Fiction for Young Readers (ENGL2302)
School of Humanities - Flinders University
2009

Texts

The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate!$!Mahy, Margaret; Chamberlain, Margaret (illustrator)!$! UK!$!Penguin!$!1996
The Cat in the Hat!$!Seuss, Dr!$! UK!$!HarperCollins!$!2003
y separately published work icon The Lost Thing Shaun Tan , Shaun Tan (illustrator), Port Melbourne : Lothian , 2000 Z668356 2000 single work picture book children's (taught in 11 units) 'A boy discovers a bizarre looking creature while out collecting bottle tops at the beach. Realising it is lost, he tries to find out who owns it or where it belongs, but is met with indifference from everyone else, who barely notice its presence, each unwilling to entertain this uninvited interruption to their day to day lives. For reasons he does not explain, the boy empathises with the creature, and sets out to find a 'place' for it.'
(Source: The Lost Thing website)
y separately published work icon Galax-Arena Gillian Rubinstein , South Yarra : Hyland House , 1992 Z511941 1992 single work novel young adult science fiction (taught in 3 units) In the year 2026, three young Australians, a brother and two sisters, are kidnapped by space pirates and taken to another galaxy to perform for aliens in a futuristic amphitheatre
y separately published work icon The Watertower Gary Crew , Steven Woolman (illustrator), Adelaide : Era Publications , 1994 Z282128 1994 single work picture book mystery children's (taught in 5 units) On a scorching hot summer day in Preston, Australia, Spike and Bubba go for a swim in the old water tower which casts a long dark shadow across everything in the area.
y separately published work icon Where the Forest Meets the Sea Jeannie Baker , Jeannie Baker (illustrator), New York (City) : Greenwillow Books , 1987 Z823665 1987 single work picture book children's (taught in 2 units)

'A boy and his father travel in their boat, ‘Time Machine’ to a stretch of beach beside a primordial tropical rainforest. As the boy walks among the trees he imagines the forest as it might have been in the past. Dinosaurs emerge, barely perceptible, from a tangle of trunks and vines; the faint outlines of an aboriginal child melt into a background of trees and in the final haunting scene the unspoiled vista readers have toured is overlaid with translucent images of a possible future civilisation..' (Source: Author's website)
y separately published work icon The Pangkarlangu and the Lost Child : A Dreaming Narrative Belonging to Molly Tasman Napurrurla Molly Tasman Napurrurla , Christine Nicholls (editor), Lajamanu Community Education Centre (illustrator), Kingswood : Working Title Press , 2002 Z969653 2002 single work picture book children's Indigenous story (taught in 2 units)

'When a small boy ignores his parents’ advice and follows them out hunting, he meets a huge, wild-eyed, knotty-haired monster known as the Pangkarlangu! ' (Publisher's blurb)
y separately published work icon The Cocky, the Crow and the Hawk : A Dreaming Narrative Matingali (Bridget) Napanangka Mudgedell , Christine Nicholls (editor), Marie Nakamarra Mudgedell (translator), Kingswood : Working Title Press , 2002 Z950068 2002 single work picture book children's Indigenous story (taught in 1 units)

'In the Dreaming, the cocky, the crow and the hawk lived together and shared their food. But one day, the cocky and the crow began to argue, and everything changed.' (Publisher's blurb)
y separately published work icon Lockie Leonard, Human Torpedo Tim Winton , South Yarra : McPhee Gribble , 1990 Z362664 1990 single work novel young adult humour (taught in 6 units)

'Lockie Leonard, hot surf-rat, is in love. The human torpedo is barely settled into his new school, and already he's got a girl on his mind. And not just any girl: it has to be Vicki Streeton, the smartest, prettiest, richest girl in the class. What chance have you got when your dad's a cop, your mum's a frighteningly understanding parent, your brother wets the bed and the teachers take an instant dislike to you and then you fall in love at twelve-and-three-quarter years old? It can only mean trouble, worry, mega-embarrassment and some wild, wild times ' (Publication summary)
y separately published work icon Window Jeannie Baker , Jeannie Baker (illustrator), London : Julia MacRae Books , 1991 Z834244 1991 single work picture book children's (taught in 5 units) Through a house window the view gradually changes over the passage of time to show how the environment changes, not necessarily for the better.
y separately published work icon Unreal! : Eight Surprising Stories Paul Jennings , Ringwood : Penguin , 1985 Z668486 1985 selected work children's fiction children's humour (taught in 3 units)
— Appears in: Absolut unheimlich! 2006; A ghost that haunts the outside dunny, a mix of manure that makes hair fall out, two musical ghosts who try to save a lighthouse - these are spooky stories with a surprise ending every time. (Source: Trove)
y separately published work icon Nips XI Ruth Starke , Port Melbourne : Lothian , 2000 Z797033 2000 single work children's fiction children's (taught in 2 units) If white boys can't jump, can Asian kids play cricket? Lan's fed up with being called a nip. He wants to be a true-blue Aussie. What better way than by playing the greatest Anglo game of all? Lan gathers a team together and defiantly gives it a name: NIPS XI. Now all they have to do is get some equipment, find a coach, get themselves a sponsor and learn the rules of the game. Then it's time to challenge the best cricket team in the district. (Libraries Australia)
y separately published work icon My Place : The Story of Australia from Now to Then My Place Nadia Wheatley , Donna Rawlins , Donna Rawlins (illustrator), Blackburn : Collins Dove , 1987 Z795146 1987 single work picture book children's historical fiction (taught in 7 units)

'My Place, the classic Australian picture book, is a "time machine" which takes the reader back into the past. It depicts the history of one particular piece of land in Sydney from 1788 to 1988 through the stories of the various children who have lived there. It aims to teach the reader about the history of Australia, about families, settlers, multiculturalism, and the traditional owners of the land. Each child's story covers a decade in time, showing their particular dress, customs and family life.

'The book also features maps that the successive generations of children have 'drawn' which demonstrate the things that have changed - as well as the things that have remained constant. My Place ultimately aims to show "that everyone is part of History" and that "every place has a story as old as the earth".' -- Provided by publisher (2008 ed.)
y separately published work icon Possum Magic Mem Fox , Julie Vivas (illustrator), Adelaide : Omnibus Books , 1983 Z831721 1983 single work picture book children's (taught in 2 units) Two Australian possums go in search of the magic that will make the invisible one of them visible.
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night!$!Ahlberg, Janet; Ahlberg, Allan!$!UK!$!Penguin !$!1994
s
Treasure Island!$!Stevenson, Robert Louis!$! UK!$!Oxford University Press!$!2008
Where the Wild Things are!$!Sendak, Maurice!$! UK!$!Random House!$!2000
John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat Jenny Wagner , Ron Brooks (illustrator), Harmondsworth : Kestrel , 1977 Z830203 1977 single work picture book children's (taught in 6 units)
— Appears in: The Macquarie Bedtime Story Book 1987; (p. 190-192) 'Rose and her Old English Sheepdog, John Brown, live contentedly together. They need only each other. When the midnight cat appears outside their home, John Brown refuses even to admit its existence. But he comes to realise that the cat is important to Rose and to allow it in the house, even though it makes him sad.' (From the publisher's website.)
y separately published work icon Two Weeks With the Queen Morris Gleitzman , London : Blackie , 1989 Z509661 1989 single work novel humour young adult (taught in 3 units) "Sent to live with relatives in England when his younger brother develops a rare form of cancer, Colin tries to see the Queen to help find a cure for his brother." (Source: Trove)
y separately published work icon Fox Margaret Wild , Ron Brooks (illustrator), St Leonards : Allen and Unwin , 2000 Z820936 2000 single work picture book children's (taught in 2 units) "An injured magpie and a one-eyed dog live happily together in the forest until a jealous fox arrives to teach them what it means to be alone." (Source: Google Books)

Degrees

Bachelor of Arts

Description

This Group A topic allows students to approach children's literature critically. Students investigate picture books, junior novels and books for older readers in order to appreciate recent developments in the field. They study a range of genres: adventure; fantasy; science fiction; and adolescent fiction. The topic focuses on contemporary Australian writing, but includes outstanding work from overseas where appropriate. Students approach texts as literature, using a variety of critical perspectives. In addition, the topic considers cultural issues that affect the writing and reception of children's literature, such as censorship, ethnicity and gender. How children learn to read will also be considered. Fiction for Young Readers will be particularly beneficial for Bachelor of Education students who will be introducing their own students to literature in the classroom.

The topic adopts a flexible lecture and tutorial format. Lectures will provide an overview of a particular topic or genre, such as picture books, science fiction and fantasy. Students will then examine particular works in tutorials. Videos about contemporary writers, where available, will be incorporated into lectures.

This topic, then, aims to introduce students to contemporary Australian and overseas children's literature and to examine the crucial issues affecting children's writers and publishers. It develops students understanding of the relationship between verbal and visual narratives while also sharpening their writing and critical skills.

Assessment

Book Review: (25%)

Essay: (40%)

Exam: (25%)

In-class and/or FLO activities: (10%)

Other Details

Levels: Undergraduate
Coordinator:
Categories:
Homepage
Click to open in new window
X