1. Chapter 9 Contemporary Realistic Fiction EDUC 328 CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

2. TALKING POINTS  How real should a children’s book be?  Are children harmed or helped by reading about tragedy or violence?  How would you respond to parents who object to books that deal with difficult or offensive issues? Can you think of any examples?

3. Realism in Contemporary Children’s Literature  Realistic literature contains imaginative writing that accurately reflects life as it was lived in the past or could be lived today.  Everything written about in realistic literature could conceivably happen.  The content of contemporary realism for children has changed dramatically in the past forty years.

4. The Value of Contemporary Realistic Fiction  Grants children a fuller understanding of human problems and human relationships, including a greater understanding of themselves and their potential  Helps children enlarge their frames of reference from another perspective  Reassures young people that they are not the first to have faced problems

5. The Value of Contemporary Realistic Fiction (cont.)  Illuminates experiences that children have not had  Serves as a kind of preparation for living  Faces the honest realities of life  Provides possible models, both good and bad, for coping with problems of the human condition

6. Evaluating Contemporary Realistic Fiction  Does the book honestly portray the realities of life for today’s child?  Does the book illumine problems and issues of growing up in today’s world?  Does the story transcend the contemporary setting and have universal implications?  Are the characters convincing and credible to today’s child?  Are controversial issues dealt with in an open and forthright way?

7. Additional Criteria  If violence or other negative behavior is part of the story, does the author provide motivations and show after effects?  Does the author avoid stereotyping?  Does the book truly represent the experience of the culture depicted?  As a Christian, does the book support the values and ideals we hold dear?

8. Some possible themes: Becoming One’s Own Person  Living in a family: Family relationships Extended families Families in transition  Living with others: Finding peer acceptance Making friends  Growing toward maturity: Developing sexuality Finding oneself Survival stories

9. Coping with Problems of the Human Condition  Physical disabilities  Developmental and learning disabilities  Mental illness  Aging and death: Aging Death and dying

10. Living in a Diverse World  African-American experiences in books for children  Books that extend readers’ understandings of diversity  Understanding various world cultures

11. Popular Types of Realistic Fiction  Humorous stories  Animal stories  Sports stories  School stories  Mysteries

12. Small group activity  Group Decisions:  Create an award that incorporates your values of good contemporary realistic fiction with any of the elements of quality CRF from the text or ppt.  Apply your Christian world view to the award by adding a contemporary role model, bible verse, or symbol,etc.  Create a document with the title of the award and a graphic. Below the award describe the revised criteria.  Name a text that was awarded this award.