It may seem strange to think that there is some question as to what constitutes a children’s book for many after all this would seem like a question with an obvious answer. A children’s book was after all created for children. However Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain one of the books considered to be classical children’s literature was originally intended for adults and as indeed received some past censorship because of how interpret it was considered for children. The Grimm’s fairy tales also where written initially for adults, yet they where bought for children. This situation of children taking over what was supposed to be an book for adults has led to many problems. After all society then complains that the story was not appropriate for children, and so attacks to book. Further the book not being appropriate for children perhaps does cause some social problems. Yet we still seem to consider many such books as children’s literature.

Why is it books written for adults become children’s books? Or at least books read by children. Although it is perhaps impossible to state all the reasons for this situation, I would forward three theories on ways in which this can occur.

The first reason is that a book offers a fantastic reality, an imaginative story, children like such stories and so for whatever reason it is presumed that such imaginativeness is in the realm of children’s literature. This could for example be the case with Gulliver’s Travels and of course the Grimm’s Fairy Tales. In many ways I would argue it’s sad that if a story is fun and imaginative it is automatically pushed off into the realm of children. Not that children’s literature is lesser, indeed this imaginativeness has helped in many ways to make it superior to that created for adults. Rather it is sad that adults do not presume that such creative genius is worth more of their time.

Another reason which a book might become children’s literature is that it is about a child, for some reason a child character makes people automatically assume a child should read it, as if they are the only ones who can relate to a child. This is a ridiculous notion of course, we where all children and besides of which all such books where written by intelligent adults.

The final reason I will propose is that many books and works of art intended for adults become children’s as a means of expanding their reach or extending their life. This is why for example one will find the works of Jane Austen in the children’s literature section at the book store with a little charm.

This still does not answer the question of what is children’s literature. Part of the problem here may be that we have not yet truly defined the question, broad questions have broad answers. The question may be what should parents have their children read, or what should educators and those studying children’s literature study in order to learn about the impact of literature on children? In the case of the first question the answer is in regards to the parents beliefs and their kids reaction to things. If a parent does not believe their kid should be exposed to something then it does not constitute children’s literature for that kid. This definition of course makes the whole field of children’s books very difficult as there are so many differing views on what is acceptable for children to read.

However this problem would beg the question, is the purpose of the definition to help people study children’s literature or to help parents decide which books their kids can read? In the case of the purpose for study children’s literature would constitute all books which children regularly read. After all the purpose of study is to determine what is acceptable to read and what impact such readings have on children, as will as ways to make future books better. For this purpose to be effective all books which children read must be included.
Part of the difficulty of course with determining what constitutes children’s literature is that there is some debate as to what children are.

After all different cultures have at times believed many different things about children. However I would point out that this in and of itself is exactly the point, childhood is viewed as different by different cultures. It is then a cultural definition, one which our society can answer and change. Certainly it is difficult for people to accept this idea, and for many the idea that the culture determines someone’s role is tantamount to prejudice, however when it comes to defining a state and an impact we are indeed looking at cultural variables. One cannot for example assume that a picture book based on the Impressionist style, and with Swedish Motifs would have the same impact on Americans as it does Japanese or Swedes. It is culture which determines the role literature plays in our lives so it is through a cultures definitions of something that that thing should be defined. Further accepting one cultures definition of what defines children and not another’s is prejudice.

In American culture this definition of child has been constructed in a way as Minors to the age of 18, however not all of these ages are considered children per say, they are teenagers, pre-teens, Elementary, Preschool, Toddlers and more. However as a society we have defined these groups and so a wish to understand their demographic must begin with the societies definitions of them. Arguing that a culture is wrong is often a mute point, just as literature is a social construct many of the emotions and impact surrounding it are too.

Children’s literature then according to my definition and the definition which will be found throughout this site is literature which impacts directly through reading a fairly decent percentage of the population which is considered children by the culture it is from.
Or in the case of cross-cultural analysis such impacts will extend to ages determined by the culture with the oldest children or the largest definition of them. Why? Because in many cases especially historical ones children where considered adults fairly young, yet if we want to compare differences in impact between 8 year olds we must study both sets of 8 year olds. It is important to stress that this is not a means to push one cultures definition on another it is merely a research construct intended to help study literature, so that we can better understand its impact.

Ty Hulse has degree’s in art and psychology with both with a children’s and a cross-cultural focus. He is currently working to create the site Zeluna.net which discusses Children’s Literature and Picture Books, as will as Fairy Tales.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ty_Hulse

Titled “Welcome to the Dead House”, the book was an instant bestseller and became the first in the highly successful “Goosebumps” series. “Welcome to the Dead House” tell the story of a town called Dark Falls, a place hiding a secret - all the residents are the living dead, and need fresh blood to sustain their “lives”. Whenever a new family arrives in the sound they move to The Dead House. The heroes, Josh and Amanda, learn this secret and proceed to save their parents, send the townspeople back to their graves and escape Dark Falls.

Author Robert Lawrence Stine wrote 62 books in the series, as well as a number of spinoffs. Stine, who’s been called “The Stephen King of Children’s Literature”, has said a lot of his books were inspired by classic science fiction and horror stories, with influences also drawn from classic fairy tales. “Night of the Living Dummy” is a variation on the “Pinocchio” theme - twin sisters Lindy and Kris find a discarded ventriloquist’s dummy, and Lindy decides to keep him. As she develops comedy routines with the dummy Kris obtains her own dummy. One night the girls go into their room, finding the dummies lying on the floor, the new dummy’s hands around the older dummy’s neck. Coincidence? No - the younger dummy is alive, and malicious. After a string of unpleasant events the girls manage to dispose of the dummy, but then discover the other one is also alive.

Christopher Pike is another successful children’s horror story writer. He includes references to Egyptian, Hindu and Greek mythology in his novels, and quotes authors like Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Agatha Christie and Stephen King among his influences. His “Spooksville” series of 24 books includes one titled “The Wicked Cat”, in which Adam and his friends find a black cat during a walk in the local woods. Strange things begin to happen in the town; a house burns down and a tree suddenly falls down. At every strange occurrence the cat is in attendance, watching everything with its strange green eyes. Then it turns its supernatural powers on Adam and his friends…

Another noted children’s author is Lee Striker, the pseudonym of Australian Children’s author Margaret Clarke. She chose her name after hearing about Stine’s “Goosebumps” series, and decided she wanted her children’s horror fiction placed next to his books on the bookshops. She has 12 books in her “Hair-Raiser” series, which contains titles such as “The Revenge of the Vampire Librarian” (remember to get your library books back on time…) and “Curse of the Mummy”, where a man brings back a new wife after a business trip to Egypt. But what kind of MUMMY is she, because she smells odd and uses a lot of bandages and band aids, and cats behave strangely when she is near.

Children’s horror writing is not a new concept, and it didn’t start with fairytales. Originally fairytales were not originally intended to be read by children. The Brothers’ Grimm’s writing was aimed at adults, and met the then increasing demand for literature based around local folklore in the early 19th century. Anyone who has seen the film “The Brothers’ Grimm” will probably back me on this - that film is most definitely NOT for children! As the Horror genre evolved “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” made the average fairytale appear somewhat childish, so the different stories were reworked and rewritten by adults so they would be more suitable for children. By the Victorian era the average Grimm fairy tale was far less graphic and violent than the original, and Disney’s handling of the stories has “tamed” them still further.

While the Grimms were compiling their collection of adult fairytales other writers were already producing children’s stories, many of which contained elements of horror. Hans Christian Andersen’s “Tales Told For Children” was published in 1835, and some of the stories in that book are excellent references for children’s horror literature:

“The Red Shoes” are a pair of beautiful, cursed slippers which force their wearer to dance continually. A vain young girl slips them onto her feet, and finds herself unable to stop dancing. So bad is the problem she cannot go to church, and is unable to attend her adoptive mother’s funeral because she cannot stop dancing. Condemned by and angle to dance forever as a warning to all vain children, she begs an executioner to cut off her feet. For the rest of the story she is haunted by the animated shoes, which dance before her as she moves on wooden feet with the help of crutches.

“The Little Mermaid”, yearning to be with a handsome human prince with whom she has fallen in love, gives a witch her tongue in exchange for a potion that turns her tail into legs. She must get her prince to marry her to give her a soul, and she sets out to find her love, even though every step she takes is as painful as waking on sharpened knife blades. Even though she is mute the prince does fall in love with her, and is enchanted by the way she dances for him, never knowing the agony she suffers at every step. The course of true love never did run true, and the prince marries someone else. The heartbroken mermaid throws herself into the sea and turns into foam.

“The Little Match Girl” sells matches on the icy streets to keep warm. One New Year’s Eve, she lights her matches to keep warm. In their light she sees wonderful warm banquets with tables full of wonderful food and a sparkling Christmas tree. Looking up she sees a shooting star, and remembers it means someone is about to die. Lighting her last match she sees her grandmother, the only person who ever treated her kindly. Her grandmother has come to take her to Heaven, and the following morning her frozen little body is discovered, surrounded by burnt out matches.

Charles Kingsley’s “The Water Babies” features a chimney sweep named Tom, who meets a young girl called Ellie at her house. After he is chased away he falls into a river and drowns. He is turned into a water baby, and experiences several adventures while learning life’s lessons under the tutelage of the fairies. Once a week he is allowed to see Ellie, who had the misfortune to fall into the river just after Tom. Eventually he proves himself worthy to return to human form, and lives a full life. He is reunited with Ellie, but they never marry.

Children’s horror writing is a challenging genre, and although the stories may have changed slightly over the years there’s still a demand for these kind of books from a young, enthusiatic audience. It’s a genre that’s going to be with us for many years to come.

The writer was born in Africa, and lived there for the first 38 years of her life. She worked in the world of public relations for over five years, running her own PR company and dealing extensively with the world of journalism and the print media. She is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/, a site for Writers. Her blog can be visited at: http://www.writing.com/authors/zwisis/blog

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Todd

Writing and Publishing a Children’s Book is a dream for many people. Unfortunately, it is often a difficult dream to realize since most talented writers do not know or understand which steps to take first to begin the process of becoming known and getting published.

Do you need an agent, illustrator, assistant, consultant or book marketer? Do you know which Children’s Publishing Houses should be the first ones to submit your work to for maximum profit & the highest probability of acceptance? Have you decided on type of of Children’s Book you plan on writing?

The Children’s Book Publishing business can be complicated for the ill-informed, but easy to navigate for those that understand it. For those that are knowledgeable, writing & actually introducing your work to the marketplace is clockwork.

You may have the the next popular children’s book, but the fact is, if you don’t know how to introduce it to the marketplace, you’ll just keep running into walls which is what most struggling children’s writers go through and sadly, never emerge from the initial phase of the publishing process.

Consultants can be expensive, and seasoned & well known Children’s Book Publishers will rarely reveal their industry inside secrets to children’s book publisher’s. After all, why would they want to put themselves at literary risk, and in a position to lose their book popularity & income. Finding an honest individual to explain how the industry works as a whole will pose to be a daunting task.

Yes, you will find hundreds of publications as to how to go about writing, promoting & publishing a children’s book, but most do not make it easy for the reader to understand the publishing process. The truth is if you follow most of the Children’s Book Publishing tutorials, you will learn that they are inefficient, and could possibly cost you tremendous amounts of time.

An auto-pilot formula that not other Children’s Book Publishing guide can match. No writer wants to sift through hundreds of pages of Children’s Book Publishing techniques & ideas. To be successful in this business, you need to get to the point, and make it happen.

Whether you are looking to write, sell, promote and/or publish your Childrens Book, regardless if it’s a picture book or regular book, education is key.

There are hundreds of thousands of writer’s that go unnoticed every year, with priceless Children’s Book’s eventually shelved or never sold to a publishing house because of a lack of knowledge in the business. Don’t let this be you!

You must learn how to target your age group, brainstorm story ideas, develop your characters, make a story line, introduce your characters with descriptions of physical and personality traits, create a problem or a conflict, and learn how to set the state for a climax. Character development, plots, conflict, and resolution, to marketing & publishing, are the things you need to know to become a successful childrens writer.

Eric Znoj is a professional online publisher of niche industry publications designed to assist people to achieve their personal & financial goals quickly and easily. Visit his site at: http://www.writeachildrensbookaz.com

At WriteAChildrensBookAZ.com we offer a tutorial that takes you step-by-step in an A-Z, 123 easy-to-follow format that doesn’t use complicated industry terminology. Instead, our site offers a Children’s Book Publishing guide intended for the real world, designed so that anybody can quickly and easily write, promote, sell or publish a Children’s Book without the headaches.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Znoj

There are dozens of children’s books where a hat (or hats) plays a central role in the story. Here’s a partial list — all of which are in The Village Hat Shop’s books on hats collection: [Note: For a short synopsis of each book below as well as the name of the equally important (at least) illustrator, click this article’s title above.]

JENNIE’S HAT by Ezra Jack Keats

WHEN EVERYBODY WORE A HAT by William Steig

THE HAT by Tomi Ungerer

THE CASE OF THE MISSING HAT Starring Jim Henson’s Muppets by Gregory Williams

BLUE HAT, GREEN HAT by Sandra Boynton

THE 500 HATS OF BARTHOLOMEW CUBBINS by Dr. Seuss

MADELINE AND THE BAD HAT by Ludwig Bemelmans

THE CHRISTMAS HAT by A.J. Wood

HATS OFF TO JOHN STETSON by Mary Blount Christian

ABE LINCOLN’S HAT by Martha Brenner

KATHY’S HATS by Trudy Krisher

TWELVE HATS FOR LENA by Karen Katz

THE QUANGLE WANGLE’S HAT by Edward Lear

LITTLE RED COWBOY HAT by Susan Lowell

THE SCARECROW’S HAT by Ken Brown

MILO’S HAT TRICK by Jon Agee

MISS HUNNICUTT’S HAT by Jeff Brumbeau

WHO WAS THE WOMAN WHO WORE THE HAT? by Nancy Patz

THE CAT IN THE HAT by Dr. Seuss

THE CAT IN THE HAT COMES BACK by Dr. Seuss

RICHARD SCARRY’S MR. FRUMBLE’S BIGGEST HAT FLAP BOOK EVER by Richard Scarry

ZOE’S HATS: A BOOK OF COLORS AND PATTERNS by Sharon Lane Holm

WHO TOOK THE FARMER’S HAT? By Joan L. Nodset

WHO’S UNDER THE HAT by Sarah Weeks

THE MAGIC HAT by Mem Fox

MISS FANNIE’S HAT by Jan Karon

CASEY’S NEW HAT by Tricia Gardella

EL SOMBRERO DEL TIO NACHO/UNCLE NACHO’S HAT by Harriet Rohmer

THE HAT by Jan Brett

MR GEORGE AND THE RED HAT by Stephen Heigh

MY LUCKY HAT by Kevin O’Malley

AUNT FLOSSIE’S HAT (AND CRAB CAKES LATER) by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

Why are there so many children’s books about hats? Those of you who are regular readers of the HAT BLOG or the “Hat Information and Resources” section of VillageHatShop.com may have an inkling where I am about to go. Yes, this is in fact another example of a theme that runs throughout the blog and the site, i.e. hats matter. Hats are cultural icons. Hats sit prominently and significantly on the top of one’s head. Hats are a bridge to history. Hats transform the wearer. Hats, as a symbol, can be simple and complex at the same time. Hats are fun. As an object to revolve a story around, a hat is a perfect fit. Let’s take a smattering of examples:

Hats as a bridge to learning about history and as a file cabinet for important letters and papers: ABE LINCOLN’S HAT.

Hats as head covering for chemotherapy patients and as an object helping to sustain hope: KATHY’S HATS.

Hat (“Bad Hat” specifically) as metaphor for a person: MADELINE AND THE BAD HAT.

Hat as superhero: THE HAT (Ungerer).

Hat as a valuable item for barter: THE SCARECROWS HAT.

Hat as an eccentric and highly individual fashion statement: MISS HUNNICUTT’S HAT.

Hat as a good luck charm: MY LUCKY HAT.

Hat as an article spurring recall and story telling: MISS FANNIE’S HAT and AUNT FLOSSIE’S HATS (AND CRAB CAKES LATER).

Hat as an old friend and companion and as a metaphor for change: UNCLE NACHO’S HAT/EL SOMBRERO DEL TIO NACHO.

Granted, I am guilty of an a priori bias to infuse headwear with a high degree of symbolic significance, cache, cultural value, and the like (I’ve got to justify my existence somehow for god’s sake), and yet who can argue with its validity? Clearly, writers and artists from Seuss to Keats to Bemelmans to Scarry et al. who don’t share my self-interested prejudice, still find this relevance in hats.

But, I believe, the proliferation of the hat in children’s literature is more than all this. Parenting in modern America can feel like an out of control merry-go-round. The drumbeat of media messages to buy the right toys, infuse your home with the right music [Mozart] so as to promote brain development, commit to the right “play group”, enroll the child in the right pre-school (that promises to prepare your kid for the Ivy League), treading through the ubiquitous disingenuity (politicians and advertisers spinning, lying, and double-speaking) and deciding when and what to expose your innocent to the modern world, rampant commercialism (don’t buy anything except a hat), war – is it any wonder why a parent is attracted to a simple story that revolves around a simple honest object that connotes a simpler time. Hat as nostalgic icon – yes, that too. But alas, more than nostalgia - for crying out loud, the parent understandably wants to take her kid off that crazy modern merry-go-round. The parent has an epiphany — don’t heap all this adult nonsense and anxiety upon my kid –– I’ll buy a little book and read about a hat. This is a good thing to do in our hyper-complex 21st Century — it’s in fact good for the soul.

Fred Belinsky

http://VillageHatShop.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fred_Belinsky

It appears that the “Tom Swift” and “Wizard of Oz” books - popular with kids for most of the last century - are finally to be replaced by “Harry Potter.”

The fourth volume of the Harry Potter series went on sale at bookstores throughout the country during midnight parties — excitement not seen since the Pet Rock craze a decade ago.

Titled “The Goblet of Fire,” the latest book by British author J.K. (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling promises - or threatens — to prolong indefinitely the Potter series for the generation coming on line.

Some parents are uneasy about the new sub-literary fad. It features a supernatural kid who hobnobs with sorcerers and witches. Hey, they’re reading instead of watching the same stuff on teevee.

All kids go through the make-believe stage, and some of us never outgrow it.

Ms. Rowling insists she makes up her stories simply to entertain children and make a living for herself and daughter. However, deep thinkers profess to see hidden allegories in her works that criticize the political and social life of our times.

Her emphasis on wishful events seems to bear out contemporary yearning for magic solutions conjured by 12-year-old Harry Potter to deal with his travails.

Whatever.

The technique is rooted in ancient literature such as “Aesop’s Fables” and “Mother Goose Rhymes.”

More than 600 fables related by a Greek slave in 550 B.C. was intended to impress social verities on children through talking animals.

As an 11-year-old, I discovered Aesop’s wisdom in a library book. I have never forgotten his account of the hunt by a lion, fox, jackal and wolf. The four hunters brought down a stag and then discussed how to divide it.

“Quarter this stag,” roared the lion. Accordingly, the other hunters skinned it and cut the meat into four equal parts. With this, the lion pronounced judgment:

“The first quarter is for me in my capacity as King of Beasts. The second is mine as arbiter, and another share comes to me for my part in the chase. As for the fourth quarter, I should like to see which of you will dare to try and take it from me,” growled the Lion.

“Humph,” grumbled the Fox as walked away with his tail between his legs, “You may share labors of the great, but you will not share the rewards.”

Still, today, I shake my head a little when someone ascribes the largest share of anything as that due the lion. The lion’s portion, stated ironically by Aesop, is not a share at all, but everything.

This fable is a realistic lesson to be learned at an early age. It describes both social and political greed to guard against throughout life.

* * *

The same dual purpose inspired the hundreds of Mother Goose rhymes. In medieval England, criticism of kings, nobles and other authorities could cost your life. Consequently, jibes at government were couched as ditties for children.

Consider this rhyme:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king’s horses,

And all the king’s men,

Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

The term humpty-dumpty was commonly used in England to describe someone stupid or muddle-headed. In the rhyme it refers to King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Richard was resisting a rebellion by Henry Tudor. In the battle, King Richard fell from his war-horse named Wall. He was surrounded by enemy soldiers and hacked to pieces. He was the last of the York kings and the last king to die on a battlefield.

Books For Kids

After the American Civil War, the invention of cheap “sulfited” paper pulp sparked a revolution in publishing. Newspapers expanded. “Dime novels” became popular. Public schools were extended to the high-school level. Children had knowledge and desire to read for pleasure.

The old custom of veiling politics with kid-appeal was an easy approach for publishers and writers. Regular patrons of this column may remember the recent account of Joel Chandler’s “Uncle Remus” series.

Those charming tales of talking animals by an editorial writer for the Atlanta Constitution were aimed at “children of all ages.” The objective was to entertain - while portraying former slaves as wise and dutiful citizens.

An outstanding example of hiding a social message within a fairy tale is the “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” published in 1900.

The author was Lyman Frank Baum, editor of the weekly newspaper at Aberdeen, South Dakota. When it failed in 1891 during the prolonged collapse of crop prices he moved his family to Chicago. There he wrote for various newspapers.

He also participated actively in the Populist (Silver Coinage) Movement and the presidential campaigns of Sen. William Jennings Bryan. He also wrote his first book “Mother Goose In Prose” in 1897. Interestingly he employed the fantasy/reality techniques of Aesop Fables, Mother Goose, and Lewis Carroll’s “Alice In Wonderland” which preceded him.

Baum’s first venture into fantasy was not widely circulated but reviewed favorably enough to encourage him to write his first Oz book. It was an instant bestseller, which he turned into a theatrical play the following year.

His ambition was to act and write for the theater. Nevertheless, the response to “Wonderful Wizard” was so great he consented to write a sequel titled “The Marvelous Land of Oz.”

Before he died in 1919, Baum wrote 14 Oz books. Thereafter, Ruth Plumly Thompson and other ghostwriters authored 26 additional volumes until the series was concluded in 1963.

Baum stoutly maintained that the original Oz had no sociopolitical inferences. Yet, the story and its characters so ably reflected the turbulent times that the comparison is compelling.

• Oz is the abbreviation for ounce, the standard measure for gold.
• The yellow brick road is composed of gold ingots that lead only to a field of opium poppies and drugged sleep.
• The Emerald City is the store of “green-back” paper money backed by silver as well as gold.
• The Tin Woodman, represents the industrial worker made heartless by factory owners and left to rust when his labor was no longer needed.
• The Scarecrow is the farmer with not enough brains to support Sen. Bryan’s reforms.
• The Cowardly Lion is Sen. Bryan who roars a lot but is afraid to bite.
• The Wicked Witch of the East represents New York City financiers and bankers who enslave little people called Munchkins.
• The Good Witch of the West portrays people in the heartland of America.
• The Wizard is supposed to be President William McKinley who conceals his deceptions with smoke, mirrors and phony proclamations.
• Dorothy’s magical silver shoes (changed to red in the ever-popular color movie) had the power to grant her wish to go home once she acknowledged the value of family and farm.

If Baum did not intentionally weave these symbols into his first Oz book, he subconsciously reflected his time and place - after all, the genius of good writing.

* * *

My favorite books as a youngster were those in the “Tom Swift” series which began in 1910 and continue popular today. There was not a speck of politics in them, but they were progenitor of science fiction.

Tom, “the boy inventor,” built contraptions that were just in the discovery stage at the turn of the century. In several instances, the authors of Tom Swift books anticipated science.

Such subject matter reflected the fascination of kids - particularly boys - with the gee-whiz technology of that time. Then it was such things as motorcycles, speedboats, automobiles, planes, submarines, radios, and super cannons.

These things are ordinary today. Kids now are titillated by witches, giants, monsters, demons, magicians, terminating-killers, space ships and assorted planetary aliens. All are served up by computer games, videos, television and special effect movies.

The genre of series books for children — with the same, central character — was the brainchild of a publisher named Edward Stratemeyer. He started the Stratemeyer Syndicate of ghostwriters to churn out endless books about characters and situations he dreamed up.

Among his creations was the Bobbsey Twins, Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. The big money maker, though, was Tom Swift. Most of the first 38 volumes were written by Howard Garis, Stratemeyer’s best friend, under the pseudonym Victor Appleton.

The books have come to be known as the Tom Swift Senior series. Since then, other publishers bought the name rights. They continued to produce Swift Junior books with ghost writers and adventure topics until “Death Quake,” the last one, in 1993.

The 99 Tom Swift series is the largest total, and longest running, of all time simply because it tapped the interest of kids in exciting things which might be.

Ms. Rowling is simply following a well-tested format.

I wish I had thought of it.

July 16, 2000

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at:

LinWms@earthlink.net

LinWms@lindseywilliams.org

Website: http://www.lindseywilliams.org with several hundred of Lin’s Editorial & At Large articles written over 40 years.

Also featured in its entirety is Lin’s groundbreaking book “Boldly Onward,” that critically analyzes and develops theories about the original Spanish explorers of America. (fully indexed/searchable)

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lindsey_Williams

Recently, I moderated a black men’s seminar at Zahra’s bookstore in Inglewood, California. The group present consisted of about 20 men and 7 women. Our guest author was Ken Mask, M.D., from New Orleans, Louisiana. (Titles: Murder on the Butt, Luke Jacobs, PI, City Park Murder.)

During the two hours, we covered diverse subjects such as what men really feel about being fatherless, how to recognize the silent cries of men, what single women need to know when rearing a male child, men’s fear of commitment, and the behavior of broken men. However, the main topic we covered was the confidence a male child acquires from his father.

Although women were present in the seminar, their concerns were why men had such a fear of commitment. What we concluded, though, was that this fear of commitment often could be traced back to the lack of a strong father figure in their lives.

Clearly, the better modeling men have of responsible fatherhood, the better fathers they can become.

From the disclosures made during the seminar, there is definitely a need for black men to have an example of how powerful a good father’s influence can be.

In an ideal world we would have all grown up with strong fathers in spite of racism, unemployment, alcoholism, prison and the myriad things which negatively impact Black men. But unfortunately, we don’t live in the ideal world.

So I’m a strong believer in bibliotherapy–using books as a way of healing our souls.

Often, for Black people, these examples can be found in African American literature.

Here is a list of books, which deal with the confidence a male (or female) child acquires from a father. These are just a few of the books. You can compile your own list.

Sweet Summer, Growing Up With and Without My Dad by Bebe Moore Campbell. This book details how the late Bebe Moore Campbell would go visit her divorced father in the summer while she was growing up. Although he was in a wheel chair, he stood tall in teaching her the gentle lessons of womanhood.

Sounder by William H. Armstrong. Even though the sharecropping father is sent away to prison, he had a strong presence in the book and he definitely influenced his son to grow up as a man.

In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, Cassie Logan and her three brothers come to understand why the land they own means so much to their Papa. “Look out there, Cassie girl. All that belongs to you. You ain’t never had to live on nobody’s place but your own and long as I live and the family survives, you’ll never have to. That’s important. You may not understand that now but one day you will. Then you’ll see.”

In the classic, Roots, by Alex Haley, the fathers in this family saga were strong, inspite of captivity, slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation. Who can ever forget the handing down of the story of the “Old African” from generation to generation?

In All in the Family, anthology, Janice Sims, Melanie Schuster, Maxine Thompson, the father, Mr. Johnson, is a modern day farmer, and a good father to his four daughters, which helps them pick good mates.

Murder on the Butt, Luke Jacobs, PI, City Park Murder, Luke Jacob, PI, City Park Murder, Ken Mask, M.D. As a private Investigator, the main character, Luke Jacob always reflects back to what his late police father would have done.

In A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry. Who can ever forget the pride reflected in the son’s face when his father, Walter, said, “We are very proud, and this is my son, who makes the sixth generation of our family in this country…” Also, the fact that his father stood up, refused to sell back the house to the bigoted neighbors, and did the right thing.

After all, isn’t that what African American literature is about? Showing us a way to live in the world with dignity, in spite of racism, bigotry and poverty?

Back to the seminar, at the end of the forum, these are some of the solutions we came up with for fathers.

1. Include God in your life as the head of your family.
2. Turn off the TV and the Internet and communicate with your children.
3. Take time to engage in old-fashioned pastimes such as bible studies, fishing, camping, bowling.
4. Take time to hug your children.
5. Tell your children you love them.

As for fathers who have been absent in your children’s lives, make time to become involved with your children, even if they are now adults. It is never too late.

Dr. Maxine E. Thompson is the owner of Black Butterfly Press, Maxine Thompson’s Literary Services, Thompson Literary Agency and http://www.maxineshow.com. She hosts Internet radio shows on http://www.artisfirst.com and on http://www.maxineshow.com. She hosted on Voiceamerica.com from 3/02 to 12/06 and is currently taking a break. She is the author of eight titles, The Ebony Tree, No Pockets in a Shroud, A Place Called Home, The Hush Hush Secrets of Writing Fiction That Sells, How to Publish, Market and Promote your Book Via Ebook Publishing, The Hush Hush Secrets of How To Create a Life You Love, Anthology, SECRET LOVERS, (with novella, Second Chances,) and Summer of Salvation. SECRET LOVERS made the Black Expression’s Book Club Bestselling list on 7-8-06 (after a 6-6-06 release date.) A new anthology, All in the Family, (Summer of Salvation) came out in April 2007. Another new anthology, Never Knew Love Like This Before,(her novella, Katrina Blues,) is due out in June 2007.

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Literature as common understanding suggests is a representative body of texts admired and appreciated for its formal properties as well as its thematic concerns, which most would term vaguely as artistic or even aesthetic. If asked on the relevance of literature the response would be that the study of literature is akin to appreciating the arts.

However, in the past few decades the notion of literature has itself been called into question by progressive theoretical debates, which if anything have made it impossible to decide what literature is and should be. The point that relegates literature to a subordinate position as opposed to the other humanities like history, is the problematic term of fiction. Today after the collapse of idealism, what we have in a strange twist of events is the return of the importance of language. Perennial questions like what is truth and reality are once again thrown up, this time in the study of literature. Where philosophy and later science, its successor have dominated this field of inquiry, literature seems to be this new platform for these very old questions.

Literature in the mid 20th century moved against its detractors in calling into question all forms of knowledge, because all discourses utilize language inevitably as the main vehicle of communication. As a result, all writings from political theories to psychology are regarded simply as different species of writing and hence, come under the purview of literature. Since literary studies involves analysing writing itself, the field has widened to include other forms of writing instead of what is simply deemed as fiction. Although, the core texts of literary studies have remained traditional i.e. ‘fictional’ works, the methods and devices used are applied to non-fictional texts e.g. biography, journalistic writing etc.

Another point must be added in literature’s recent response to sceptics and that is, since all writing must pertain to a recognisable form of expression, the question remains then, how valid is the truth content of so called non-fictional texts, when it is governed by pre-existing rules of expression? This discussion is an apt example of the fertile ground of modern literary theory, in particular, the relationship between language and experience. Instead on dwelling on these modern issues of how a discourse like literary theory evolved out of the confusion of other disciplines, perhaps a historical look at literary studies must be revived; not in a nostalgic sense, but one that provides a definable shape where the future relevance of literature can be sought.

The study of literature is the study of modes of communication. The texts that are analysed and discussed are literary texts. It can include any writing of stylistic merit and works that contribute to the body of human knowledge. The aim of which is to use this method of inquiry in other fields. I have just outlined a position of literary studies that seems novel but in truth, it is an older attitude.

The study of literature did not exist in the way we know it today. In some ways, it is a very modern discipline, but it can also be said to be one of the oldest disciplines. If we allow ourselves to include the oral tradition of the ancient world, where poets studied the methods of narrating ‘stories’, we understand there is a formal method to those ancient works. These poets had ‘formalised’ techniques in the form of rhythms and refrains, which were learnt and subsequently, performed. The fact that the earliest poets understood devices and techniques is evidence of literary methods. A modern may still make this association that the study of literature is connected to the act of performance in all its manifestations. Indeed, a craftsman must learn the tools of the trade to understand and preserve a tradition, which scholars, in the case of ancient Greece have attributed to Homer, but in the modern day context the study of literature has lost that affinity for creating artistic products. Studying literature does not necessarily result in the production of great literature (whatever that may be).

Literature in the ancient world was inextricably bounded up with social life. We know for instance that poetry was part of religious ritual, rites and collective history. In other words, literature had a social function in the ancient world whose dominant form was poetry, which communicated to the community various aspects of its tradition and history. But what purpose does it serve to our present age, when we can read history from books and learn about the world around us through the media? The answer to this question lies in the way we should receive and look at writings. To explain this I will touch on the academic heritage of literature.

The study of literature was embedded in another related discipline called rhetoric, which in its scope covered a range of topics that to the modern may be shocking. These include philosophy, grammar, history and literary writing. Although in the contemporary context it has acquired a derisive status as being ‘empty’ and persuasive rather than sincere, the ancient and medieval world regarded it as a discipline that encompasses a range of issues.

Central to rhetoric is the study of language akin to our modern day literary studies. If we move ahead to the Renaissance era rhetorical studies expanded into the area of studying the styles and forms of classical authors, including the ideas from Plato to Aristotle in the original Greek. This pivotal moment in Western history is what we define as the Renaissance and the approach is what is called humanism. In the curriculum of universities in Europe in the 14th and 15 the centuries, we have what is called studia humanitatis, the study of grammar, poetry, moral philosophy and history. Interestingly, professional rhetoricians considered these areas under the compass of rhetoric. Rhetoricians who specialised in the study of language whether for its use in political speeches or philosophy saw the importance of the mastery of style. Herein lies a very important point, the rhetoricians saw in language the capacity and potential of knowledge. In other words, knowledge and language are inextricably bounded up together. The world becomes the very words we use to describe it. This may sound very postmodern but its roots are arguably founded on an earlier tradition. Though those scholars believed they were discovering new things out there, they were in fact discovering newer forms of writing.

The key point here is that literary studies is embedded in areas which one may not associate it with. Rhetoric was not the study of highly ornate speech, something similar to the charge against literature. Instead, it covered a broad spectrum of interests. Of course rhetoric and literature are different but the resemblance is striking. The common denominator between both fields is the analysis of language. This does not involve cataloguing types of writing but it goes further into developing ideas from them. The impact of such an endeavour can be seen in the Renaissance period of the Western world. Language and the world of ideas are interdependent components and not mutually exclusive. When we say ideas, we mean all forms of knowledge, from politics to psychology. In the ancient world, the stoics for instance understood logic from language. Language thus is the basis of knowing and the study of which becomes of paramount importance for the development of thought in the respective fields of knowledge.

A separate branch then evolved from rhetoric, philology. This branch is involved in the study of the use of language and the root derivations of meanings from words. An important fact here again like rhetoric, it is the study of writings from politics, philosophy, scientific treatises etc. The eclectic selection of texts included in the study of philology produced sometimes astonishing individuals like, Friedrich Nietzsche, arguably the most influential philosopher on the 20th century who was a trained philologist. This shows the relationship between the analysis of language and ideas. I am not suggesting that literature is philosophy or politics, but on the contrary I am suggesting that literature informs other disciplines.

Today, in the study of English Literature, the analysis of language is what is studied, applied and researched. This is something that contemporary philosophy and theoretical perspectives are engaged with. Literature then is the study of human experiences as much as intellectual ideas of a period, civilization and culture. It then becomes apparent, that literature is derived from older academic disciplines of rhetoric and philology whose traditions are embodied in Literature. It is also pivotal for those studying other disciplines to understand a literary approach, which entails the analysis of language itself. When we compare this with the prevalent modern day stereotype of literature as a noble and elegant way to use up one’s time, we find a disparity between what the discipline offers and how it is regarded. For those still grappling with the significance of literature, it can best be understood as a meta-discipline whose application in other fields I believe is indispensable to the progress of human thought and development.

If we sum up the perspectives offered here in this modest piece, we find that literature includes any form of writing in its purview and it is studied for the purpose of evaluating stylistic innovations and accumulating a body of knowledge from writings. There is a third coordinate that I have failed to mention and that is the manner of reading the text. A text is never literary but is made literary by a reader. The study of literature is not a simple accumulation of devices and facts but it shapes our way of interpreting the world. Literary methods provide a fresh and creative way of looking at the world which is at once imaginative and disciplined. It is this strange marriage of the rational and irrational that proves to be challenging to those who embark on this journey. Moreover, what better approach can we be armed with in facing the realities of this world than with a paradoxical attitude.

Mohamed Jeeshan G.Rhttp://www.idle-eye.com

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