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1 An introduction to children’s literature

History of Children’s Literature

17th Century Beginnings

  • Early children’s books were primarily school books focused on teaching the alphabet, spelling, morals, manners, and religion.
  • Influenced by Puritan beliefs, these books aimed to instill morals, as children were seen as inclined to evil.
  • Chapbooks: Cheaply published books containing popular stories and tales began to emerge, often criticized for lacking moral content.

Shift to Enlightenment Ideals

  • Enlightenment philosophy, particularly John Locke’s view of children as “blank slates,” shifted the perception of children.
  • Literature began to include more light-hearted content such as word play, riddles, rhymes, and games.
  • Moral tales and fables continued to be published, but the variety of content expanded.

Borrowing from Adult Literature

  • Children’s books started to include stories originally written for adults.

These changes reflect a broader shift in societal views on childhood and education, moving from strict moral instruction to a more diverse and engaging approach to children’s literature.

The Evolution of Children’s Literature Picture of Pinocchio circa 1883

Enlightenment and Romantic Periods: A transformation occurred. Childhood was now seen as a unique phase of innocence, separate from adulthood and adolescence.

Emergence of Children’s Literature:

  • 18th Century: John Newbery, a writer, revolutionized children’s literature by establishing the first publishing house dedicated to children’s stories. His works catered specifically to young readers.
  • Newbery’s initiative reflected a shift in societal perception—children were no longer seen as small adults but as playful, imaginative beings deserving of their own literature.

19th Century Expansion:

  • The 19th century witnessed a surge in books written for children’s enjoyment.
  • Randolph Caldecott created the first picture book, enhancing the visual appeal of children’s literature.

The Shift Toward Realism in Children’s Literature

1930s-1950s: Addressing Societal Issues:

  • During this period, writers began addressing societal issues and hardships in children’s literature.
  • Authors explored topics like poverty, struggles, and real-life challenges.

1960s-1970s: The Realism Revolution:

  • A radical shift occurred in children’s literature during the 1960s and 1970s.
  • Realism took center stage, pushing boundaries and addressing previously taboo subjects.
  • Authors like Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, and Paul Zindel wrote about growing up, death, obesity, and other issues.
  • These books challenged traditional norms and expanded what was considered acceptable for children to understand.

Pioneering Authors: Early authors paved the way for more daring narratives: 

  • Beverly Cleary: Known for relatable characters and realistic situations.
  • Judy Blume: Tackled puberty, family dynamics, and personal struggles.
  • Paul Zindel: Explored complex themes like mental health and identity.

Further Shifts:

  • Authors like M. E. Kerr, Cynthia Voigt, and Robert Cormier continued the trend.
  • Their works delved into homelessness, race relations, and sexuality.
  • Realism in children’s literature mirrored broader historical, political, and societal changes.

In summary, the realism movement in children’s literature during the 1960s and 1970s was transformative, challenging conventions and providing young readers with authentic, thought-provoking stories. These brave authors paved the way for a new era of children’s literature that reflected the complexities of the world and empowered young minds to explore diverse perspectives.

 

References:

Text summarized using Copilot from the source: History of children’s literature. In K. A. Munger (Ed.), Steps to success: crossing the bridge between literacy research and practice. Open SUNY Textbooks. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-childrenslit/chapter/history-of-childrens-literature/.

 

Recent Trends in Children’s Literature

Market Influences

  • Recent decades have brought additional changes in the publishing of children’s literature.
  • The market for children’s literature has been influenced by demand from parents, children with increased buying power, and a proliferation of serial writing to boost sales.
  • In addition, there have been changes in the content of children’s books related to gender, diversity, and social class (Ching, 2005; Englehardt, 1991; Gangi, 2004; Hunt, 1995; Larrick, 1965; Taxel, 1997; Zipes, 2001).

Technological Advances

  • Technological advances have exerted huge effects on printing and publishing capabilities.
  • Beyond printing capabilities, authors and illustrators are writing to maintain the attention of children accustomed to the fast-paced sensory input of digital resources, such as computer and video games, smartphones, and tablet apps.
  • Publishing companies have attempted to produce print texts that mimic or resemble digital texts in wording, style, type of images, or format.
  • Some print texts even borrow concepts about page design from digital texts.

Digital and technological advancements have transformed children’s literature by:

  • Introducing non-linear plots that tell stories out of order or lead readers in multiple directions (e.g., The End by David LaRochelle).
  • Using interactive formats that encourage readers to engage with the book (e.g., Press Here by Herve Tullet).
  • Shifting perspectives to highlight voices and topics previously underrepresented in children’s literature.

Contemporary books reflect changing times and require new understandings about text. They are ideal for teaching students to become multiliterate individuals who are:

  • Socially responsible and informed citizens.
  • Flexible and strategic in engaging with various text types in a diverse world.

New understandings include recognizing that texts communicate messages in multiple ways. Readers must understand not only written language but also visual language and other signs and symbols.

 

Technological resources have transformed how information is communicated, and teachers need to prepare students to understand all types of texts, including digital ones. However, not all schools, classrooms, or homes have access to technology. Fortunately, print books can help develop flexible literacy skills by:

  • Mimicking digital texts in style and formatting.
  • Changing organizational patterns.
  • Exploring interactive formats.
  • Representing messages in various ways.

These print books can teach necessary digital skills and help bridge the gap between technology-rich and technology-limited environments.

Pictures of the book Animals in Camouflage.

Changes in contemporary children’s books are not only related to digital and technological influences but also the influence of a cultural movement of the late 20th century known as postmodernism. Postmodernism is defined by Wikipedia as “a term used to refer to a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of representing reality. Still, there is disagreement among experts about its more precise meaning even within narrow contexts.”

In children’s literature, scholars have identified key characteristics associated with postmodernism. Let’s explore these features:

  1. Illustrations and Words: Postmodern picture books often play with the relationship between illustrations and text. Sometimes, the pictures convey a different story or perspective than the words, creating an intriguing interplay.
  1. Multiple Versions and Perspectives: Postmodern influences are evident in how stories are told. Children’s books may present multiple versions of a story within the same book, offer different perspectives through various narrators, or even tell stories within stories.
  1. Genre Blending: Postmodern children’s literature blurs genre boundaries. Authors mix fiction and nonfiction elements or combine science fiction with historical contexts, creating unique and unexpected narratives.
  1. Intertextuality: Authors refer to other texts within their stories, assuming readers’ familiarity with those references. This intertextuality adds depth and complexity to the reading experience.
  1. Author and Illustrator Visibility: Postmodern books often break the fourth wall. Authors may directly address readers, and illustrators share insights into their creative processes within the text itself.

Postmodernism challenges traditional storytelling conventions, inviting young readers to engage with narratives in innovative and thought-provoking ways.

 

Postmodern Influences

Noting the changes in children’s literature related to digital and postmodern influences, teachers are tasked with determining how and when texts should be used in today’s classrooms.

In recent studies (Pantaleo, 2004), when teachers used texts with postmodern characteristics, it was discovered that the students developed their ability to:

  • interpret visual images
  • increase digital literacy skills
  • think critically

Each of these skills is important to prepare students for future encounters with both print and digital texts. Students may be interested in digital texts and other varieties of text types, but they may not have a full range of abilities to interpret all the messages contained in these texts. By including contemporary books in the curriculum, teachers can better prepare students for a wide range of experiences in the world.

 

References:

Text summarized using Copilot from the source: History of children’s literature. In K. A. Munger (Ed.), Steps to success: crossing the bridge between literacy research and practice. Open SUNY Textbooks. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-childrenslit/chapter/history-of-childrens-literature/.

Pantaleo, S. (2004). The long, long way: Young children explore the fabula and syuzhet of Shortcut. Children’s Literature in Education, 35, 1-19. doi:10.1023/B:CLID.0000018897.74948.2a

Postmodernism. (2024, September 23). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodernism.

Multimodal Texts in Children’s Literature: Unlocking Meaning and Communication

It is easy to envision a classroom that relies on the use of a print textbook and resources that primarily use printed words and visual images to represent meaning. However, print resources are changing in ways that are reflective of the multiple ways, or modes, that are used to communicate within digital contexts.

Though children’s literature, especially picture books, rely mainly on print and visual modes (i.e., words combined with pictures), there are growing numbers of children’s books that creatively incorporate audio, gestural, and spatial modes as well.

Multimodal texts are capable of drawing on students’ strengths and preparing them for a multimodal society where individuals communicate through audio, gestural, visual, spatial, and print resources, as well as various combinations of these modes.

Affordance

In the realm of communication, each mode—whether it’s words, movement, sounds, or visuals—has its unique way of conveying meaning. This concept, known as affordance, highlights that different modes express ideas differently (Kress & Jewitt, 2003; Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2001).

For instance, imagine telling a cat story: you could use words, physical gestures, or even act it out silently. Each version emphasizes different aspects of the story. Integrating modes creates a richer overall meaning that no single mode can achieve alone. Even within a mode, the materials or format used (like writing in sand versus carving in stone) contribute to how we understand the message (Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2001). So, understanding these affordances helps us choose the right mode for different tasks and contexts.

To learn more about multimodal texts, visit the LibGuide below 

Picture of front page of a LibGuide on Multimodal texts.

Understanding Social Semiotics and Multimodal Communication

The field of social semiotics delves into how humans interpret the world and communicate with one another. It encompasses all socially meaningful ways of expression, including (Lemke, 1990):

  • drawing
  • visuals
  • speech
  • gestures
  • dance
  • architecture
  • music

As societies or cultural groups adapt over time, they place different values on various modes people use to make meaning.

Schools are important in shaping the value placed on different modes in society; their overemphasis on reading and written language systems marginalizes other valuable forms of expression and, likewise, students who have talents and abilities in these other forms (Eisner, 1991).

Eisner explained that being able to understand messages communicated through multiple modes is central to three important educational aims:

  •  increasing the variety and depth of meaning people make in their lives
  • developing cognitive potential
  • providing educational equity in our schools

When teachers and students begin to understand the potential of each mode, more options become available to understand and create meaning.

  • Students make daily choices regarding the mode of communication and the medium or format of a message.
    • For example, students choose a medium when they decide to send an email or a text message, share a picture or a song, or create a video.
  • The medium chosen often dictates the format of the message—a text might use shorthand or emoticons while an email would use full words.
  • If students understand the potential of each of the modes, they can make choices to create and understand messages more fully.

Authors and publishers of children’s literature are also aware of these choices, and the literature they produce is certainly influenced by the knowledge that students’ communication preferences are both flexible and dynamic.

 

Teachers can facilitate learning in the classroom that allows all of the above to be possible, such as:

  • students having knowledge of modes to make the best choices to express their messages
  • students with talents and abilities in areas beyond print and linguistic forms to have a valued mode to express themselves in the classroom
  • students having the ability to fully understand the messages that are communicated through various modes and their combinations throughout society

An understanding of how modes work together in texts is thus necessary for those preparing to enter the teaching profession. Children’s book authors and illustrators are able to offer more multimodal experiences for readers that extend beyond the combination of print and visual modes to include audio, gestural, and spatial modes. As multimodal texts are viewed, readers make meaning by experiencing integrated and cohesive texts that draw on the potential of multiple modes of meaning. Teachers must therefore understand how modes work together within texts in order to prepare students to understand and make meaning with a wider variety of texts and communicate through a wider variety of modes.

 

References:

Text summarized using Copilot from the source: History of children’s literature. In K. A. Munger (Ed.), Steps to success: crossing the bridge between literacy research and practice. Open SUNY Textbooks. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-childrenslit/chapter/history-of-childrens-literature/.

Eisner, E. (1991). Rethinking literacy. Educational Horizons, 69, 120-128.

Kress, G., & Jewitt, C. (Eds.). (2003). Multimodal literacy. Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.

Kress, G., & Van Leeuwen, T. (2001). Multimodal discourse: The modes and media of contemporary curriculum. Oxford University Press.

Lemke, J. L. (1990). Talking science. Ablex Publishing Corporation.

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An Introduction to Children's Literature Copyright © 2024 by Laura Mangum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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