Selecting and Evaluating Children's Literature

As an international student of American Children's Literature, I thought all children's literature should be good in both content and presentation. Mr. Storey, our great instructor, introduced our class into a vast green pasture of Children's Literature. That is, books, books, books, and more books.... As my learning increases gradually, I realized that readers and their guardians should know how to evaluate books to select beneficial books. The following lists of questions can be used as a guideline for quality literature. These are from Mrs. Storey's Resource Guide and originally from The Literature Connection: Using Children’s Books in the Classroom, 1991

Selecting and Evaluating Children’s Literature

Picture Books

·         Do the pictures extend the text rather than conflict with it?

·         Are the pictures clear and easily distinguishable? Are extraneous details avoided?

·         Do the illustrations enhance the setting, plot, mood, and characterizations?

·         Will children be able to identify with the characters and the action?

·         Are the style and language appropriate for young children?

·         Do the illustrations avoid stereotypes?

·         Is the theme significant?

·         Is the concept or theme appropriate for young children?

·         Have a variety of books been chosen to reflect multicultural awareness?

·         Have books been chosen that reflect a variety of genres?

Modern Fantasy

·         Is the setting authentic and integral to the story?

·         Is the language appropriate and consistent? Does it add credibility to the fantasy?

·         Is the plot creative, believable, and ingenious?

·         Does the story blend fantasy with reality, making that which is impossible seem possible?

·         Are the details consistent with the plot, setting, characters, and viewpoint?

·         Is the element of time authentically represented?

·         Are the details so vivid that the reader becomes one with the story?

·         Are emotions conveyed honestly? Is the human condition portrayed honestly?

·         Is the reader led into new insights and understandings? Does the story contain worthwhile themes?

·         Does the story contain worthwhile themes?

·         In works of science fiction, does the story contain scientific laws, principles, and technology that give plausibility to the situations and solutions?

Poetry

·         Are sensory images of sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touching created?

·         Does the poem contain figurative and alliterative language?

·         Is adequate and interesting repetition provided?

·         Does the poem flow in a natural and rhythmic manner?

·         Is the language and speech appropriate for the child’s understanding?

·         Are the words manipulated in an appealing manner to contribute to the meaning of poem?

·         Does the poem appeal appropriately to a child’s emotions?

·         Does the poem appeal to a child’s sense of humor?

·         Is there a quality of imagination so a child perceives something in a new way?

·         Does the poem have a purpose?

Realistic Fiction

·         Can the child identify and relate to the characters or situation as portrayed in the text and illustrations?

·         Is the content presented honestly and realistically?

·         Does the child have an opportunity to gain insights and understanding into problems and situations?

·         Are a variety of cultures and lifestyles represented?

·         Are the characters and actions plausible?

·         Is there a hopeful, positive, and mature approach for dealing with a problem or situation?

·         Is there enough information to allow the child to draw his or her own conclusion?

Historical Fiction

·         Are past events depicted accurately and authentically?

·         Are the details of the times portrayed accurately and authentically?

·         Do the characters reflect the values of the times?

·         Is the plot consistent with the times?

·         Is the language appropriate to the times, yet interesting to present-day readers?

·         Does the theme provide insight into and understanding of past events?

·         Does the story provide a perspective of the way in which the past affects the present and the future?

·         Are fact and fiction blended in an interesting manner?

·         Is the past brought to life?