/the Movie” [Wizard of Oz]
3. Discussion Forum “The Way Kids Talk/Irony of Hooverville” [Bud, Not Buddy]
4. Discussion Forum “Technology vs. Reading” [Picture Books, Chris Raschka, Illustrators]
5. Discussion Forum “Dark themes and violence” [TP3 Reading Room] & “Mediums of Culture” [History of Children’s Lit]
6. Discussion Forum “Fantasy?” [First Light]
7. Discussion Forum “How we see our parents” [The Line]
8. Reflection on Discussion Forums
9. TP2 “Survival Stories & The Island of the Blue Dolphins”
10. TP2 Original Version & Commentary
11. TP3 “eFictional: Romance & Relationships in YA (Part 1)”
12. TP3 “eFictional: Romance & Relationships in YA (Part 2)”
13. TP3 Original Version & Commentary
14. EP “Steampunk”
15. EP Works Cited & Reflection
16. Reflection “What I’ve Been Learning About Children’s Literature”

Introduction

Within these blog posts are moments from our Children’s Literature class that I expanded my thoughts & ideas in regards to children’s books and literature in general.  There are discussions from our forums where I really had to think about why I found a particular portion of a story intriguing or where my thinking diverged from another classmate’s and I had to consider why our opinions differentiated, and why I believe what I do.

The Think Pieces I chose were picked for different reasons — the first (TP2) I chose because it dealt with one of my favorite books from childhood, The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell, and the reasons I enjoyed it so much as a child.  It was also surprising to me when I began to see that nearly every story is a story of survival, if not of a physical “life and death” nature then of an emotional nature.  The second (TP3) I chose because the relationships in young adult literature are something I’ve thought about often since reading Twilight, and it was fascinating to explore in more depth a topic that I think is extremely important, because these relationships effect every girl who reads these stories. This was also the project I had the most fun with throughout the quarter.

Finally, I chose to revise my Explorations Project and include it in full here because I want to keep getting the word out about the steampunk genre, because I think it has such great potential, especially in the young adult, middle grade and children’s book markets.

I think that children’s books and young adult books are about giving us options: telling us who we can be, what we are capable of, and that we can survive, as well as letting us know that someone else has gone through the same thing before and we are not alone, even in our darkest moments.  That is one of the most important ideas I’ve come to understand throughout this quarter and I hope that others who read these books will see that as well.

 

Discussion Forum “The Lesson & Differences w/the Movie” [Wizard of Oz]

The Lesson & Differences w/the Movie

RUNYAN, MICHELLE

4/12/2011

4

(1) The Lesson:  As I was reading I thought how ironic it was that the Tin Man, who has no heart, cries if he steps on an ant and tells the others, “You people with hearts have something to guide you, and need never do wrong; but I have no heart, and so must be very careful.  When Oz gives me a heart, of course I needn’t mind so much” (86).  The Cowardly Lion is always the first to say that he is terrified of whatever situation they find themselves, yet he steps up to defend the others and says that he “will fight them as long as [he is] alive” (97).  The Scarecrow has no brains and yet he is always the one thinking and coming up with the plans that help the group to continue their journey.  I think that, though Baum says there is no specific moral to his tale, the three companions Dorothy finds herself traveling with do represent a lesson, which is that we may believe we are lacking in some quality we desire, yet all we really lack is the ability to recognize that trait in ourselves. 🙂

(2) The other thing I found interesting while reading the first 9 chapters was that the story is so different from the movie!  I know, I know, that’s nearly always the case.  However, what I am referring to specifically is the lack of the presence of the Wicked Witch of the West and the more frightening elements of the (movie) story in general.  I remember them having far more problems and scary things happening in the movie and after reading Baum’s introduction where he implies that he dislikes the “old-time fairy tale…with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors” and specifically states that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was written with the idea of leaving out “heart-aches and nightmares”.  I know the witch is in here later, so I will reserve some judgement until I reach the end, but so far I am finding that his tale is far simpler, happy, and less dramatic than the movie version (this is of course, not to imply that I didn’t enjoy the movie – I love the Wizard of Oz).

Discussion Forum “The Way Kids Talk/Irony of Hooverville” [Bud, Not Buddy]

The Way Kids Talk/Irony of Hooverville

RUNYAN, MICHELLE

4/28/2011

4

One of the things I noticed that was rather comical, though truthful, was the way that Bud and Bugs talk to each other when they meet up outside the library (pg. 62).  They are having a conversation about two different things simultaneously but manage to answer each other no problem, and I think that’s a lot like how kids actually talk.  They have so much energy/enthusiasm that they can have a couple of conversations going at once and not bat an eye.

I also thought it was funny when they are flipping to see who will have to talk to the people in Hooverville and Bugs says, “Heads I win, tails you lose.” and Bud just says, “OK.” (pg. 65), not seeing how he’s been tricked.

One final thought, is that it was interesting that in the Hooverville, there was a white familiy that was clearly destitute, but that wouldn’t accept anything from the other people in the cardboard jungle because they were white and therefore not in need of charity.  This of course, meaning that they don’t want to equate themselves with the blacks in the town, even if they’re in the same situation because that would be a huge failure on the part of a white family, as opposed to a black family who is just naturally in need of a handout because they’re black.  It’s like the iconic (and ironic) poster (which I have seen before) described in the book of the rich white family in the car, that is posted next to the soup line that says it’s a great time to be an American.  When the ideal (the American dream) and the reality (Hooverville, soup kitchens) clash, it’s interesting to see how different groups of people deal with that.

Discussion Forum “Technology vs. Reading” [Picture Books, Chris Raschka, Illustrators]

RE: Technology vs. Reading

RUNYAN, MICHELLE

4/28/2011

1

I really liked the trailer for “It’s A Book”, it was cute and humorous, though I wonder if a child who had grown up around so much technology would be able to see why it was funny?

To your devil’s advocate statement about the environment, I partially agree, and I can see where (assuming that the process of creating a kindle is not as environmentally detrimental) it could be a really good thing to do away with paper books (I actually flinched as I wrote that).  However, I am such a die hard book fan I’m not sure that I will ever buy a kindle or a nook, unless it was specifically for academic use (those books are just so big and heavy, not to mention expensive!).  When you talked about having a library with nothing but electronic files I cringed.  I love the library, and bookstores.  I love the atmosphere there and being able to visually see books.  I also wonder how books would be checked out – I mean, a kindle isn’t cheap, so would they really be willing to freely lend them out to everyone with a library card?  Wouldn’t it seem like they would be more likely to be stolen than books?  If the answer is no, and considering most people who use libraries tend to have less money (and often no internet/computer), then would that limit who is exposed to books?

Also, with the increase of any kind of technology, we see jobs lost.  If all books are on kindle, we no longer need bookstores, or as many libraries or librarians, people to print the paper, bind the book, etc.  If you think about how many books are printed each year and the revenue that that generates in the economy by every person who has a hand in creating, buying and selling it, that’s a lot of money.  That money is decreasing every year with every person who buys a kindle/nook and converts solely to that format, just as with the music industry and the advent of itunes and ipods (as well as illegal downloading, which could happen easily with electronic books).

I know that the time is fast approaching when this changeover will happen, regardless of these negatives, but they are something to think about…

Discussion Forum “Dark themes and violence” [TP3 Reading Room] & “Mediums of Culture” [History of Children’s Lit]

RE: Dark themes and violence

RUNYAN, MICHELLE

5/29/2011

0

I really enjoyed the way you handled your TP and it addressed a topic that I was already interested in.  I wonder if the reason that our stories have changed and we have begun to shelter our children more is that they are able to be children for longer.  It is only within the last hundred years that children (in our society at least – this is not true everywhere) have no longer had to endure child labor, that school has been mandatory through the 12th grade and that chores are something that they often get paid for by their parents.  Before this time in our history children were not looked upon as children, they were seen as adults in training.  They needed to be exposed to the horrors of the world at a younger age because no one was going to bother protecting them from it — what would have been the point?  It is not so much that bad things do not happen to children now, I’m sure we are all aware that they, unfortunately, happen every day.  But as a society I think we prefer to think that they do not, and we have a desire to protect them, and show them the good that they can be, rather than what they must fear.  It is idealistic, perhaps, and I definitely think that when done properly, like in some of the stories that we have read, there can be good lessons in the dark themes that exist in some children’s literature.

RE: Mediums of Culture

RUNYAN, MICHELLE

5/30/2011

0

I also think that this expanded diversity in children’s literature has to do with the fact that more and more children became literate as time went on.  Probably when children were first reading there weren’t any books intended solely for children because they weren’t important enough to spend the time and money creating books for.  Then as wealthy children began to have more access to books the subjects became instructive and finally as every child was able to go to school and read the subjects branched out even further to include not just all children but children’s interests, because parents realized that reading was important to their development and wanted to encourage their children to do so, thereby buying more books and causing publishers to expand the market.  We often forget, I think, that books are a business, so the publishers will only release what sells, so it takes a lot of parents having the money and the need to buy books in order for them to get published. 🙂

Discussion Forum “Fantasy?” [First Light]

RE: Fantasy?

RUNYAN, MICHELLE

5/30/2011

1

I think that fantasy provides a sort of “cover” for the point you’re trying to get across, and allows it to happen in a subtle way.  You can become so lost in the intricacies of the world and the story that you are only just picking up on the moral or point of the tale subconsciously.  For instance, the ultimate (IMO) dystopian is Orwell’s 1984.  His story is so horrifying that you might only see the story that is being told as you are reading it.  But afterwards, as you go through your daily life and watch the news you might relate back to the story and think of the similarities.  Because the world seems so different from our own it almost makes it more frightening when you can do this, because if it were a non-fiction piece, just someone using evidence to show how the government is corrupt or whatever, then you would be bringing your own opinions into it and already have a set idea in your mind of whether or not you agree with what the author is trying to say.  With fantasy, there aren’t those preconceived notions and so it’s easier for the author to give subtle hints and poke at your brain when you aren’t paying attention — your defenses are down so you just might begin to take to heart what they’re trying to tell you rather than arguing against it.

Plus it’s more fun, I mean, that’s why people who like fiction over non-fiction prefer it — it’s not reality.

Discussion Forum “How we see our parents” [The Line]

How we see our parents

RUNYAN, MICHELLE

5/31/2011

8

As I am reading The Line I was struck by the fact that after the Identification, Rachel is thinking about her mom and she says that she can’t imagine her mom as a collaborator because Vivian doesn’t seem brave enough, and she imagines that her father would not have slunk away from the Identification like her mother did, which she resents her for.  It was interesting to me because as children, we never really know who our parents were before we were born.  Our mother is always our mother, our father always our father.  We don’t see them as individuals who have made tough choices or done dangerous things.  Rachel is making assumptions about both of her parents: (a) that her father wouldn’t have slunk away from the Identification, which she couldn’t possibly know since she’s never even spoken to him and (b) that her mother couldn’t possibly be brave because she did try to avoid being spotted.  I think that it’s possible her father would have had the same reaction as her mother, because he would have wanted to protect his daughter more than he would have wanted to right a wrong or even help a person in trouble, parents (generally) put their children’s safety before everything else.  I mean, when Vivian is remembering her last call with Daniel, he is the one who tells her to get away to the country, presumably so that she and their daughter would be safe.  I also believe that her mother has probably had to make some tough choices and do very brave things, but that in this case she was not “slinking away”, rather, she was putting her child’s safety, the child that she has already done so much to protect and who is the last remaining link between her and her husband, first and foremost.

It reminds me of a photo that I have of my mother that was taken when she was in her twenties, which is where I am now in my life.  It’s weird to see because I don’t know the person in the picture — the person I know is my mom and is in her late fifties and is about to retire from her job she’s worked at for thirty years.  The person I know puts me first, always.  And I know that the person in the picture was leading a completely different life and doing things I would never imagine my mom doing (I’ve heard the stories, oh my gosh! we really don’t know our parents!).  It’s interesting to see this perspective and it makes me think how people change when they become parents and how their children never really know the person that they were before…

Reflection on Discussion Forums

Reflection on Discussion Forums

TP2 “Survival Stories & The Island of the Blue Dolphins”

One of the most memorable books from my childhood was Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins, and I read and re-read it many times throughout elementary school and middle school.  It reminds me of Bud, Not Buddy because the protagonist is a child, yet they are completely alone in the world and must learn to fend for themselves, making them both, first and foremost, a story of survival.  But what makes Island of the Blue Dolphins unique from many other survival stories is that its central character is not only a child, but a girl.

Karana, the story’s protagonist, is left to fend for herself and her brother on the island that her ancestors have inhabited for generations, after a new chief decides that her tribe should leave, and she jumps the boat to save her younger brother, who has forgotten his spear.  When he is killed by the wild dogs that live on the island, she is completely alone.

It wasn’t until many years later that I found out that it was based on a true story, and I wish I’d known when I’d first read it, because I think it would have greatly enhanced my reading experience, and the imaginings that went along with it.  There are so few other children for children to look up to, because most role models are adults.  Bud, Not Buddy is set in a real place and time, and I think that adds to Bud’s story and his relatability, however, he himself is fictional.  Karana is a real person, and I think that gives her a special status, and that if children know this when they read Island of the Blue Dolphins they will take more away from her story.

One of the reasons I loved this story so much as a child was because I could picture myself as Karana, because she was a child and a girl.  It seems like many of the books we read in school had boys as the central characters, which, looking back on it now, is probably because boys are more likely to be reluctant readers, but it was always more interesting to me to read about a character I could relate to.  I think that because I was an only child, her being alone on the island was also something I could relate to, because I often had to play by myself as a child.

Perhaps part of the appeal of survival stories in general, at least for a child, is that as children we feel (and are, for the most part) helpless.  Parents have near complete control of what their child wears and eats, who and what they can play with, when they will sleep and wake up, and who will take care of them after school.  The only way for a child to have complete control in a world run by adults is to fantasize about what that would be like, whether through reading, play or just in their imagination.

Survival stories like Island of the Blue Dolphins allow for this kind of expression and control because the story provides a compass for the child.  A child living in the suburbs would not be able to experience what it would be like to live on an island alone, learning how to hunt with a spear and creating fire and a home from raw material, but the book provides the instructions for how to do these things, giving the child reader a jumping off point for their fantasy games.

When I played alone, I often fantasized about living on Karana’s island, Ghalas-at, by myself, and made pretend spears out of sticks and a house in our yard, with bushes and sheets.  It gave me a sense of freedom and control, because I could arrange my island any way I wanted and make up any story I wanted in my head.  I think that in that way, survival stories are excellent tools for play, because it is easy for a child to leave the plot lines of the original story that inspired their imagination and get lost in their own story.

I think that many of the stories I wrote as a child also contained a survival aspect, where younger characters were alone and learning to fend for themselves in a world without adults — and I know we’ve discussed the absence of parents in children’s and YA literature in the discussion forums before  —  I think that it is an important part of growing up, mimicking adult themes and behaviors on a smaller, but often no less intense, scale.  This is why I wish that I had known that Island of the Blue Dolphins was based on a true story when I’d read it the first time as a child — knowing that it was not purely fiction, but that a child, a girl, could fend for herself alone on an island without adults would have been powerful and empowering.

Survival is a common theme in both children’s and adult literature, but I think that in children’s literature these stories become even more powerful, because as adults we don’t always expect children to be capable of such things and as children we want to believe that we are.  In our Bud, Not Buddy forum it was said by several people that they were surprised that a child could go through so much at such a young age, and be as mature as Bud was.  Granted, Bud, Not Buddy  was a not based on a true story (although I’m sure it resembles many true stories of the time, intentional or not), but we only need look at the news and our sociology and history textbooks to realize that children have survived as much or worse.

Survival stories are an excellent way for children and adults to imagine their full potential, and for children to imagine some measure of control and power in a world where they have very little.  I really think that every life is a tale of survival, and reading about the extreme cases will help children be able to deal with the smaller issues in their life.  All of the stories that we read this quarter contained these elements:  in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Dorothy is alone in a fantasy world because of a cyclone, in Bud, Not Buddy Bud escapes the foster system and runs away to find his father, in Hattie Big Sky Hattie must leave everything she’s known to head for Montana and prove up a claim on her own, in First Light Peter and Thea both have to leave their parents and make adult decisions that effect the entire society of Gracehope, and in The Line Rachel is brave enough to do what she believes is right, even if it means going against her mother’s wishes and then leaving her entirely.

All of these stories are about survival and I think that now, more than ever, children need to see that they are capable of surviving, even though the world may seem unfair or frightening, and even if those in authority hurt them.  I think that stories like these create brave, independent thinkers, who will not be afraid to stand up for what they believe, and that is why children’s literature is so important.