DOCUMENT RESUME ED 084 491 CS 000 810 AUTHOR Haus, Helen, Comp. TITLE Evaluating Books for Children and Young People. Perspectives in Reading Po. 10. INSTITUTION International Reading Association, Newark, Del. PUB DATE 68 NOTE 142p. AVAILABLE FROM International Reading Association, 6 Tyre Avenue,. Newark, Del. 19711(Order No. 100, $3.50 non-member, $3.00 member) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$6.58 DESCRIPTORS Adolescent Literature; *Childrens Books; Content Analysis; *Evaluation Methods; Evaluation Techniques; *Literary Analysis; *Literary Criticism; *Reading Material Selection ABSTRACT This volume is intended to help teachers recognize the criteria for evaluating books and to assist the learners in their classrooms in developing skills. The book is divided into three sections. The first presents an overview of literary criticism with chapters entitled "Critic, Fact, Fiction" and "The Writer and His Craft." The second section examines criticism of juvenile literature and includes chapters entitled "Developmental, Interest, and Reading Levels," "From Analysis to Reaction," "Translations of Traditional and Modern Material," and "Literary Criticism Abroad." The final section examines criticism of books for young people with chapters on "Analysis of Teenage Books," "Selection of Adult Books for School-Age Readers," "Relevancy of Content to Today's Students," and "Media for Disseminating Critiques." The book concludes with a selective list of aids for choosing books for children and young people, a bibliography of books for children, and a bibliography of books for young people. (HOD) FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY PERSPECTIVES IN READING NO. 10 US DEPARTMENT DR NC AL TN EDUCATION A WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OR EDUCATION t., c (),),10.0/ al I N/Pvc; AC ,I V A,ldf Todi Pfuvr. Quc.AY/At,). r.og. Po,..s c. .4 P,N,we t) PO NW %I ILtnui, Put cp- Ort oriANA10.4AL,Noc,iti.10. UV, .0.4 PO4.''(1.4 ou v EVALUATING BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE co Compiled and Edited by HELEN HUUS 1.1.) University of Missouri at Kansas City ira Prepared by a Committee of the International Reading Association Helen Huus Chairman of the Conference INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION Newark, Delaware 19711 INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION OFFICERS 1971-1972 President: THEODORE L. HARRIS, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington President-Elect: WILLIAM K. DURR, Michigan State University, East Lan- sing, Michigan Past President: DONALD L. CLELAND, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania DIRECTORS Term expiring Spring 1972 THOMAS C. BARRETT, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin CONSTANCE M. MCCULLOUGH, San Francisco State College, San Fran- cisco, California EILEEN E. SARGENT, Nicolet Union High School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Term expiring Spring 1973 MARJORIE S. JOHNSON, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ROBERT KARLIN, Queens College, City University of New York, Flush- ing, New York OLIVE S. NILES, State Department of Education, Hartford, Connecticut Term expiring Spring 1974 WILLIAM ELLER, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York WILLIAM J. IVERSON, Stanford University, Stanford, California EUNICE SHAED NEWTON, Howard University, Washington, D.C. * * * Executive Secretary-Treasurer: RALPH C. STAIGER, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware Assistant Executive Secretary: RONALD W. MITCHELL, International Read- ing Association', Newark, Delaware Publications Coordinator: FAYE R. BRANCA, International Reading Asso- ciation, Newark, Delaware * * * Copyright 1968 by the International Reading Association, Inc. Second printing, October 1971 ii "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS COPY- TO ERIC AND ORGANIZATIONS OPERATING RIGHTED MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY UNDER AGREEMENTS WITH THE NATIONAL IN- STITUTE OF EDUC,T10'.. FURTHER REPRO- International DUCTION OUTSIDE THE ERIC SYSTEM RE- Reading Association QUIRES PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNER." FORI.: ORD TI I IS IS A significant Perspectives volume. Although IRA has attempted to adhere to a balanced publishing program. the largest number of publications relate to the teaching of reading skills. We have. in recent, years. been making an effort to give equal attention to the role of literature in the daily lives of children and young people. It is of major importance to our society that we continue to emphasise the development of maturing lifetime reading interests. As our population increases the strength of unions increase, each individua' is going to be faced w no more hours of leisure time. Although some tu.pects of reading will change, such as increased use of microfilm and microfische for study pur- poses. we will undoubtedly he reading hooks. maga/Ines, and newspapers for many years to conic. As learners become skillful enough readers to turn to reading for inde- pendent utiliiation, they need assistance in evaluating t!se vast array of mate- rials set nefore them. The need to evaluate even at the primary grade level is of major importance today. when we are faced with an ever-increasing va- riety of choices. This volume is intended to help teachers assist the learners in their class- rooms to make sure evaluations. As the reader will note, there are many facets to evaluation and there are many areas the teachers must consider. hi order to learn to evaluate, children and young people must he exposed to many types of reading materials, for how can one evaluate intelligently with- out having varied experiences? As the teacher helps the learner evaluate in many ways and at various levels, he must also help the learner develop cri- leria on which to base his evaluations. This volume appears to succeed in its mission. H. ALAN ROBINSON President. 1967- 1968 International Reading Association iii The International Reading Association attempts, through ;ts publications. to pvide a forum for a wide spectrum of opinion on reading. This policy permits divergent viewpoints without assuming the endorsement of the Association. iv ('ONTENTS Foroord iii LITEItARY C12ITICISM: AN OVERVIIA I Critic. Fact, Fiction it illiihn li. Sia)/ord 9 The Writer and I lis CraftIrene Hum CRITICISN1 OF JUVENILELITERATti 16 Developmental. Interest, and Reading LevelsSion Lei non Sebes/a 27 From Analysis to ReactionLaurel B. nom) 36 Translations of Traditional and Modern Material He/en Nimet 57 Literary Criticism Abroad//e/en nous CRITICISM OF BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 72 Analysis of Teenage BooksRoth k Carlson 88 Selection of Adult Books for School-Age Readers Joseph Mersand 99 Relevancy of Content to Today's Students John R. Barrett 110 Media For Disseminating Critiqueskachae/ De.Ingeio Choosing Books for Children and Young People: A Selective List of Aids 126 Bibliography of Books for Children 131 Bibliography of Books for Young People 135 LITE RA RI CRITICISM:ANOl'EREli' Critic, Fact, Fiction WILLIAME.STAFFORD 1.(n% 1% and ('lark College THOUG I I CONFRONTED WITH responsibility and opportunity, we can remind ourselves that in literature and in education our best effort may be not to solve problems, nor to face analytically our opportunities and respon- sibilities, but to celebrate existence, to touch sacred objects, to he livelyand to he so with our breathing unimpaired and our senses eager and alert. True, there are formidable concerns before us, pressing issues, frequent imposing demands-, but there are aspects of our situation that I, for one, dis- like to relinquish: miles of enticing country around us: the shady, meander- ing, unimportant but winsome paths: trees and prospects: thousands of lively people: wonderful conversations: and the kind of free-ranging excitement that has sustained us throughout our acquaintance with books, too. This outward continuing of the world from the center of our concerns, the thought of it, somehow !-olaces us, and surely to mention this fundamental gusto is allowable, maybe even good. Asserting, in this context, such a reminder prepares for a chosen emphasis in my glance at current criticism. We can best use not a survey of many sepa- rate endeavors by critics, nor a tracing of who's "in" and who's "out," nor a classifying of critics and terms, but an asserted, particular view that attempts to account for certain developments in today's literature and criticism. What follows is such a view, meant to be helpful and inclusive but not meant to avoid controversy. What Reading Literature Is Like When you engage in the limber art of reading literature, you learn that nothing in it is irrelevant. Literature is cumulative: it uses up its elements as I RiaaI . a'( I. \ it goes. The language takes on total responsibilits, and it proceeds by en- hancing what has gone before. You start anywhere. with anything. in a liter- ary work and lend yourself to what conies next. and next, and then . You cannot rule out any kind of inaftrial, any word. any syllable. any topic or hint that the writer has put into the work, or any nuance that has found its way there. The significance of anything you encounter dependsit all depends. You accept what you find. You enter any work with the impulse to he a willing follower. The first requisite is openness. If you interfere beforehand, if you ignore signals because you have adopted an early course of interpreta- Oon of yo"r own, you have already lost your was Reading Nlaterials.l'hat Are Not Literary Other kinds of writing, kinds of writtenor spokenmaterial other than literary works. may induce in us other ways of judging. If a person is telling us something that happened. fur instance. we have our own whole life's worth of observation and opinion to place beside his, and we may very well wait and withhold allegiance, depending on many reference points outside the page or beyond the talk. Reading exposition may' require of us firm resistances, We judge the validity of what is presented by oppositig to it whatever standards we are able to bring to bear. But if a person is not telling us what happe led. if he is conducting us along a sequence of exploratory encounters he has found in the course of his creating, then our way of receiving what he says must take into account that special, limber, artful.