The Significance of Storytelling for Children - Thesis Proposal Example

An Investigation into The Language of Books Written for Children “Children appear to know the importance of storytelling as if by instinct. From a very early age their play takes the form of story; sometimes they term their story play 'pretend.' ...” Professor Roderick McGillis University of Calgary, Canada Introduction Communication is the most indispensable skill required for social acceptance and language establishes itself as a vital ingredient required in the fomenting process of this skill. Listening, reading, speaking and writing are the four progressive steps towards acquiring an ease and gaining command over a language. In order to enable children’s learning and competence in communicating, they must be provided with opportunity and encouragement to acquire this skill in a range of situations and for a range of purposes, with ample support in developing the confidence and disposition to do so. I have chosen to carry out an investigation into the language of books written for young children based on Gordon Pradl’s study of a child’s concept of story development. In ‘Narratology: The Study of Story Structure’, he states: “Applebee describes six stages in children's event-arrangement, a developmental pattern ranging from "heaps" (mere lists of unrelated perceptions) to "true narratives" (complete events that reveal a theme or evaluation of experience). Other researchers have shown that children in the telling of their own stories gradually develop certain literary conventions ("once upon a time...") as they grow increasingly sensitive to the overall aesthetic structure of narrative.” Reading books to children is an age-old and trusted method of instilling a basic comfort level in the child with a particular language. Barbara Stoodt remarks, “Reading which does not stir their imagination, which does not stretch their minds, not only wastes their time but will not hold them permanently” (Stoodt, 61) I believe that interacting and reading books with other people is a more natural way for children to learn basic language skills backed up with practice of high quality phonics (letters and sounds strategy) The point about reading with children is to open up that most vital human interaction: a conversation. I aim to discover how books introduce new words to children and how illustrations play a key part in this. Furthermore I aim to explore how effective books are in helping children to acquire linguistic and communicative competence by helping them learn the main aspects of language including phonology, pragmatics, semantics and syntax. Methodology In this system which is the human language, “the units are words, the materials are the small set of sounds from which they are constructed, and the combinations are the sentences into which they can be assembled. Given the complexity of this system, it seems improbable that mere children could discover its underlying structure and use it to communicate. Yet most do so with eagerness and ease, all within the first few years of life.”(Saffran, Senghas and Trueswell). In order to carry out my investigation into the language of books written for children, I gathered books with varying texts, illustrations and themes from the local primary school and my mother’s collection. I have also used the following websites to gain extracts for analysis: ‘Love Reading 4 Kids’, ‘Booktrust’ and ‘Clubs.scholastic’. I will be analysing extracts from books aimed at children between the ages of 3 and 6 years and I will look out for stylistic devices used to engage children’s interest. I will also look at how the text suggests values like behaviour, politeness, and morals among others. I intend investigating thoroughly, the use of rhyme and phonological devices to promote passive learning. I shall also direct attention towards the use of features of spoken language in terms of narration and narrative devices, in addition to the use of pictures and colour. In doing so, I shall take a macro view of the use of narrative structure to bring about cohesion in time and space and the use of elements of fantasy to spurt imagination. The investigative process shall also cast a glance on the importance of reading aloud to children, and the responses generated thereafter. The texts used are taken as a sample-study and aim to generate holistic and well-rounded inferences that would be applicable to literature meant for children in the age-group of three to six years. Analysis Karen Coats states in the essay Conventions of children's literature: then and now: “Children's books make us who we are, culturally and individually. They teach us things about language's relationship to power--the power of self and the power of others. So to read some of them, on one level, produces a kind of adult critical displeasure at odds with fond childhood memories, a disconnection that cannot simply be dismissed as one's development of a more sophisticated aesthetic sense, but must take into account the differing needs and values of different life stages.” In saying so, Karen Coats sums up the indispensable effect that a book can have on a child’s psychological, emotional and social development. Often children’s books are treated by parents as a mere source of fantastical entertainment of children. It has been observed that a child’s brain develops the fastest in the first five years. In these years, the child relies on the senses of sight, sound and touch to build a huge bank of cognitive as well as non-cognitive visuals that are waiting to find tangible associations with the world of sound. This is where the importance of reading well-illustrated texts to children comes in. Books like ‘The Gruffalo’, ‘Mr. Magnolia’, ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ and ‘We’re Going On a Bear Hunt’, aim to build a relationship between the visual acquisitions of a child’s mind and the world of sound around him. 1. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson ‘The Gruffalo’ is a simple animal story written in a lyrical style. The end rhymes give the story a sing-song appeal that helps children follow it with ease and interest. The writer has made intelligent use of a descriptive narrative of the body parts of certain imaginary animals. Moreover, the use of short words with no more than three syllables makes it phonetically appealing and the sounds, easy to remember. Throughout the text, the occurrence of lines like: “A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood. A Fox saw the mouse, and the mouse looked good”, “He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws,And terrible teeth in his terrible jaws.", "Silly old Spinone! Doesn't she know,There's no such thing as a gruffalo?" : bring out a jingle-like quality in the story because of the sprinkling of alliteration in it. 2. Mr. Magnolia by Quentin Blake This book brings out the aspect of characterization and the relationship of visual objects with each other in time and space. In the very beginning, Mr. Magnolia’s striking yellow and striped red Tee finds its way into a child’s heart through the interpretation of colours. He comes across as an interesting person and his funny ways of life; be it swimming or juggling or dressing up in an unconventional manner, or making friends and giving them a ride on his blue scooter; establish a relationship between the visual objects like a boot, a flute, a trumpet, a toad and a newt, and help children connect with the things in the world around them. The use of rhyme and caricature like illustrations of the owls, the dinosaur and Mr. Magnolia in an admiral’s hat, further the effect of a comical situation and illicit a light-hearted response from the reader and listener alike. 3. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss This book by Dr. Seuss is one of his many excellent attempts about preferences. While connecting with children over their likes and dislikes, Dr. Seuss cleverly introduces sentence structure. The entire process of structuring a sentence becomes a fun-activity by using end-rhyme as a stylistic device. The variations in syntax , e.g. “I am Sam” to “Sam, I am” and ‘Would you, could you, in a car; eat them, eat them, here they are” introduces the listener to the musical notes of a rhyming couplet. 4. Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins The liberal use of prepositions (across, around, over, past, under ) during Rosie the Hen’s merry walk around the barnyard helps the children relate to positional language. The pictorial clues provide the reader with ample textual interpretation and beginner-level knowledge of the concept of maps, routes and landmarks. 5. We’re Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen Michael Rosen has used the most simplistic device to connect the aural nuggets of information to the visual. Once again, the use of prepositions and adjectives, helps the curious listener to passively identify and relate to the existence of descriptive words and positional language. The use of words like ‘splish-splash, squelch-squirch, tip-tap, ooo-woo’ etc. immediately build a connection between the land of tales and reality. The engaging movements and the sounds they make reinforce the word-bank stored in the passive memory. This book also has a subtle hint at the passage of time through forward and backward movements to and from the cave and up, down and back up the stairs. 6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle One of the most beautiful and comprehensive stories to inform children about the days of the week , introduction to numbers and most importantly, the passage of time through the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly. It is interesting to note that even without a rhyme-scheme, the story tends to develop a mellifluous quality as it progresses due to the progression of days in the week and the number count. This text qualifies as one of the finest stories for children due to its simple narration and tightly packed, yet cohesive structure. 7. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Not Now Bernard! By David McKee and Big Scary Monster by Thomas Docherty These books take an objective view of a child’s imagination by giving it the form of monsters and grotesque creatures. Bernard’s attempts at getting the attention of his parents, Max’s threat to his mother of eating her up and getting sent to bed without supper, or the big hairy monster that lived on a hill and knew that he was different from the others, are all manifestations of a child’s sensitive and imaginative mind. Even though, these texts may not offer much in terms of linguistic or phonological exposure to an emergent reader; however, they do appeal to children by aligning the plot and story development to their fantasies, innermost feelings and deepest fears. The common factor in these texts is the use of imaginary creatures and wild beasts that, either overpower the child or manifest themselves in the child’s behaviour, gives an instant insight into child psychology and opens a window to difficult behaviour patterns. 8. The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr In this book, the narration and point of view of the author is outside the mental frame of a little girl called Sophie. Even though there is no fixed language objective in this text, however, it successfully encapsulates the mores of social responsibility that every holds towards the people around them. Also, it attempts to allay the fear and anxiety in a child’s mind towards the unknown and/or unusual situations. Noted author of the twentieth century, Ted Hughes also reiterates the fact that a story with well-crafted narration and carefully chosen language could help children get better equipped to come up with many practical solutions to real-life situations as they grow up: “The theory behind all these stories is that a parable of this kind, absorbed by a young reader, settles into the mind's foundations as a symbolic map, a template for future psychological growth.” (Hughes, 149) Conclusion After attempting a textual analysis of the books mentioned above, it may be surmised that the use of an interesting narrative, juxtaposed with bright illustrations goes a long way in generating a primary interest in the story. However, it may be pertinent to add here that language and pictorial cues that feed on the innermost fantasies and imaginative abilities of children, stay with them for the rest of their lives. The dependence of illustration on the text and vice-versa is then broken and a chain reaction starts, that opens many new possibilities of textual interpretation. In the process, a child’s mind is enabled to embark on a journey from ‘heaps’ to ‘true narratives’ as remarked by Pradl, earlier in this essay. Since music and phonic sounds are programmed into our genetic intelligence, children are quick to build bridges across sounds to form syllables, followed by words and then sentences. Literature for children in the age group of three to six years must, therefore, seek to cater to basic sounds, vibrant colours and descriptive pictures. The use of direct speech in these texts not only makes the story progression interesting but it also helps children understand the importance of conversation as an effective tool of communication. Besides, it also stimulates the mind to pre-empt responses to situational dialogue. During the investigative process, it was noted that most children’s books rely on the use of animals, birds, monsters or fictitious characters to deliver a message or a moral. From bears, caterpillars, tigers, hens and rabbits to unknown monsters on far-away islands and hills; all of them tend to come across as a child’s alter-ego and hence, a mirror-image of his/her psychology. Mr. Magnolia, however, remains an exception. These beasts and animals become the point of identification with the child’s inner-self and thus, the words and language used by these creatures becomes the initiation of self-instruction. It is also interesting to note that how these fictitious characters fit into real-life stereotypes for parents, bullying peers, strangers with ill-intent and disturbing life situations. ‘Not now Bernard!’ is a typical example of a child who could possibly be trying to deal with physical and/or mental abuse outside the house. The words “the monster ate him….everyday” clearly depicts a serious issue that a child could want to share with his parents and not being given an opportunity to do so. Such texts then graduate from being children’s story books to educational material for grown-ups. Children learn passively about good and evil intent by illustration of the characters with bushy/beady eyes, an evil grin dotted by shark-like teeth and a generally displeasing body language. The child/ protagonist in such stories is almost always illustrated with soft features and well-rounded eyes and facial contours, whereas the depiction of the undesirable is projected by the use of sharp and edgy facial features, crooked limbs, and rough, inverted or unrefined expressions. Such depiction immediately translates into a passive, subconscious language and conveys the difference between good and evil, happy and sad, young and old and most importantly the desirable and undesirable. The progress of time is suggested by using fantasy and realism as tools and depiction of action through time-passage is shown through words such as ‘then’, ‘later’, ‘after some time’, ‘day’ followed by ‘night etc. Where the words project the event, the pictures imply meaning. Reading and responding to fiction then becomes an extension of personal intellectual and emotional space. The only thing that may interfere in this wholesome interactive process between text and reader/ listener may be an adult’s individual style and his/her own interpretation of the text. Graeme Harper points out in his essay that “children are in the process of developing their sense of style and their notions of aesthetic value, of crafting meaning out of and assigning value to sensory experience. Such a process, so closely mediated by adult interaction, demands as well theoretical mediation, or at least meditation.” References Applebee, Arthur. The Child’s Concept of Story: Ages Two To Seventeen. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978. Coats, Karen. Conventions of children's literature: then and now. Style, Fall, 2001 Harper, Graeme. Teaching Creative Writing Hughes, Ted. The Interpretation of Parables. In Signal 69, Sept. 1992, 147—152 Nodelman, Perry. Words about pictures: The Narrative Art of Children’s Picture Books. www.amazon.com Predl, Gordon. Narratology: The Study of Story Structure. ERIC Digest.ED250698 Saffran, Senghas, Ann and Trueswell, John C. .The acquisition of language by children. http://www.pnas.org/content/98/23/12874.full Stoodt, Barbara D.,Children's literature: discovery for a lifetime. Allyn and Bacon, 2008 http://childrensbooks.about.com/cs/picturebooks/fr/wildthings.htm http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/language_development.shtml Read More