Evaluating children's books

What makes a good children's book? Who will read it? Why? Whose purposes will it serve? All these are important considerations to be taken up. The primary concern of evaluation, however, is a book's literary and aesthetic qualities. Children show what they think of books through their responses, but they are not born critics in the conventional sense.

The traditional criteria by which we evaluate a work of fiction look at such elements as plot, setting, theme, characterization, style, point of view, and format. Special criteria need to be applied to different types of literature, such as picture storybooks, biographies, and informational books. Additional criteria are also needed to evaluate certain forms of fiction. For example, modem fantasy has to establish believability in a way that realistic fiction does not. Historical fiction requires added criteria for authenticity of setting. Perhaps the most important task for critics of any age is to identify the kind of book they are reading in order to apply the appropriate criteria for evaluation. How important is knowledge of these literary elements for evaluating a book? Clearly, an awareness of who (character) is doing what (plot) where (setting) and for what purpose (theme) is basic to the most literal level of comprehending a story. The more a reader understands the personality and motives of character or the details of the time and place in which the story occurs, the more complete the reader's understanding and appreciation of the story will be. And recognizing the contrasting theme and mood of stories comes with understanding at the higher levels of comprehension.

Plot

Plot, the action of the story, is an essential literary element. A children's book may have beautiful illustrations, attractive characters, a noble theme, a fascinating setting, and all the other qualities that characterize good literature. But to the child, one question is paramount: does the book tell an exciting, interesting, or entertaining story?

Narrative stories usually follow a fairly well-defined plot structure. There is a beginning, in which the scene is set and the characters are introduced. Characters are developed and action rises through the middle of the plot. The plot reaches its climax with conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist. Sometimes the conflict can be between the character and other people, between the character and nature, between the character and social values, or between the character and him/herself. In most children's stories the plot concludes with the successful resolution of the conflict and ends with the speedy tidying up of loose details. In most children's stories, the plot proceeds in this fairly linear fashion, although some authors use flashbacks effectively to develop action.

Setting

Setting provides the "story stage". It involves the time in which a story takes place, from the past of historical fiction to the future of science fiction. It also includes the place in which the action occurs, from as specific a location as New York City subway tunnels to as generic a setting as a suburban middle school.

Setting is a vitally important literary element because a story derives its credibility and authenticity from the time and place in which it occurs. Authors of good children's stories carefully craft the time and place so that the stories, even if they are fantasies, become truly believable. The same can be said for illustrators, who must carefully design their illustrations to reflect faithfully and realistically the settings that they represent.

Theme

Theme reaches beyond the other literary elements and extends into the author's purpose in writing a story. Theme has been variously described as: the author's interpretation of the events about which he or she is writing; the "focal point" for the setting, characters, and the episodes that make up the plot; "the interconnecting thread that brings all the elements together in wholeness and harmony"; the ultimate outcome that emerges from the literary experience. In a word, theme involves the essential meaning of a piece of literature.

Children's books can have more than one layer of meaning. On one level, E. B. White's enormously popular Charlotte's Web is an animal fantasy about a spider who saves the life of a pig; on another, it is a strong statement about friendship; on a third level, it can be seen as a commentary on the cycle of life and death. Some see С S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as an allegorical tale involving deep religious meaning, but even without ascribing any religious meaning to the story, one can enjoy it as a highly imaginative and philosophical adventure.

A single story can have more than one theme. The theme may be a moral one, involving acceptance of others. It may be psychological, an observation about a personality that forbids traits unlike its own. It may be sociological, an observation about peer group behavior in a suburban neighborhood. The theme may unify all these fields of inquiry, as well as some others.

Many children's stories have a moral. In traditional folk literature, virtues such as kindness, patience, and perseverance are always celebrated. Much contemporary children's literature also focuses on some ethical or social value as well. But in good literature, the moral is understated; the theme emerges naturally from the story. Like the message in all good literature, it emerges from the context of the story and is not added on as a mini sermon.