Academic Values of Children's Literature

It is a known fact that those who have a habit of reading books become very good students.Students who developed such reading habits have proven good academically since they posess sound vocabulary.Educators also agree that it's never to early to ready to children. Even babies respond to their parents voices. They may not understand the words their parents are reading, but they enjoy the experience of being held and hearing their parents read to them. Parents also enjoy the experience of bonding with their children through children's books. The academic values of children's literature cannot be over rated.

The first children's books that parents read to their children are picture books. These picture books stimulate even the youngest minds. The creative art work is as important as the text of the story. Because young minds have very short attention spans, picture books are the perfect books to share. Parents can spend time with the child helping him to understand the pictures. A great educational exercise is to ask the child questions about the illustrations. For instance in the Beatrix Potter books, the parent might ask where is Peter Rabbit or what is Peter Rabbit doing? Before long the child will know the story and the illustrations so well that if the parent misses one word, the child will complain.

Some parents also enjoy reading illustrated story books to their children. These differ from picture books because the illustrations are secondary to the story. They are secondary only because the text of the story can stand alone. The illustrations do not further the story but they do stimulate the creativity of the child. Years of reading to children before they can read themselves stimulates their creativity and their desire to learn. Reading to children can be a rewarding experience for both child and parent. Allowing the child to choose his own books is also a way to teach children how to find books that interest them. Taking them to the public library is the perfect way to allow the child to use his skills to choose his own books. Of course, the parent will want to guide the child to books that are appropriate for his age group.

Most libraries and school media centers feature story hour. Story hour is one of the favorite times in a young readers life. The story hour reader always makes a point to choose books that will appeal to young readers. A good story hour reader will put quite a bit of work into getting ready for the reading. He/she will use different voices for each character and sometimes even involve children in the audience into the story. Pre-school children gain great benefits from attending story hour at the public library. They are introduced to books they may not have read and they learn to sit still and listen while an adult if reading. They also learn how other children interact with the story teller. The process of learning to sit still and politely listening to an adult are skills and manners children need before they enter school.

When children enter school, Language Arts teachers can probably tell the students who have been read to since they were very small. These children are more eager to read and more motivated to check a book out from the library to take home. Their vocabulary is more advanced and they are often already reading. Their advanced abilities certainly give them advantages over other students who have not had story hour at home or at a library. Books are new to them. Of course, most children soon catch on to the joys of reading, but sometimes this takes a while.

As children make their way through the educational system, children who love to read will flourish. The academic values of children's literature really come apparent in the Language Arts classes. Forget Dick and Jane. The Language Arts teachers introduce children to the wonderful world of children's literature. One very popular type of children's literature is the fractured fairy tales. These are books who tell old fairy tales and put a new spin on them. One hilarious children's book tells the story of the Three Little Pigs from the point of view of the wolf. When children read this hilarious book, they can compare it to the story they have always heard. Being able to compare stories is a high level thinking skill that is a very important part of the learning experience. The best part of this exercise is that it is fun and entertaining.

The modern fantasy is rooted in the old fashioned fairy tales. Most modern fantasy tales are about good versus evil, magic, heroes, villains, and a quest of some kind. Think Harry Potter. There is a reason children and adults love these books. Their well-crafted stories resonate with anyone who likes fantasy fiction and even some who don't. J. K. Rowling is now a billionaire because she wrote stories that everyone wanted to read. No amount of publicity could force young boys who have never really liked reading to stand in line at 12:00 AM to wait for the next copy in the series.

Children's literature fills a void in many children's lives. They can explore worlds that they will never visit, meet people they will never know, and experience life in wonderful new ways. Never undervalue the academic values of children's literature. It is vital to the academic success of many children.

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