EL 111

CHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENT
LITERATURE
Prepared by:
Mr. Renz Dave J. Espiritu
LET COMPETENCIES:
Trace the major literary works produced for children and
young adults (adolescent).

Explain the history and tenets of literature.

Define Literary terms and concepts exemplified in selected

literary texts.
LET US START!
 ▪ Children literature or Juvenile Literature
include stories, books, magazines, and
poems that are enjoyed by children.
▪ It can be broadly defined as anything
that children read or more specifically
defined as fiction, non-fiction, poetry,
and drama intended for and used by
children and young people. – Dale, Bren
WHAT IS (2008)
CHILDREN ▪ Children Literature can be traced to
stories and songs, part of wider oral
LITERATURE? tradition that adults shared with children
before publishing existed
 ▪ Adolescent Literature or often called as
Young-adult fiction/young adult
literature is a literature written,
published, and marketed to adolescent
young adults.
▪ The range of these literature is between
the ages of twelve and eighteen.
WHAT IS
▪ Children Literature stories that focus on
ADOLESCEN the specific challenges of youth are
T sometimes referred to as problem novels
or coming-of-age novels. - Dale, Bren
LITERATURE? (2008)
 THE HISTORY OF
CHILDREN/ADOLESCENT
LITERATURE
How it started. How it is going.
 HISTORY OF
CHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENT
LITERATURE
 ▪ Characterized by Oral storytelling.
▪ Composed of Greek and Roman Myths

CLASSICA and epics.

▪ Children heard and presumably enjoyed

L WORLD the same stories as their parents,

whether they were the adventurous tales
or cultural heroes.

GREEK ▪ Fables emerged during and the stories

are often humorous and entertaining for
kids of all ages. These illustrate a
AND particular moral and teach a lesson to
children and kids.

ROMANS
 EVENT
▪ Oral storytelling
▪ Greek and roman myths and epics

CLASSICAL ▪ Aesop’s fables

WORLD SIGNIFICANCE

(GREEK AND ▪ Kept ancient stories alive

▪ Children and adults shared a common

ROMAN) 500 literature

BCE – 400 BCE

THE CLASSICAL WORLD:
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME
Oral literature was the principal entertainment for most
people during this period. All literature began with the ancient
art of storytelling. The purpose of storytelling was to entertain
each other, to comfort each other, to instruct the young in the
lessons of living, to pass on their religious and cultural
heritage.
Trojan War
• Trojan War, in Greek
mythology, war between the
Greeks and the people
of Troy. The strife began after
the Trojan
prince Paris abducted Helen,
wife of Menelaus of Sparta.
Aesop's Fables: animal tales
with pointed morals to instruct
children in cultural and
personal values.
 EVENT
▪ Religious tales or Biblical Stories
▪ Romantic tales and Legends

MIDDLE AGES SIGNIFICANCE

▪ Set examples for children, for a didactic
purpose.

476 CE – 1450 ▪ Created a mixture of realism and fantasy.

 THE MIDDLE AGES (THE MEDIEVAL WORLD)
BETWEEN THE FALL OF ROME AND THE RISE OF THE RENAISSANCE
[476 TO 1450 CE]

• Background: The Roman Catholic Church dominated the social and political scene
and was responsible for what education there was. Education was a luxury. Books
were extremely rare and expensive, and few people could read or write.
• Biblical stories were very popular. The lives of saints were used to set examples for
young people.
 EVENT
- The printing press made it possible to make
multiple copies of books.
- Rise of Educational books.
* Orbis Sensualism Pictus by John Comenius
RENAISSANCE (1658) - the 1st children’s picture book
* New England Primer (1690 -1886) - the most
famous early schoolbook.
- Emergence of Chapbooks (small and cheaply

1450 – 1700 made books containing fairy tales.

 SIGNIFICANCE
- Promoted mass education
- The emphasis was on spiritual and intellectual
development; schooling became important
RENAISSANCE for a Puritan child's upbringing
- Emphasized giving lessons in proper
behavior for boys
1450 – 1700
 THE RENAISSANCE
A TIME FOR A REBIRTH OF THE IDEALS OF
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME
[1450 - 1700]
Background:
• Johannes Gutenberg's (aro
und 1450) invention of
the movable type printing
press made it possible to
print multiple copies of
books, thus reducing time,
labor and cost.
• This technology also made it
possible to spread
information quickly;
therefore, this opened the
door to mass education and
increased literacy.
 DURING
THE EARLY
RENAISSANCE:
• Most books for children were textbooks or
educational books – “books of courtesy” giving
lessons in proper behavior for young gentlemen
(Women did not yet merit their own books).
 JOHN
COMENIUS’S ORBIS
SENSUALIUM PICTUS.

The earliest children’s picture book: John

Comenius’s Orbis Sensualium Pictus. It first
appeared as a German/Latin version in 1658 and as
an English/Latin version in 1659, used for the
teaching of Latin through pictures. This book provided
a wealth of information about 17th century European
life.
In the 17th Century –
THE two specific influences that
RENAISSANCE
A TIME FOR A REBIRTH OF THE IDEALS OF
brought a heightened sense
ANCIENT of special
GREECE needs of the child
AND ROME
[1450 - 1700]
• Spiritual Development: the rise of Puritanism,
which placed special emphasis on the individual's
need to tend to his or her own salvation
• Intellectual Development: work of John Locke, the
English philosopher of education
Hornbooks: consisting of
simple wooden slabs,
usually with a handle.
Parchment containing basic
language lessons (the
alphabet, numbers, and so
on) was fastened to the
wood and was then
covered with transparent
horn (from cattle, sheep,
goats), a primitive form of
lamination that made these
books very durable.
Battledores: cheap
books made of
folded cardboard and
usually containing
educational material.
They were widely
used into the
19th century.
New England Primer: the most
famous early schoolbooks, first
appearing around 1690 and
continuing in print in some form or
another until 1886. It introduced
young Puritan children to the
alphabet through rhymes and then to
increasingly sophisticated reading
material, all with a religious intent.
Chapbooks: small and cheaply made
books containing fairy tales and other
secular works. Few chapbooks before
the late eighteenth century were
written with children in mind, but by
1800 chapbooks for children were
being produced in some quantity.
 THE RENAISSANCE
A TIME FOR A REBIRTH OF THE IDEALS
OF
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME
[1450 - 1700]

John Locke and Educational

Philosophy
o Thoughts Concerning Education:
a famous essay written by John
Locke in 1693, in which he
formulated his notion that the
minds of young children were
similar to blank slates (he called
them tabula rasa) waiting to be
filled up. He believed every child
had equal capabilities to learn
and adults had the responsibility
to provide proper education.
Children continued to adopt
certain adult works of literature.
Some famous works were retold from
time to time and rewritten in various
versions for children in the later time:
o The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678)
by John Bunyan – the story of a
man’s journey to Heaven
o Robinson Crusoe (1719) by
Daniel Defoe – a shipwreck
adventure tale that is the
ancestor of numerous survival
stories
o Gulliver’s Travels (1726) by
Jonathan Swiff – a satirical
travel fantasy
 EVENT
▪ Intellectual development: John Locke

18TH AND ▪ Moral development: Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Emile,

1762)
▪ Publishing of children’s books: John Newbery

EARLY 19TH ▪ Rise of Moralistic Tales

▪ Revival of Folktales

CENTURIES * Tales of Mother Goose by Charles Perrault in

France (1697) and translated in English (1729)
* Grimms’ Nursery and Household Tales in Germany
(1812)
* Hans Christian Anderson’s Fairy Tales in Denmark
1700 – 1830 (1835)
 18TH AND EARLY 19TH CENTURIES
1700 – 1830
SIGNIFICANCE
▪ Advocated that a child's mind at birth was like a blank slate

▪ Argued that everyone was born with equal abilities to learn

▪ Advocated that living a moral life through simplicity

▪ Encouraged the writing of didactic books for children

▪ First successfully promoted children's literature designed to

entertain children as well as to teach them
▪ Influenced by Rousseau’s emphasis on proper moral
development; written mostly by women
▪ First written version of folktales

▪ Inspired a flurry of folktales collecting throughout Europe

▪ First modern folktales

 Tales from the Arabian
Nights, published by
Elizabeth Newbery (1791),
the first children’s edition of
the Middle Eastern tales,
featuring Sinbad the Sailor
and Aladdin and his lamp.
THE 18TH AND EARLY 19TH
CENTURIES
[1700 - 1830]

Grimms’ Nursery and Household

Tales (1812, Germany), published at
the beginning of the 19th century,
inspired a flurry of folktale collecting
throughout Europe.
THE 18TH AND EARLY
19TH CENTURIES
[1700 - 1830]

Hans Christian Anderson’s

Fairy Tales (1835, Denmark),
considered the first book
containing modern fairy tales
(i.e. all the fairy tales were
created and written, but not
collected, by Anderson).
 THE 18TH AND EARLY 19TH
CENTURIES
[1700 - 1830]
Joseph Jacobs’ English Fairy
Tales (1894, England)
Some adults felt them unsuitable for
children as they contained adult
themes, alarming frankness and
violence, lack of moral messages
 EVENT
▪ Rise of Modern Fantasy

THE * Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) by Lewis

Carroll (England)

VICTORIANS: * The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) by L. Frank

Baum (U.S.)

GOLDEN AGE * The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1901) by Beatrix Potter

▪ Rise of Realistic Stories
* Little Women (1868) by Louisa May Alcott (U.S)
* Treasure Island (1881) by Robert Louis Stevenson
1830 – 1900 (England)
 SIGNIFICANCE
▪ more talented writers wrote entertaining stories for
children
18TH AND ▪ First children’s masterpiece of modern fantasy
EARLY 19TH (breaking the bonds of didacticism)
CENTURIES ▪ First classic U.S. modern fantasy for children
▪ Early important modern picture storybook in English
1700 – 1830 ▪ Early family story of great popularity (girls’ story)
▪ Famous classic adventure stories (boys’ story)
 THE VICTORIANS: THE GOLDEN AGE
[1830 - 1900]
• During the reign of Queen
Victoria (1837-1901) children's literature first
blossomed. Excellent writers and illustrators were
committed to writing entertaining stories for children, as
opposed to morality tales.
• This phenomenon was influenced by the strengthening of
the family unit, the rapid development of full-color printing
technology, the inexorable rise of the status of women,
the growth of educational opportunities, and the
continued growth of the middle class.
 FANTASY
STORIES
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) by
Lewis Carroll (i.e., Charles Dodgson): This book
is an extraordinary fantasy filled with a delightful
mixture of satire and nonsense and almost
devoid of instructional moralizing (the first work
for children that completely broke the bonds of
didacticism), beginning a new era in children’s
literature.
 Other outstanding Victorian fantasists:
o The Princess and the Goblin (1872) by George
MacDonald (England) – a literary fairy tale with
Princess Irene as the heroine.

THE o The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) by Carlo Collodi’s

(Italy) – the most famous puppet story.

VICTORIANS: o The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) by Frank Baum

(U.S.) – the first classic U.S. modern fantasy.
o The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1901) by Beatrix Potter
THE GOLDEN (England) – early important modern picture storybook
in English; a book of talking animal tales that have set

AGE a high standard for children’s illustrated books.

o Peter Pan (1904) by J. M. Barrie (England) – originally

[1830 - 1900]
a play and then adapted to a prose story.
o The Wind in the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame
(England) – an animal fantasy and an episodic
adventure work.
THE VICTORIANS: THE GOLDEN AGE
[1830 - 1900]

Adventure Stories (for boys)

• Treasure Island (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson (U.K.)
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) by
Mark Twain (U.S.)
Domestic Stories (for girls)
• Tales of home and family life focusing on the activities of a virtuous heroine, usually coming
from difficulties and achieving good fortune and ultimate happiness in the person of a
handsome young man
• Little Women (1868) by Louisa May Alcott (U.S.)
• Anne of Green Gables (1908) by Lucy Maud Montgomery (Canda)
• The Secret Garden (1911) by Frances Hodgson Burnett (U.S.)
 THE VICTORIANS:
THE GOLDEN AGE
[1830 - 1900]
• Children's Book Illustration
• Books of the 18th century and earlier either
lacked illustrations altogether or contained
crude woodblock illustration, because serious
artists did not draw for children's books.
• At the end of the 19th century, changes in
publishing and printing attracted great
illustrators.
• By the end of the 19th century, stunningly
illustrated children's books were available at
reasonable prices.
 EVENT
▪ Emergence of some of the most notable fantasy writers of
children's literature
* Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) by A. A. Milne (England)
- Popularity of the publication of Picture Storybooks
- Popularity of Fantasy stories and series books

20TH * The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) and sequels
by C. S. Lewis
* Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White

CENTURY - Rise of New Realism (after World War II)

- A variety of world cultures presented in children's books
- Emergence of awards for children's books (the earliest one
was Newbery Medal in 1922, U.S.)
- Study of children's literature began in the last quarter of the
20th century
 SIGNIFICANCE
▪ Early classic personified toy animal story
▪ Early classic quest adventure for children
▪ Classis U.S. animal fantasy
▪ A franker and more open approach to subjects in
children's books

20TH CENTURY ▪ The field of children's literature has grown worldwide;

heroes came in all colors
▪ Promoted the writing of great works of children's
literature
▪ Raised the status of children's literature and promoted
the publishing of children's books
 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: WIDENING
WORLDS
[1900 - THE PRESENT]
• Children’s literature began to flourish on a variety of fronts.
The theme is the focus on children themselves and the
didactic tone no longer succeeded in this new child-centered
environment. The last half of the 20th century is often viewed
as a “Second Golden Age” of children’s writing.
 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: WIDENING
WORLDS
[1900 - THE PRESENT]

Fantasy stories and realistic fiction have been popular.

Some of the most notable fantasy writers emerged during this
time. Important works include:
• Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) by A. A. Milne (U.K.) – early classic personified toy
animal story
• Little House in the Big Woods (1932) by Laura Ingalls Wilder (U.S.) – classic
historical fiction based on the author’s childhood and young adult
experiences on the American frontier
• The Hobbit (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien (U.K.) – early quest adventure featuring
dramatic battles, fanciful creatures, and real dangers
 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: WIDENING
WORLDS
[1900 - THE PRESENT]
The Little Prince (1943) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (France) – the most
notable French fantasy
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) by C.S. Lewis (U.K.) – early classic
quest adventure for children
Charlotte’s Web (1952) by E. B. White (U.S.) – classic U.S. animal fantasy

A Wrinkle in Time (1962) by Madeleine L’Engle (U.S.) – classic U.S. science

fiction novel for children
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1998) by J. K. Rowling (U.K.) – first book
in the best-selling quest fantasy series (see the book review & the film review)
 Numerous children’s book awards were established. Among
them, the most important four awards are:

THE In the U.S.,

• Newbery Medal (began in 1922): the most distinguished
TWENTIETH children’s book published in the previous year in the U.S. Given
to an author.

CENTURY: • Caldecott Medal (began in 1938): the most distinguished

children's picture book published in the previous year in the U.S.

WIDENING Given to an illustrator.

In the U.K.,

WORLDS • Carnegie Medal (began in 1936): the most distinguished

children's book published in the previous year in the U.K. Given

[1900 - THE to an author.

• Kate Greenaway Medal (began in 1956): the most distinguished

PRESENT] children's picture book published in the previous year in the U.K.
Given to an illustrator.
ELEMENTS OF
CHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENT’S
LITERATURE
 What is Poetry?

POETRY Poetry is the most emotionally charged means of

written expression and it consists of words
arranged in patterns of sound and imagery to
FOR spark an emotional, and intellectual, response
from us.

CHILDRE
N Poetry is the language of the imagination, of
feelings, of emotional self-expression, of high
art.
CLASSIFICATION OF POETRY

Narrative Lyric
Poetry Poetry
NARRATIVE POETRY
It is a story in verse. Several of them are very old
and were originally intended to be recited to
audiences, such as Homer's "The Iliad" and "The
Odyssey".

For children, perhaps the most accessible narrative

poems are ballads. Traditionally, a ballad contains
four lines, each with eight syllables and with the
second and fourth lines rhyming.
KINDS OF NARRATIVE STORY

EPIC

BALLAD

METRICAL TALE
EPIC
▪Extremely long; about
national heroes, kings,
great warriors, etc.;
elevated tone, loft style;
language is highly
poetic.
▪Ex. Odyssey and Iliad
BALLAD
▪Very short story in
verse; Folk product
–regular people; simple
plot and language; has
dialogue

▪Ex. Jack and Jill

METRICAL
TALE
▪Very short story in
verse; more descriptions;
poet expresses attitudes
and opinions.

▪Ex. The Canterbury

Tales
LYRIC POETRY
Lyric Poetry typically describes the poet’s
innermost feelings or candid observations and
evokes a musical quality in its sounds and rhythms.

Lyric Poems exhibit an endless variety of forms.

POPULAR LYRICS POEM

HAIKU CINQUAIN SONNET

FREE CONCRETE
LIMERICK
VERSE POETRY
 HAIKU
▪A lyric, unrhymed poem of
Japanese origin with seventeen
syllables divided into three lines.
It is usually about nature and
humans’ relationship to nature.
▪ It uses metaphor to give us a
fresh and imaginative look at
something we may view as quite
ordinary.
 CINQUAIN
▪A five-line stanza
apparently of medieval
origin, often with two,
four, six, eight, and two
syllables respectively in
the five lines.
 SONNET
▪A very old form of
poetry, having gained
prominence during the
Renaissance, but not
found much in poetry for
children. It contains
fourteen lines, each line
with five iambic feet (or
ten syllables).
 LIMERICK

▪A five-line humorous poem, the

first, second, and fifth lines
rhyming and the third and fourth
lines rhyming.
 FREE
VERSE
▪ Adhering to no
predetermined rules, but
usually with its own intricate
patterns of rhyme and
rhythm. It requires the same
thoughtful choice of words
and rhythmical patterns as
the more rigid stanza forms.
 CONCRET
E POETRY
The words of a poem are
arranged to form a pictorial
representation of poem’s
subject.
 Enriches children’s experiences.

Develops correct enunciation.

Develops literary appreciation.

VALUES Develops imagination.
OF Enlarges vocabulary.
POETRY Improve the aesthetic sense.

Gives them pleasure and delight.

Improve their outlook in life and
nature.
 USES OF POETRY

To correlate with other subjects.

To commemorate certain events.

To express the meaning and rhythm of a poem.

To express their thoughts, feelings and imagination.

 ∙ Most children preferred narrative
poems over lyric poems.
∙ Limericks were the favored poetic
form; free verse and haiku were not
well liked.
CHILDREN'S ∙ Children preferred poems that had
pronounced sound patterns of all
POETRY kinds, but especially enjoyed poems
that rhymed.
PREFERENCES ∙ Children preferred poems with
regular, distinctive rhythm.
∙ Children liked humorous poems,
poems about animals, and poems
about enjoyable familiar
experiences.
 STRATEGIES OF TEACHING POETRY TO CHILDREN

READING POETRY CHORAL POETRY LEARNING TO WRITE

ALOUD TO CHILDREN POETRY
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING