Genres in Children's Literature (EDU1GCL)
2010

Texts

y separately published work icon Bridie's Fire Kirsty Murray , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2003 Z1077162 2003 single work children's fiction children's historical fiction (taught in 2 units)

'Bridie's Fire is the tale of a fiery Irish girl who leaves Ireland to find a home for herself in goldrush Australia.

'Bridie's world is torn apart when her parents and baby brother die in the Great Hunger. She leaves Ireland, and strikes out alone to claim a life for herself in Australia, on the other side of the ocean.

'Bridie's Fire is heart-warming story of courage and resilience. It affirms Kirsty Murray's keen understanding of the human spirit. Starting in the 1840s and ending in present-day Australia, The Children of the Wind quartet tells the stories of four courageous young people, Bridie, Billy, Colm and Maeve, born fifty years apart. The central character from each book becomes a mentor to the child in the next.' (Publication summary)

y separately published work icon Don't Pat the Wombat! Elizabeth Honey , St Leonards : Allen and Unwin , 1996 Z793729 1996 single work children's fiction humour children's (taught in 2 units) A story full of energy and imagination for anyone who has ever experienced the sometimes dubious thrills of a school camp.
y separately published work icon The Secret Army : Operation Loki Sophie Masson , Anthony Scott Davis (illustrator), Sydney : ABC Books , 2006 Z1347414 2006 single work graphic novel children's adventure fantasy (taught in 2 units)

'Nicky Flamel, a motorbike racing ace, Andromeda Frost, a beautiful English socialite, Otis Falcon, a young American ex-boxer ... When three teenagers find themselves on a remote island, they discover that they have one thing in common - psychic powers triggered by a recent accident. But it is no accident that they are on Archangel Island, a top-secret institute that trains talented young psychics to battle a "Secret Army" - the evil Nazis and their associates.

'When Andromeda escapes from Archangel Island, she falls into the clutches of sinister SS wizard, Dr Karl Totenhexer, and into the heart of his evil plans. Otis and Nicky are sent to rescue Andromeda, but are their powers enough to defeat Totenhexer and his evil crew?' Source: ABC website (http://shop.abc.net.au/).

y separately published work icon The Arrival Shaun Tan , Shaun Tan (illustrator), South Melbourne : Lothian , 2006 Z1285263 2006 single work graphic novel children's (taught in 16 units)

"The Arrival is a migrant story told as a series of wordless images that might seem to come from a long forgotten time. A man leaves his wife and child in an impoverished town, seeking better prospects in an unknown country on the other side of a vast ocean. He eventually finds himself in a bewildering city of foreign customs, peculiar animals, curious floating objects and indecipherable languages. With nothing more than a suitcase and a handful of currency, the immigrant must find a place to live, food to eat and some kind of gainful employment. He is helped along the way by sympathetic strangers, each carrying their own unspoken history: stories of struggle and survival in a world of incomprehensible violence, upheaval and hope." (Source: Shaun Tan website)

y separately published work icon Just Another Ordinary Day Rod Clement , Rod Clement (illustrator), Pymble : Angus and Robertson , 1995 Z833060 1995 single work picture book children's humour (taught in 3 units) "Amanda's ordinary day is different because everything is extraordinary and wonderful."
y separately published work icon Let the Celebrations Begin! Margaret Wild , Julie Vivas (illustrator), Norwood : Omnibus Books , 1991 Z829747 1991 single work picture book children's (taught in 3 units) A child, who remembers life at home before life in a concentration camp, makes toys with the women to give to the other children at the very special party they are going to have when the soldiers arrive to liberate the camp.
Bridge to Terabithia!$!Eleanor Coerr !$! Sydney !$!Hodder and Stoughton!$!1995
Bridge to Terabithia!$!Katherine Paterson!$! Camberwell!$!Puffin!$!2007
The Hobbit, or, There and back again !$!J.R.R.Tolkien !$! London!$!HarperCollins!$!2008
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone!$!J. K. Rowling!$! London!$!Bloomsbury!$!1997
Artemis Fowl!$!Eoin Colfer!$! London!$!Viking!$!2001
Voices in the Park!$!Anthony Browne!$! New York !$!DK Pub!$!1998
Rose Blanche!$!Roberto Innocenti !$! Mankato, Minn., USA!$!Creative Education!$!1985
Rosie’s Walk !$!Pat Hutchins!$! London !$!Red Fox!$!2009
Where The Wild Things Are !$!Maurice Sendak!$! London!$!Bodley Head!$!2001
y separately published work icon Rowan of Rin : The Journey Emily Rodda , Norwood : Omnibus Books , 2004 Z1177820 2004 selected work children's fiction children's fantasy adventure (taught in 2 units) In a tightly paced series of adventures the shy, self-effacing boy Rowan, an unlikely hero, takes on one exciting challenge after another to save first his village, then his people and finally the beasts he loves best, the gentle bukshah. The adventures are thrilling, the monsters terrible and the characters memorable.
y separately published work icon The Rabbits John Marsden , Shaun Tan (illustrator), Port Melbourne : Lothian , 1998 Z139449 1998 single work picture book children's (taught in 11 units)

"The rabbits came many grandparents ago.

They build houses, made roads, had children.

They cut down trees.

A whole continent of rabbits..." (back cover)

An allegorical story using rabbits, an introduced species, to represent the arrival of Europeans in Australia and the subsequent widespread environmental destruction.

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.)

Description

Genres in Children's Literature is the first in a possible 4 unit sequence of Children's Literature studies. In this unit, students study current theories of literature, with a focus on genres relating to children's literature as a form of social expression. Topics covered include critical analysis, traditional story and text forms, modernist and postmodern picture books, emerging formats, fantasy, historical and realistic fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Course aims:

This subject is intended to:

• Introduce students to, and develop their knowledge of, the diversity of

genres or types of literature in this discipline field.

• Develop students' understanding of current ways of interpreting and

responding to children’s literature.

• Extend students' knowledge of appropriate criteria for evaluating

different kinds of children’s literature.

• Introduce students to current publishing trends, formats and factors

affecting the publication of books for children.

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

• Identify a variety of genres in children’s literature;

• Critique specific texts in terms of theoretical perspectives, social and

historical contexts, and styles used by particular authors or author/illustrators;

• Explore unfamiliar texts in terms of those perspectives, contexts and

styles.

Assessment

Reflective reading diary: Weekly diary commenting on set texts, analytical readings and themes for that week. Weighting: 40%

Tutorial presentation: short talk on topic of own choice related to children's literature (e.g. author, style, text etc.), accompanied by visual display (e.g. poster, powerpoint, webpage)

Examination: formal examination based on course material

Other Details

Levels: Undergraduate
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