TRENDS AND ISSUES IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

&hildren¶s literature is often defined as a collection of books written for children, read by children, and or written about children. %ut &hildren¶s literature is also read by adolescents, and adults. &hildren¶s literature is highest form of arts, extraordinary writing, and everything in-between. 7here are some other definitions which could describe children¶s literature which proliferate in written books, other written materials and online. &hildren¶s literature is a label for collections of texts that are specifically written and or illustrated for and or about youth as well as texts that are not specifically written and or illustrated for and or about youth but which youth choose to read, view, and or write. Adults are welcome to read children¶s literature too. &hildren¶s literature provides encounters with the world that shape the meaning children make of the world .iefer, +epler, +ickman, +uck, . +aving a vicarious or ³lived through´ experience with literature, builds readers¶ aesthetic responses and perceptions Rosenblatt, . Reading literature increases one¶s sensitivity to the power of the written word 6ipe, and contributes to visual expression %renner, 6ipe, . )or these reasons, adults study children¶s literature as scholars, critics, educators, librarians, entrepreneurs, and social commentators. 6ince the beginning of time, adults have entertained children with stories and fables. )rom these folktales developed an elaborate tapestry of children's literature. 7oday children's literature encompasses multiple genres and appeals to readers of every age. &hildren¶s literature is important, because it provides students with opportunities to respond to literature it gives students appreciation about their own cultural heritage as well as those of others it helps students develop emotional intelligence and creativity it nurtures growth and development of the student¶s personality and social skills it transmits important literature and themes from one generation to the next. &hildren literature is greatly influenced by popular culture. 8nfortunately, popular culture has become a culture of consumption and there lies the danger. &hildren's books seem to be an offshoot of popular culture rather than a creative alternative. 7he basic narrative desire in children is hugely exploited by a crude culture industry which churns out toys and games, films and advertisements, computer games and cartoons, maga]ines, and comic strips through the all-pervasive media - print, television, and the world wide web. Giant toy and media businesses continue to tap children's need for narrative fantasies with unerring accuracy and cunning. 6uch as 'isney, %arbie and so on. Popular culture is the response to narrative desires, but at an often crude and clumsy level. Many parents worry about the 'bad' influence of film and 79, constant demand for certain kinds of toys and games and feel helpless to do anything about it in the face of the strong appeal of these narratives to children. 7he status of children's literature is a lament, comparing with other literature styles in the realm of literature. In India children's literature seems to belong outside the realm of literature. 7hey are more in the category of textbooks whose role is to inform and improve reading skills. In some place, political powers seek to take moral and social control over children by pushing a clearly defined agenda through textbooks and the school curriculum. Mental and physical special needs, sexual or emotional abuse, disease, the presences of war, or several other social elements can be found in some exceptional books for children. 6ome of the content in children's literature are not positive. 6ome text and pictures are replete with racial, sexist, and communal overtones, not to mention the banal writing, poor and often wrong use of language, unedited use of age-inappropriate vocabulary and ideas, plainly chauvinistic or downright insensitive dialogue, blandly rendered narrative, decontextuali]ed perspective. )ormulaic narratives are common in children¶s literature. It is easy to find that boys play with guns and girls with dolls or their eTuivalents. 7he 7rends of children¶s literature increased numbers of adults reading children¶s books, like the +arry Potter phenomenon. Rapid growth of technology in all areas of publishing. As schools adopt computeri]ed managements reading programs, reading and books become less a means to enMoyment and discovering new information and more a matter of gaining points. :ith ebooks, children can easily highlight Tuotes and search the definition of an unfamiliar word. An entire collection of works can be stored in convenience of a single device. An increase in the publication of bilingual books to accommodate the rapid increase in second language learner students. Good books always can be spread around the world. Increased merchandising of book-related paraphernalia, such as games, craft kits, dolls, and doll accessories. Gender liberation has reached many genres in children¶s literature. In ancient folk tales, female leads are always shown as pious and virginal creatures. 1ot only that, but women are shown as dutiful and submissive a chance for independence does not exist, and the strapping male saves the heroine in distress. 6now :hite, who spent her time cleaning for men, is kissed and saved by a prince. &hildren¶s stories of today represent a much different take on feminism. Increasing dominance of illustration in children¶s books. Readers are becoming more visually oriented as they spend more time watching television and playing video games and spend less time reading.

-o2o7he author is 7eacher - III from 6enior +igh 6chool in Magalang 6tand Alone II Rodolfo 9. )eliciano Memorial +igh 6chool.