Literature is a vital learning tool since it enables children to understand different cultures and surroundings. Before children can read, childcare providers and teachers must assess the stories’ effectiveness. A book’s impression and message can shape a child’s worldview. Reading is an essential aspect of cognitive development; teachers and childcare providers should assess books for relevance, factual accuracy, age, and bias to enhance the children’s vocabularies and understanding of themselves and their environment. When sharing books with children, a teacher and childcare provider should consider the literary and artistic standards. In analyzing the fiction books, the instructors should ensure the plot is interesting. Young children need to read books that have suspense and climax (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). A story’s unpredictability increases the children’s curiosity. Besides, an effective plot should be logical; it integrates authentic connections between events and the story’s context. This criterion enables the children to relate the story to real-life events. When choosing books, teachers and childcare providers should consider the setting; it should depict the exact time and place the events occur (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). When the author has not provided the precise location, the reader may not follow the story’s events. Additionally, a book should memorably portray characters. A good book should demonstrate what the characters do, think, and say (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). As a result, a reader can describe the characters they like or dislike and how they would react in a given situation. Also, teachers and childcare providers should analyze the book’s theme. Some books have themes like friendship and courage, but teachers should ensure they do not intrude on the plot to avoid misleading the readers with irrelevant information. Also, a teacher should choose a book whose writing style depicts the mood (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). Some books use short sentences and speech bubbles to portray action and feeling. Children are interested in books with clever illustrations, creative covers, and humorous storylines (“Unit 1.2- ECE Preferences and Motivation for Reading,” n.d.). A good children’s book should have a creative vocabulary. Even when a book has few images, a child should establish meaning from the texts (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). A good book should have humorous text and illustrations to pique the readers’ interest. When sharing a book with children, a teacher should ensure that the story is coherent; the dialogue between characters should advance the plot. The books should also have current information, such as electronic communications, e-mail, and the internet (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). Recent books enable readers to understand the changes in their surroundings. A teacher should also consider selecting books with fiction, non-fiction, and poetry to introduce children to different writing styles and authors within and outside their culture. A teacher should consider the following factors for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners. The first criterion is the book’s quality. A teacher should select a book with large and colorful pictures on every page to appeal to toddlers and infants (“Unit 1.2- ECE Preferences and Motivation for Reading,” n.d.). Babies develop an interest when viewing pictures of everyday activities, such as a parent dressing a baby or a baby throwing a ball. Sharing books that have detailed illustrations make young children learn to listen and relate stories to their lives. Also, a teacher should consider the book’s title and content. A good book should have a detailed plot, some action, a strong beginning, and a conclusion. For instance, when selecting a book for two-year-old children, a teacher should consider the rhymes and songs (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). Toddlers and infants need to access books with songs to memorize the displayed content and reflect on it. For children aged between two and five years, a teacher should consider books with repetitive plots, such as The Three Little Pigs and The Little Red Hen (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). Repeated lines enable children to internalize the story’s sequence. Children aged between three and five years should access books with simple and cumulative or repetitive plots (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). The book’s setting or characters may not have accurate details, but the story should be simple. Preschoolers can follow this pattern easily, and the repetitive phrases enhance their engagement. When selecting books for children aged between five and nine years, a teacher should focus on fairy tales and the distinction between fantasy and reality (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). Children in this age group can tolerate violent acts in the book since they know they are fictional. Also, kindergarteners enjoy books whose authors punish the evil characters and rewards the protagonists; this pattern of justice exists in fairy tales. Teachers should look for bias in books to avoid misleading children. Some authors rely on their emotions and viewpoints to convince the readers about certain events (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). In other instances, authors use anthropomorphism and teleological explanations to misguide the audience. Anthropomorphism entails giving animals and inanimate objects human feelings, while teleological explanations comprise the assumption that Mother Nature guides the fate of every living organism (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). In some cases, the authors present stereotypical ideas that may limit the children’s understanding of their environment. A teacher can find bias in books by checking if the children find the stories interesting (Giorgis & Glazer, 2010). Another strategy is whether the children can explore and resolve different conflicts. Additionally, a teacher can assess how the author portrays the characters from certain cultural and gender backgrounds. Another approach is to investigate whether the author explores or presents certain values and the lessons that children can learn. Overall, teachers and childcare providers play a vital role in children’s cognitive development. They research the book that can improve the children’s imagination, creativity, and perception. Theme, plot, characterization, and organization are among the vital elements teachers evaluate before giving books to children. Teachers should ensure that books comprise factual stories and yet entertaining to stimulate children’s interest.
References
Giorgis, C., & Glazer, J.I. (2010). Literature for young children: Supporting emergent literacy, ages 0-8 (7th ed.). Pearson. Unit 1.2- ECE preferences and motivation for reading. Lecture Notes.
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