Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children's Literature (7th Edition) [Hardcover]

Donna E. Norton (Author), Saundra Norton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0132202964 | ISBN-13: 978-0132202961 | Publication Date: June 17, 2006 | Edition: 7

In its seventh edition, Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children’s Literature continues to be a visually stunning, theoretically sound, comprehensive overview of children’s literature. It focuses squarely on selecting and evaluating quality literature to share with children and guiding them to appreciate and respond to that literature. This edition features multicultural literature and young adult literature in every chapter, expanded coverage of biographies and informational books and over 100 new children’s titles referenced throughout. A children’s literature CD-ROM accompanies the book and contains bibliographic information for thousands of titles, making it even easier to share quality literature with children and adolescents.  

Editorial Reviews

Review

In comparison to the children's literature books on the market, this book rises above the others in every aspect! This is a remarkable book.

Nancy Thornberry, Texas A&M University

 

This book provides a great reference and resource for teachers and those who will be teaching.

Daniel Holm, Indiana Univeristy, South Bend

 

The teaching recommendations and literature suggestions are superb!

Ruth A. Oswald, University of Akron

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

The premier text in the field in an exciting new edition! This text's trademark enthusiastic style, attention to detail, and two-part genre chapters have won it a large and devoted following. Presenting material in accessible, interesting language students respond to, its unique format allows instructors to teach all content, all methods, or any combination of the two that is appropriate for their students. Material focuses on current, proven approaches to teaching such as the literature-based reading approach and the use of literature to encourage children's responses to reading. This text's visual appeal is guaranteed by the use of a wealth of illustrations from favorite full-color children's books in their original colors...and by a fresh, interesting layout featuring the art of real children that keeps students reading and enjoying the process of learning about children's books first page to last. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 694 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 7 edition (June 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0132202964
• ISBN-13: 978-0132202961
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Children's Literature Guides

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hard To Read Wealth of Children's Litature Course, November 4, 2005

By 

Reginald Williams (Orangeburg, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children's Literature (6th Edition) (Hardcover)

If you plan to teach a children's literature course, then this book possesses nearly all of the information, history, and important milestones that you need...if you can get by the stilted language.

It reads well for someone like me who studies/collects children's literature as a personal hobby; however, for the average reader? Get ready for a painful struggle.

I would suggest using it in conjunction with two other books: Jacob & Tunnell's more classroom-focused CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, BRIEFLY and Rebecca Luken's more historcal/applicable balanced CRITICAL HANDBOOK OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Soul Sapping Academia, February 3, 2008

By 

N. Jost (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children's Literature (7th Edition) (Hardcover)

It is hard to imagine a book that could take the wonder of children's literature and more thoroughly destroy it. The cover illustration makes you feel momentarily safe. Then the texts begins and hope is slowly and mercilessly trodden into the dust. Take this for example:

"Another approach to the study of art is recommended by Stephen F. Eisenman and Thomas Crow, who use art criticism that focuses on the relationship between art and ideology, the economic and social conditions expressed in the art (a Marxist approach to criticism)."

Now pause briefly and consider this is a book about *children's* literature. Let us continue to some questions that should be used in this analysis:

"What role does class play in the work of both the artist and the viewer?

In what way might the artwork serve as propaganda?

What is the dominant ideology that the artist challenged?"

I'm now preparing to write a whithering review of the oppression inherent in the "Cat and the Hat".

All of this wouldn't be so bad if books were actually presented. Instead we get lots of small type with a reference to a random children's title in every other paragraph and the impression that children's literature is either dominated by the enlightened academic class or club wielding classist Neanderthals. You know, the kind that make you read books like "Through the Eyes of a Child".

DO NOT USE THIS IN YOUR CLASS. You will be torturing your students in a manner not allowed by the constitution. Hopefully, that at least, will carry some weight.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worest textbook I have ever read., May 17, 2009

By 

L. Conson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children's Literature (7th Edition) (Hardcover)

I usually like to read my textbooks cover to cover, but for the first time I find a text book unbearable to read. My physics textbooks are more entertaining than this book. The author simply writes thousands of three sentence summaries of children's books and places them in an obtuse sections. When the author is not doing these three sentence summaries she is filling up the book with citing any little idea some random person had. For the love of god just use a footnote and paraphrase so it is at least half readable.