Family Values through Children’s Literature, Grades K‐3

Citation

Hannabuss, S. (2001), "Family Values through Children’s Literature, Grades K‐3", Library Review, Vol. 50 No. 5, pp. 255-256. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.2001.50.5.255.2

Children’s literature embodies many human values, about growing up and facing up to things, coming to see someone else’s point of view, coping with loss and dealing with anger and jealousy. The values shine or peep through in many ways, and, historically, children’s literature was intended to keep them quiet and make them good, so the values were made very clear (often linked with morality and religion). The values of resilience, courage, working as a family against the odds, being proud of your heritage, being honest, all come through children’s writers like Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose Little House on the Prairie is given special treatment in Family Values, where a long appendix on how to create lessons and activities is provided. The main body of the book covers 11 areas of “value” with children’s books for readers K[indergarten] to stage 3 (primary level), providing a range of well‐chosen and generally available (publishing span 1980s to date) books (all US publications, no ISBNs or prices provided).

The approach is to identify suitable books because they embody particular values and recommend their use as resources in deliberately themed lessons, discussions and activities. Patricia Roberts is a former professor of education in California, and has published other works (including on alphabet books in the same Scarecrow series) in the children’s field. The “value” themes are acceptance, empathy, friendship, good deeds, honesty, morals, pride in heritage, respect for the elderly, responsibility, self‐reliance and sharing. Each section lists titles along with storylines, book talk discussions, activities, and further reading: the choice is very American but apt for all that (for example authors like Blume, Browne, King‐Smith, Purdy, Tomie de Paola, Steig, Seed), the activities practical on a limited budget and well‐targeted to reading and interest age of readers, and representing a wide range of multicultural and imaginative issues (sharing across the generations of a family, sharing problems, overcoming prejudice, being Jewish or Mexican or Chinese, living in a politically charged place, being afraid of the dark). Its main use is as a resource for teachers, librarians and others working with primary‐age children. The recommendations, techniques, and ideas all make reading rather directive, and values rather like commodities, but no harm for that if children actually enjoy the books and find talking about them is fun – and Family Values succeeds in getting that across.