School of Information Resources & Library Science
IRLS 695H
Information Resource Development
Spring 2004
Instructor: Tim Wadham, Ph.D.
Children’s Services Coordinator
Maricopa County Library District
Location: Burton Barr Central Library, Phoenix Public Library.
Class Hours 6:30-9:00 pm, Tuesdays
Office Hours: 5:30-6:30 Tuesdays (in classroom), other hours by appointment
E-mail/phone: Twadham@email.arizona.edu/602.506.5730
Course Objective:
The objectives of this course are:
Texts:
Read the following texts by the dates indicated on the syllabus. These titles should be available at most major bookstores and online. You are welcome to obtain them from your local library—don’t feel obligated to purchase them unless they are titles you would like to have in your personal library. Please make sure you have the books in time to read them before the date they are discussed in class. The quality of the class discussion will depend on your having read the books. If you have read any of these books in the past, I’d ask you to please re-read them so that they are fresh in your minds for the discussion. Because of the number of books I’m asking you to read, I would suggest you pace yourself and begin reading EARLY, preferably before the semester begins. Please also note that this list may be subject to some minor change based on the upcoming Newbery, Caldecott and other awards to be announced in early January 2004. I will update this syllabus prior to the first day of class if adjustment is necessary. Please check the syllabus on the SIRLS web site.
I’ve included both older and more recent classics on this list. You will note that there are a few extra books under Modern Fantasy. This is because of the need for you to have read books by the Arbuthnot lecturer, Ursula Le Guin, (I’ll explain more about this in class) as well as by Nancy Farmer who will be coming to the Arizona book Festival. The book Messenger, by Lois Lowry is a Spring, 2004 release, completing the trilogy begun with The Giver. I will be attempting to get a classroom set of advance reader copies, since it will NOT be available for purchase until sometime after class has started. We will be discussing Dear Genius on February 3rd. This is a long book, so I would recommend that you acquire it and begin reading it now.
In addition to the assigned books below, I would like you to read 30 additional children’s books of your own choosing. I have indicated the number of books in each category that I would like you to read along with the assigned titles. These titles can be read at any time during the semester and don’t need to be read to coincide with the class discussion.
General: Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom. Edited by Leonard S. Marcus
Classic Fiction: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
1 title of your choosing
Picture Books: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka
“Let’s Get a Pup!” said Kate by Bob Graham
Doctor DeSoto and Amos and Boris by William Steig
15 titles of your choosing, including 3 wordless or toddler books
Readers: Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel
3 titles of your choosing
Traditional Fantasy: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Translated by Randall Jarrell, Illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert
Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen and Bahija Lovejoy
3 titles of your choosing
Modern Fantasy: The Giver, Gathering Blue and Messenger by Lois Lowry
The Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, and The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Poetry: My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States, selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Whiskers and Rhymes by Arnold Lobel
1 title of your choosing
Realistic Fiction: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankeweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
Holes by Louis Sachar
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
2 titles of your choosing
Historical Fiction: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
Dawn of Fear by Susan Cooper
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muńoz Ryaan
1 title of your choosing
Series Books: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Young Adult Literature: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
1 title of your choosing
Biography: This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie by Elizabeth Partridge
1 title of your choosing
Informational: How Much is a Million? by David Schwartz
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong
2 titles of your choosing
Additional readings: Articles to be handed out in class.
Syllabus:
No Class—In lieu of this class period, you will be required to participate in the Arbuthnot Lecture on April 2 and the Arizona Book Festival on April 3
Introduction, Overview. Business Discussion. Assignment review.
Why read children’s books? What is the purpose of children’s literature? What makes a good book? What makes a bad book?
Genre. Booklists. Quality and Taste. Reading aloud.
Assignments: Finish reading Dear Genius and read assigned classic fiction for next class
Tuesday, February 3
History of children’s literature
Classic children’s literature
Awards and Prizes
Book Publishing
Children’s Books and entertainment media
Selection and evaluation of children’s books
Assignments: Read assigned picture books for next class
Tuesday, February 10
Books for younger readers
Board books, toddler books
The picture book
Assignments: Work on long term projects
Tuesday, February 17
Picture book selection: Art and Language
Assignments: Read assigned reader and traditional fantasy for next class
Book record sample due on February 24
Tuesday, February 24
Readers
Building a bridge from picture books to chapter books: format, audience, standards
Traditional fantasy
Assignments: Read assigned modern fantasy for next class
Book record sample due
Tuesday, March 2
Modern fantasy
Assignments: Read assigned poetry for next class
Proposed article topic, journal selection, and article submission guidelines due March 9
Tuesday, March 9
Modern fantasy continued
Poetry
Assignments: Book Talks begin after Spring Break
Read assigned realistic fiction and series book for March 23rd class
Proposed article topic, journal selection, and article submission guidelines due
Spring Break—No Class
Tuesday, March 23
Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Series books
Book Talks
Assignments: Read assigned historical fiction for next
class
Tuesday, March 30
Historical fiction
Book Talks
Assignments: No assignment, in lieu of weekend events
Friday, April 2
2004 Arbuthnot Lecture with Ursula K. Le Guin
7:00 pm, Paul V. Galvin Playhouse, ASU Campus
Arizona Book Festival with visiting authors Ursula K. Le Guin, Nancy Farmer and David Schwartz
10:00am-5:00pm, Carnegie Library Park, 1101 W Washington, Phoenix
Tuesday, April 6
Children’s books in public and school libraries
Book Talks
Assignments: Read assigned Young Adult literature for next class
Book lists due April 13
Tuesday, April 13
Young Adult Literature
Controversial books
Book Talks
Assignments: Book lists due
Tuesday, April 20
Professional materials
Book Talks
Assignments: Read assigned biography and informational books for next class
Final
reading record due April 27
Tuesday, April 27
Informational books
Magazines for young readers
Book Talks (if needed)
Assignments: Article assignment due May 4
Final book record due May 4
Presentation of articles
Assignments: Article assignment due
Final book record due
Assignments:
It is very important to me that assignments reflect in a practical way the sorts of things you will be doing in a real world setting with children’s books, whether in a school or a public library. Each of these assignments is something you would be doing as a practicing professional.
All students are required to:
1. Attend the 2004 Arbuthnot Lecture on April 2nd, and the Arizona Book Festival on Saturday, April 3rd
Value 10%
2. Reading Record. In addition to the assigned reading you are to read 30 books of your own choosing. The number of personal choice books in each category are noted along with the assigned reading at the beginning of the syllabus. Please don’t read books you have previously read. Each of you should keep a reading record that includes each book you read. The purpose of this assignment is for you as a children’s literature practitioner to begin keeping a permanent, individual record of the children’s books you have read. You should record all of the children’s books you read during the semester, including both the assigned texts and the 30 additional books of your choice. You will be amazed at how useful such a record will be. No matter how much you understand the importance of reading, you need to be able to lay your hands on good books to convince children that reading is a powerful, worthwhile activity. Long after this class, your reading record will immediately bring titles to mind and help convince the children, teachers and parents you work with that you are, indeed, brilliant. Hopefully at the very least your reading record will eliminate you having to spend the better part of an afternoon rummaging through library shelves for that vaguely remembered book. Because this record should be useful to you personally, you may choose the general format and organization. You may develop this record in whatever format you are most comfortable with, anything from 3x5 cards to a Microsoft Access database. What is important is that you include information that will be important to you. The basic pertinent information that your record should include for each book is:
Title
Place of Publication
Publisher
Publication Date
Type of Book (fiction, informational, etc.)
Genre (fantasy, realistic fiction, etc.)
Notes
Beyond this, I would strongly recommend that you include a plot summary and/or other notes that will help remind you of particular elements of the book you would like to remember. I sometimes find myself adding quotes or even page references for future reference.
Value 20%
Due: February 24—Submit sample book record in your chosen format to me for approval
April 27—Final book record due. If you have created your record in an electronic format, I will accept it electronically. I will also accept a printout.
3. Book Lists. In the “real” world you may very often find yourself making lists of books on particular topics (“What to read while you are waiting for the next Harry Potter book”, or “Books with easy science experiments” for example.) I’d like you to create a book list of no fewer than 15 children’s books on a topic of your choosing. The books ought to be for the same general age of children—children are your audience, and 6th graders probably won’t respond well to a list that includes “baby books” alongside books of interest to them. This booklist should be formatted either as a bookmark or trifold flyer that could be handed out from your desk.
Value 10%
Due: April 13
4. Book Talks.
As a practicing professional you may be in situations where you will be
doing formal or informal book talks for groups of children. The purpose of book talking is to be an
“enthusiastic book advertisement” and to get kids so excited about particular
books that they will have to go out and read them. Each student will be required to book-talk no fewer than two
related books for the class. These book
talks may not be on books assigned in class.
By “related” I mean that you should choose books that have some sort of
connection, whether it is through the author, the genre or whatever. Together, your book talks should be no
longer than 10 minutes at the most.
Author Joni Brodart has written a number of books about book talking,
should you need a resource.
Value 20%
Due: March 23-April 27 as assigned in class
5. Article. You are required to write an article focusing on some aspect of children’s literature based on the format requirements of a children’s literature journal of your choosing. You should select a particular journal, and examine several issues to see the types of articles and topics that the journal typically addresses. Your choice of journal may be influenced by the topic you wish to write about or vice versa. You must find out what the journals’ requirements are for article submissions. These are sometimes included in the journal. You might also need to contact the journal directly for this information. Write your article based on the specific requirements of the journal. Be prepared to discuss your article on the last day of class. I will be evaluating the final articles on suitability for actual submission to the journals. I’d like to see some published articles coming from this assignment.
Among the journals you might consider are:
The Horn Book
School Library Journal
VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
Children and Libraries
Value 40%
Due: March 9—Submit your article topic, journal choice, and article submission guidelines for that journal
May 4—Final Article
Please note:
Late work will lose one letter grade from the grade it would have gotten had it been turned in on time. However, the final project, the article, will not be accepted late.
Assignments are due no later than 6:30 pm (the beginning of class) on their assigned due date.
Please include your name at the top of all your assignments.
Grading Criteria:
A=90-100
B=80-89
C=70-79
D=60-69
F=59 and below
Code of Academic Integrity:
Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work they submit. The guiding principle is that all projects and papers must be the student's own work. For further understanding of this code please refer to the University of Arizona "Code of Academic Integrity" found on the University student pages.