Children's Lit
By Rachel SteenLesson 4: The First Years of School- 4-6 Years Old
When a child enters school a number of things change. Suddenly she is outside of the home, and your vision, and socialization with children her own age increases. The first years of school are a time of significant learning, and she will be able to do a number of things for herself that she could not do the year before. She is old enough to be taught how to handle a book, and to care for it properly. (If you are concerned about books being damaged, try removing the dust jacket from a hardcover book (the paper cover) or try putting a book cover on paperback books.) These years are an important time of intellectual and emotional development for children, and it is important to remember that even as they gain rudimentary reading skills, they still enjoy being read to. The good news is that as your child grows, your choices of what to read increase, and can now include longer picture books and even some novels. This lesson will discuss picture books for Junior Kindergarten/Senior Kindergarten, how to choose picture books for older children, and when to start reading novels to your children. Pages 76-91 of The Read Aloud Handbook will provide additional information.
Fairy Tales and Folk Tales
Four and five Year olds particularly enjoy stories with scary situations, but happy endings, and this is the perfect time to begin introducing folk and fairy tales to your children. A Folk Tale generally has to do with every day life, and involves a peasant gaining power over a superior. They also often involve animals with human characteristics, such as The Three Little Pigs.
A Fairy Tale is not necessarily a story involving fairies. What they are is a sub-genre of folk tales, which involve supernatural characters such as giants, witches and elves. There is also almost always some element of magic, and good winning over evil. (Such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk) They are always set in the past (thus the once upon a time aspect), and the setting is usually in an unspecified time and place. Fairy tales are not folk tales or legends or myths, but they are derived from a strong oral tradition spanning many cultures.
Many people may be concerned that these stories are too violent and nasty for young children to grasp, and hesitate to read them as written, but children between about 4-7 years old love them. Folk and Fairytales are the ultimate problem solving, cause and effect stories. In them, the main characters constantly have to think their way out of troublesome situations, and they learn that actions have consequences. One time I was reading Little Red Riding Hood to a group of four year olds, and I received several interesting comments on the story. One of the children wondered why Red Riding Hood was walking through the woods without her mother, and others chastised her for not following instructions. These young children were analyzing the details of the story, and putting it into a perspective they understood and related to. Folk and Fairy Tales are about addressing a child’s fears, and encouraging them to face them head on. The children in the stories have the power, and they always triumph over evil.
When selecting these stories for your children, look for illustrated editions with simplified language, and try to avoid anything that’s too gory. For younger children, I recommend the Paul Galdone versions of traditional stories. His books include Henny Penny, The Three Bears, Three Little Pigs, and Three Billy Goats Gruff. The stories are just right for three or four year old listeners, or for reading to children of multiple ages. In my last reading group of 3-6 year olds, nearly all of the kids knew the story of the Three Little Pigs, and it allowed for a great amount of audience participation. As your child becomes familiar with the story, encourage her to participate in the telling. This will keep her interest, and it is also a preliminary step towards reading.
For older children of about six or seven, you can expand your fairy tale roster. By grades one or two, their attention spans are longer, and rich illustrations contribute to the appeal of the books. One of the most popular writers/illustrators is Paul O. Zelinsky, who has received the Caldecott Medal for Rapunzel, and Caledecott Honors on at least two of his other books. (The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association, and while only one book wins the medal each year, up to five additional titles can be honored. Please visit http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMen... for a complete list of annual winners.) The illustrations in these books are beautiful, but these stories are also lengthier and more complex than the Galdone stories, so beware of reading them to younger children. Also keep in mind that different cultures have different versions of the stories, and it is a great way of learning about other cultures. For example: There are versions of Cinderella in Egypt, Korea, France and Germany. If you are interested in finding some of these stories, do a keyword search for multicultural fairy tales on the web, or ask your local librarian. Lon Po Po(The Chinese Red Riding Hood), or Anansi the Spider (from Africa) are a couple of great choices to start with. Luckily, there are hundreds of versions of many of the most well known tales available, so you can choose which one best suits your needs for content and illustration. If you would like to read further on the benefits of fairy tales, look for The Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim.
Fractured Fairy Tales
What in the world is a fractured fairy tale you ask? A fractured Fairy Tale takes the original form of fairy tales and fractures it. Most often, a fractured Fairy Tale takes an existing story and twists it into something different. Occasionally, the story has no original basis, but is simply poking fun at the genre. Children who are already familiar with fairy/folk tales best enjoy fractured fairy tales, but knowing the original story isn’t necessary. Regardless of its origin, fractured fairy tales always incorporate humor, and are enjoyed by a variety of age groups. For independent readers, there are also several novels available in this genre, but for this lesson, I am referring only to picture books.
One of the most popular authors in this genre is Jon Scieszka, who has written The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, and a variety of other “alternate versions” of traditional fables and rhymes. In this book, the story is narrated from the Wolf’s point of view while he sits in jail, proclaiming his innocence until the very end. The book is hilarious, and is tremendously popular with kids and grandparents alike. It’s a bit long for a child of four or five, but six and seven year olds really enjoy it.
Another great twist of an original story is Mr. Wolf’s Pancakes by Jan Fearnley. Based on the Little Red Hen, this time it’s the Wolf seeking help from his neighbors to make his pancakes. One of my favorite things about this book is that he lives in nursery rhyme land, and his neighbors are characters from stories where there is a big bad wolf. A surprise ending caps off this wonderful book, and a sequel Mr. Wolf and the Three Bears is equally fun.
Lastly, an example of an original fractured fairy tale is Robert Munsch’s The Paperbag Princess. In this story, Prince Ronald is captured by a dragon who burns down the castle, and Princess Elizabeth sets off to rescue him dressed in a paper bag. Long considered to be a great feminist story for young girls, when Ronald fails to be appreciative of Elizabeth’s efforts, she determines that she is better off without him. Boys and girls enjoy this story, along with Munsch’s other books of absurdity and humor.
Print this page
