Entry 2: Changing Thoughts?

Thinking back on my previous views of literature written for children and young adults, I must say that I stand corrected on many of my previous thoughts. I have always appreciated and noted the importance of all literature, yet I realize that I have been quite close-minded and bias in my ways of thinking, often unknowingly. But, first I must correct myself on my previous entry. While writing and responding to the previous prompt, I stated that, “children’s literature certainly lacked the complexity and verbal sophistication that most types of literature tend to contain”. Well as we have all come to find out, The Invention of Hugo Cabret refutes this statement in its entirety. While writing and responding to that topic, though, at many times I mentally equated children’s books to be short, picture books with relatively a few sentences, which is certainly only a piece of children’s literature; they do not define or encompass children’s literature. Thus, this leads me into this blog posting.

Previously, I only looked at children books from the perspective of only being short and simple books, which is certainly one way that my view has changed about literature. Only a month into the semester, I have already realized that there are a vast number of books that I have never even considered. I have always considered myself an avid reader, but I was certainly shocked when I realized that I had not been exposed to certain authors and titles that I definitely would have appreciated. Children and young adult literature have so much substance, they are little lessons wrapped in up in a mural of words that connect with their targeted audiences.

Prior to this course, I can only recall seeing and picking up what many people would refer to as “silly or simple” picture books; those books, that I mentioned below, that contain more pictures than words or that have single sentences per page. While there were undoubtedly exceptions to this type of book that frequently caught my eye, this seemed to make up the majority. It was for this reason that I often viewed the author’s of children’s books as individuals who were creative enough to leave behind their adult thought processes and dive into the imaginations and thoughts of young children. But that was it—to me, they really were not doing anything spectacularly besides providing children with a tool for enrichment. With this being said, I thought that, while children’s literature is an important art form, in that it appeals to young children, I did think that almost anyone could write these types of stories. Nonetheless, this thought was changed the moment we began reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It is a very intricate and complex children’s book that certainly opened my eyes and broadened my way of thinking; not only is it creative and has a unique storyline, but it also has the ability to draw readers of all ages.

Young adult literature, on the other hand, has always been one of my favorites. But, already, I have also learned something new about this genre of literature. A theme in young adult literature that I did not know was so popular is the theme of homosexuality in the teenage community. This has become a very popular topic in young adult novels, unbeknownst to me, yet it is extremely relevant and it serves to teach a lesson to all adolescents—both homosexual and heterosexual. The current book we are reading, Finding H.F., falls under this category and it is a very good read. It is comical and it embraces that sense of reality that most teens want to encounter and relate to in their readings.

This course have already taught me a lot and opened my mind up to broader aspects of literature forms that I thought I were already familiar to me. I must say, however, that my views have changed for the better and as a future teacher I will not make the mistake of not exposing my students to different types of literature. It is important that they are exposed to all literature so that they can form their own opinions and have the opportunity to appreciate its art as they grow and mature.