Questions and Answers
Children's Literature - Answer- High quality trade books for children from birth to
adolescence, covering topics of relevance and interest to children through prose,
poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.
Why is literature written? - Answer- To illuminate what it means to be human and to
make fundamental experiences of life accessible- love, hope, loneliness, despair,
fear, and belonging.
Why do children read literature? - Answer- To experience life and their experiences
inside the world of a story to challenge them to think in new ways about their life and
the world.
Literary Work that is Prose - Answer- Can be in the form of fiction (an invented
narrative), nonfiction (a factual narrative), or a combination of the two.
What childhood stories are appealing to young readers? - Answer- Forthright,
humorous, or suspenseful stories.
What childhood stories are written for adults looking back? - Answer- Stories about
childhood or are nostalgic or overly sentimental.
Textbook - Answer- By design and content, is for the purpose of instruction, such as
the basal readers and leveled books used in many classrooms for reading instruction
or the content area books used in school to teach history and science.
Tradebook - Answer- By design and content, tells a story to engage and intrigue
children as readers and encourage new understandings. They are often referred to
as library books.
What does quality in writing have to do with? - Answer- Originality and importance of
ideas, imaginative use of language and image, beauty of literary and artistic style
that enable a work to remain fresh, interesting, and meaningful for years.
What do the best children's books offer? - Answer- Enjoyment, memorable
characters and situations, and valuable insights into the human conditions.
A story is what? - Answer- A theory of something.
Value of Literature in Children's Lives 1 - Answer- Enjoyment
Value of Literature in Children's Lives 2 - Answer- Personal and cultural identity
Value of Literature in Children's Lives 3 - Answer- Imagination and Transformation