Nathalie op de Beeck

Literature for Young Children

ENG 271-01 and 271-02 / Fall 2006

347 Stevenson Hall

Dr. Nathalie op de Beeck

337 Stevenson Hall

Office hours: TR, 12:30-2pm, and by appointment

438-3297 / dbop@ilstu.edu

http://lilt.ilstu.edu/dbop

Description of the Course

Welcome to Literature for Young Children! This course is designed to introduce you to a variety of texts for young readers and a spectrum of critical responses. In addition, this course focuses on a writing and revision process that enables you to reflect on picture books, develop your opinions about many examples of visual-verbal art, and support your ideas with examples from scholarly work in the field of children’s literature. In particular, we will be looking at an eighteenth-century text by John Newbery and nineteenth-century picture sequences by Randolph Caldecott, for whom the prestigious children’s book medals are named. We also will explore work by key creators like Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, Virginia Lee Burton, Faith Ringgold; examine the annual awards process, the publishing industry, and marketing; and learn to evaluate the literary, artistic, and material components of the picture book.

Required Texts

Buy the following texts, read them, and bring them to class on days for which they are assigned.

• A course packet of readings is available for purchase at Rapid Print. We will start using it right away, so pick it up this week.

• John Newbery, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book (Applewood Books, 2006)

• Randolph Caldecott, Ride a-Cock-Horse and Other Children’s Classics (Everyman’s Library, 1995)

• Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are (HarperTrophy, 1963)

• Wanda Gág, Millions of Cats (Putnam; originally published by Coward-McCann, 1928)

• Virginia Lee Burton, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (Sandpiper/Houghton Mifflin, originally published 1939)

• Margaret Wise Brown, Goodnight Moon (HarperTrophy, originally published 1947)

• Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat (Random House, 1957)

• Faith Ringgold, Tar Beach (Crown/Dragonfly, 1991)

Additional texts are listed as on reserve at Milner Library’s reserve/checkout desk. Occasionally, you will be assigned to read one or two of these reserve texts and prepare notes on it before class.

Readings need to be completed before class time on the day for which they are assigned. If you leave your books and course packet at home, looking over a neighbor’s shoulder is not sufficient for good standing in the class. If you do not read the material and have it with you, you are not participating fully in the course. Lack of participation compromises your ability to learn the material, and adversely influences your grade.

_{Course Requirements}

Writing and Research

Materials: Everyone should get a small, lightweight three-ring binder to serve as a hand-in folder. Put your name on it, stick some stickers on there, personalize it. I would prefer that you use a flat, paper-cover binder rather than a bulky plastic one, so that I can handle the materials efficiently.

In-class Journaling: On Tuesdays, I will hand out a journaling question to which you will respond immediately, in writing, for ten minutes’ time. When you free-write, compose your thoughts into sentences and complete paragraphs, avoiding lists. Make sure that you always come prepared to share ideas.

Second Drafts: Take the journal home with you and transcribe it on a computer, revising your quickly jotted sentences and paragraphs with reflections and opinions generated in class. Use specific examples from the assigned texts, the essays in your packet, and class discussion; quote accurately and note page numbers when you quote from published material. Save a copy of this second draft on disk (or whatever!) and print a copy too.

Put the printed second draft with your original journal in the hand-in folder and bring it to class with you the following Tuesday. During the Tuesday free-write, have the folder open on your desk so that I can check your past week’s work. I will grade the ongoing work on a pass/fail (i.e., complete/incomplete) basis.

There will be a total of 14 journals and thus 14 second drafts over the semester.

Developed Written Pieces: You will use the spontaneous free-written journals and the more detailed second drafts as the bases (plural of basis) for brief but developed final drafts. You must complete three developed written pieces this semester.

At least on the first round, I leave it to you to determine which journal or journals you develop as your final draft. On the one hand, you might like your response to a particular journal, and choose to build it up with information from texts, essays, and class discussion. On the other hand, you might notice crossover between two or more journals, and fuse related ideas, again with information from the course materials and discussion. By all means, stop by my office if you want to discuss ongoing work.

These pieces are short and concise, and should be approached with seriousness and attention. I will not accept materials that fail to meet the requirements, and I will dock these incomplete materials by one letter grade if I have to return them to you. The requirements for finished pieces are as follows:

a minimum of three complete pages,

a maximum of five complete pages,

1.5 or double spacing, but no wider,

1-inch margins on top, bottom, left, and right,

12-point Times New Roman type,

and a thorough bibliography following MLA format.

NB (nota bene): The bibliography is necessary, but it does not count as part of a page.

On the deadline date, you will hand in your folder containing the final draft, handwritten journals, and second drafts. I will read and grade the final draft with a letter grade, and double-check all handwritten journals and second drafts for completion. The folder should be well-organized and focused on the revision process, showing your progress from point A (journal) to point B (draft) to point C (final piece).

Grading

Class Participation, individually and in groups (20 percent of final grade)

You need to attend class in order to participate. For each missed class, up to seven missed classes, you lose 5 percent of your participation grade (i.e., if you miss two meetings but are very active in class otherwise, you still can have an A in participation). However, students who miss eight or more class meetings automatically fail the course.

Since we’re studying children’s literature this semester, my next point relates to a saying emphasized to children: The Golden Rule. Be advised that late arrivals, early departures, napping, and things like text messaging count against you. Be physically and intellectually present during our 75-minute class time. Don’t disrupt the group unless absolutely necessary (illness = necessary; phone/text, drink/snack, a little stroll = not). If you have an unusual situation, let me know ahead of time, but remember that all your professors prefer that you do not act rude or schedule appointments during your most important class, theirs!

In terms of everyday participation, then, you should try to get involved in the conversations. This will increase your public speaking ability, add to everyone’s learning experience, and help keep us wide awake! Do not be shy about commenting on texts, stating pertinent opinions, and asking questions. If you agree or disagree with something, express yourself firmly but politely. Work to remain conscious of others. If you are outspoken, listen once in a while. If you tend to be quiet, experiment with speaking up occasionally.

Pass/fail journals and hand-in folder (15 percent of final grade)

On Tuesdays, journals and second drafts will receive a pass/fail mark. I will grade the folder separately, marking it

100/A+ (wow)

95/A (excellent, thorough responses with textual examples, page citations, specific details, and fresh ideas)

85/B (good responses, but focus more on textual examples with page citations, add details from the readings, and fill the pages)

75/C (read more carefully, give textual examples, cite pages, explain examples, and write more ideas and opinions on the pages)

65/D, 50/F, or lower if warranted, although I sincerely hope not.

Three developed pieces (20 percent each, for a total of 60 percent)

These pieces receive an exact letter grade: 100-90/A, 89-80/B, 79-70/C, 69-60/D, and 59-lower/F.

Final exam (5 percent)

We will have a short-answer final exam covering the reading material and discussion topics.

Academic honesty

Given the revision basis of the course and my trust in your commitment to education and literature, I am hopeful that plagiarism will not be an issue. If you copy another person’s work without attribution, passing it off as your own, or if you cheat in some other manner regarding your progress and grade, you will fail this course and I will report the problem. See the ISU Student Code of Conduct, available at http://www.policy.ilstu.edu/archives/student_code_of_conduct.htm . I genuinely hope for the very best, but I do want to make my expectations clear.     

Course Schedule

August 22 & 24: Introduction to the course

August 29 & 31

John Newbery, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book

In your packet: David Lewis, “Pop-ups and fingle-fangles,” from Talking Pictures

In your packet: Patricia Demers and Gordon Moyles, excerpt from From Instruction to Delight

September 5 & 7

Selections from Randolph Caldecott, Ride a-Cock-Horse and Other Children’s Classics (pp. 7-130)

In your packet: Brian Alderson, excerpt from Sing a Song for Sixpence

September 12 & 14

Selections from Randolph Caldecott, Ride a-Cock-Horse and Other Children’s Classics (pp. 131-252)

In your packet: Maurice Sendak, “Randolph Caldecott,” from Caldecott & Co.

September 19 & 21

Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are

In your packet: Maurice Sendak’s Caldecott Medal acceptance speech and his interview with children’s editor Walter Lorraine, from Caldecott & Co.

In your packet: Perry Nodelman, “How Picture Books Work,” from Only Connect

Handout: Assignment on Maurice Sendak’s picture book career, for next week

Thursday, Sept. 21, hand in your folder with your first written piece, handwritten journals, and printouts of journals. I will grade the developed final draft, check all the journals, and return materials to you by Oct. 5.

September 26 & 28

On reserve: Some of Maurice Sendak’s picture books

In your packet: Cynthia Zarin, “Not Nice: Maurice Sendak and the Perils of Childhood,” from The New Yorker (17 Apr 2006): 38-43.

In your packet: Art Spiegelman, “In the Dumps,” from The New Yorker (27 Sept 1993): 80-81.

October 3 & 5

Wanda Gág, Millions of Cats

In your packet: William Moebius, “Introduction to Picturebook Codes,” from Word & Image

Handout: Assignment on Virginia Lee Burton for next week

October 10 & 12

Virginia Lee Burton, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel  

On reserve: Virginia Lee Burton’s picture books

Handout: Assignment on Margaret Wise Brown for next week

October 17 & 19

Margaret Wise Brown, Goodnight Moon  

In your packet: Maria Nikolajeva and Carole Scott, excerpt from How Picturebooks Work

On reserve: Picture books by Margaret Wise Brown and various illustrators

Handout: Halloween picture books for review

October 24 & 26

Halloween picture books

Handout: Assignment on Dr. Seuss for next week

Thursday, Oct. 26, hand in your folder with your second written piece, all unchecked handwritten journals, and all unchecked printed drafts. Again, I will grade the final draft, check all journals, and return materials to you by Nov. 9.

October 31 & November 2

Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat

In your packet: Henry Jenkins, “‘No Matter How Small’: The Democratic Imagination of Dr. Seuss,” from Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture

On reserve: More Dr. Seuss books

November 7 & 9

Faith Ringgold, Tar Beach

In your packet: Violet J. Harris, “Applying Critical Theories to Children’s Literature,” from the journal Theory into Practice 38.3 (Summer 1999): 147-154.

Handout: Caldecott Medal winners, medalists’ acceptance speeches, and also-rans

November 14 & 16

Caldecott Medalists and runners-up, 1938-present In your packet: Anita Silvey, “Could Randolph Caldecott Win the Caldecott Medal?,” from The Horn Book Magazine (July/August 1986).

In your packet: Leonard Marcus, “Make Way for Marketing,” from Publishers Weekly (17 Sept 2001): 30-34.

Handout: Assignment on “alternative medals and models” for after the break

Thursday, Nov. 16, hand in your folder. It should contain your third written piece, all unchecked handwritten journals, and all unchecked second drafts. I will grade the final draft, check the journals, and return materials on Nov. 30.

November 18 – 26: Thanksgiving Break

November 28 – December 7               

Alternative Medals and Models in Literature for Young Readers

Thursday, Dec. 7, hand in handwritten journals and revised, printed copies of these journals from the past two weeks.

December 11 – 15: Finals Week

If you are in Section 01 (9:35-10:50), the final exam will be Tuesday, December 12, at 10 a.m. in our classroom.

If you are in Section 02 (11-12:15), the final exam will be Wednesday, December 13, at 10 a.m. in our classroom.

I plan to give different exams to each group.

Please email me with any questions or comments! dbop@ilstu.edu