I am really excited to read some of these books. I have read 6 of them already, and the others I have either wanted to read or sound interesting. However, I do not think of all of these as children's books. When I think of children's books, I think of Dr. Seuss and Nancy Drew. To me, these seem more like adolescent books. When my mom was at Texas A&M she also took a children's literature class and they read fairy tales. I am not disappointed to read these books, it was just not what I was expecting when I signed up for the class.
I hope that this class shows me a new way to look at books aimed towards a younger audience. Maybe it will help me also in selecting books for my children, when I have any. While I am slightly nervous about the amount of reading that has to get done, I think that this will be a very exciting class and I cannot wait to get started discussing books.
You bring up an excellent point--where to draw the line between children's and adolescent literature. I think it's pretty conventional to draw the line around 6th or 7th grade. Many of the books on the syllabus are for readers between 10 and 12, some younger. I have taught it differently myself, with more emphasis on fairy tales and picture books. I love all types--and levels--of children's literature!
ReplyDelete