Customer Reviews

A Celebration of Literature and Response: Children, Books, and Teachers in K-8 Classrooms (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I chose this book for a children's literature class that I lead based mostly on cost. The other recommended texts in this area are very expensive and I wanted my students to be able to purchase quality trade books as well. I need to supplement the reading a great deal because of the cursory nature of the chapters regarding various genres. For the money, it's a fine text but be aware that it leaves out a great deal that that other books - such as Norton's Through the Eyes of a Child from the same publisher - cover in greater depth.

Marjorie Hancock introduces teachers to some of the best titles in Children's Literature. Going beyond mere introductions, she suggests methods for implementing various response methods and for integrating Children's Literature into the classroom. She has taken the effort to include titles for both elementary and middle school classrooms in one volume, so that teachers are able to become acquainted with a wide variety of genres as well as titles. An especially impressive section is her chapter on poetry, where she not only defines the various forms, but provides examples of each style. This is a concise volume, and it does lack the pictures that many other texts have. The references to children's literature websites, and authors' homepages are a valuable resource tool and help integrate modern technology with the printed page -- a skill that is sorely needed as we enter the new millenium.

The one star that I award this book comes from its definitions of what good response and literature is. It also has a nice chapter with a list of the award winning books every year since the awards were created. The reason the other four are lacking is because the book falls short in some areas.

I feel this book could use a bit more depth. While it explains what each type of book is quite well, it doesn't go into enough depth about how to actually teach the books. I understand that this book is used in a children's literature class, but I feel it would be good preparation for higher level teaching classes to have a few more examples about each type of literature and how it can be integrated into a solid curriculum.

The books referenced in here are current, but it's forgetting a few things that are important--namely the inclusion of older literature. There was a lot of good children's literature published before 2000 and the book often fails to recognize that. Staples like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew are only mentioned in passing, and even authors enjoyed by generations such as Roald Dahl don't get as much time as they should. Patricia Reilly Giff's excellent "Polk Street School" books don't even get mentioned. However, the book seems to references a few of the same titles in every single chapter, which can get a bit annoying.

The chapter on realistic fiction seems rather weak. It is introduced poorly, with realisitic fiction only sounding like "major league" problems from the description of it. Stories about, say, trouble in school don't even get a mention until a few pages later, and the sections are vague on these staples of American literature (who doesn't read books about kids who have school problems?) as well as in other sections. Hancock only seems to write about what she likes and what she looks for without looking any further at the wide array of children's literature out there.

While response is a very important thing in any literature class, I also feel there isn't any love for good old fashioned comprehension in this book. Those questions will appear on standardized tests and I feel they should be emphasized as well.

There are a few things in here I disagree with, mostly relating to classroom policy and the development of students, but that is probably common for people who are used to a certain school system and paid attention to every nook and cranny of it when they went through it. The ideas may be good, but I feel there can be more than one answer to some of these situations.

Finally, I don't care for some of the author's word choice in here. This may just be personal preference, but I feel it can be a bit verbose at times and that she overuses some of her words.

I was pleasantly surprised when I recieved the book within a couple of days. It was in good condition just as the seller stated. I wouldn't hesitate ordering again from this seller.