Fiction can ignite a child's imagination
Published 12:25 am, Monday, August 26, 2013
An elementary teacher and friend recently told me for the coming academic year her school district has changed the English/Literature requirements. Very few works of fiction will be included.
The new focus will be on the specific pieces of literature that appear on the various tests that school kids take. The unspoken objective is obvious: to boost test scores.
OK, I get the need to do what is best to help kids do well on what I consider the overwhelming number of tests they must undergo these days. What I don't get is the shortsighted approach of chopping most works of fiction out of the curriculum.
There are so many important things learned in excellent children's fiction that may not be learned elsewhere. I've been saying this for over 26 years in as many ways as I can think to say it.
So let me say it again in as few words as possible. We MUST use excellent children's fiction books both in school and at home because those books help energize a child's imagination.
That, in turn, helps children imagine possibilities and answers to real-life questions. They can experience the situation of a hero or heroine from the safety of their classroom or home and learn how that character dealt with the obstacles he or she faced.
Such books expose kids to lessons they will return to time and time again for guidance.
If your school district is eliminating fiction, raise your voice and object. Perhaps together we can return to reason and give children what they need beyond success on mandated tests.
Books to borrow
The following book is available at many public libraries.
"Three Good Deeds" by Vivian Vande Velde, Harcourt, 160 pages.
Read aloud: age 8 and older.
Read yourself: age 9 or 10 and older.
The old woman who lived near the pond loved and protected the geese there, and when she caught Howard stealing their eggs just for fun she turned Howard into a goose to teach him a lesson.
The kids used to joke that she was a witch, and now Howard knew they were right! On top of being a goose, the old woman told him he couldn't go back to being a boy until he did three good deeds.
But how do you do that when you're a goose?
This book is hilarious on every page but offers subtle, important messages.
Library: Brewster Public Library, 79 Main St., Brewster, N.Y.
Library director: Maria Steinberg
Books to buy
The following books are available at favorite bookstores.
Read aloud: age 5 and older.
Read yourself: age 7 or 8.
Young Doug the robot is lovingly plugged in each morning by his robot parents so he can spend the day learning all sorts of things. Their greatest desire is for Doug to be the smartest robot of them all.
One day after Mom and Dad have gone off to work, Doug is busy learning about the city when suddenly a live pigeon lands on his windowsill. Doug wondered what he might learn if he went outside into the city like the pigeon.
So Doug unplugged himself and took off out the window. He learned all sorts of interesting things, but when a boy asked him to play Doug had no idea what the word meant. He was happy to learn, though, and a grand adventure ensued on more than one level.
A clever and somewhat cautionary tale for kids and parents alike about the importance of play, this selection brims with imagination.
"Don't Be Afraid to Say No!" written and illustrated by Ilona Lammertink and Lucie Georger, Clavis, 2013, 30 pages, $15.95 hardcover.
Read aloud: age 4 and older.
Read yourself: age 7 or 8.
Jill is thrilled that Susie is coming over to her house to play. When the two arrive in Jill's room and begin playing with her stuffed animals, Susie suddenly spies Jill's favorite stuffed rabbit, Hopper.
Susie asks if she can borrow Hopper overnight. Though Jill wants to say no, she doesn't know how.
Over and over this happens until Jill's mom helps her understand that it's perfectly fine to say no when that is how you feel.
This book carries an important message for kids about how to assert themselves and gain self-confidence.