When it comes to books, they have such a positive impact on the readers. Especially when it comes to child development and even adulthood. Inside children’s literature there is so much going on the it can take you on an amazing adventure. You can also be given many life lessons when reading. As you are reading certain stories, you are able to learn about the history and culture. You may even come across some stories that have been passed down from many generations. One thing everyone should know is children’s literature is important when it comes to child development. It allows children to open their minds and use their imagination at a much great level. With children’s literature, anything is possible to children.
Children’s literature is a great way to help with language development. This can be taught to children at a very young age. When you read them a story, you are helping them to develop their speech. They may not be able to fully understand right away, but it is a start for them. Some books that help with language development are number books and alphabet books. When parents read these types of books to their children, they are teaching them how to count and to learn letters so they can create sentences and words as they get older. These types of books plant a sort of seed in the child’s mind that will help them learn as they grow.
One book that comes to mind when I think of language development is the “ABC” book by Dr. Seuss. I believe this is a great book for children to learn letters and strengthen their motor skills. Dr. Seuss was an amazing writer. He was able to take the words he wrote and make them into a fun lesson for younger children. He had the help of playful characters. Also adding the bright colors and rhyming words helped to draw in readers and allow them to connect more with the story. Will all these things added together, Dr. Seuss was able to teach children how to make words, develop some sentences, and even learn a few things about life.
Children’s books are usually filled with so much wonder, adventure, and imagination. The children end up getting so caught up with the story. Imagination is a great thing to have and when you are a child you have so much of it. So when they are able to read books, they allow their imagination to open up and expand. They are able to go into the world of the story they are reading and enjoy life as if they were a character themselves. With the help of imagination and children’s literature, children can believe that nothing is that far out of reach or impossible.
In the book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” written by Lewis Carroll, I feel as though it is a book that can really open up a child’s imagination. You have some funny characters put into a place never seen before and words are said in such odd ways. Like when Alice says, “I must be shutting up like a telescope” (Carroll, 1865, Chapter 1). Such an odd way to say she is getting smaller. And there are situations that no one would imagine to happen in real life. Like when Alice comes across a caterpillar that can talk. I believe that when a child reads this book, they will immediately get sucked in. They will be able to use their imagination and become one of the characters in the story that goes on some crazy adventures. While using their imagination throughout the book, they may be able to learn some lesson along the way as well.
Gender roles play a part sometimes in stories as well. And though we shouldn’t assume roles to genders, it happens often in books. Especially in the book “Beauty and the Beast” written by Marie LePrince de Beaumont. Beauty is portrayed as a simple minded beauty who spends most of her time with her head in a book (LePrince de Beaumont, 1756, ). But she is just a sweet girl who is loving and caring, but she also has dreams to be more. Another character that is victim to gender roles is the Beast. The writer portrays the Beast as a “frightful beast” (LePrince de Beaumont, 1756, ) who is coldhearted. But really the Beast is just misunderstood and Beauty is able to see so much more in him. When children read this book they will see there is more to the eye than beauty. You just have to be able to look beyond all of that.
I believe books create another view on things and not one person will see them the same as another person would. Especially children who see things differently than adults do. Children tend to have a more open mind and go with the flow. Adults tend to pick at the details. I definitely believe that children’s literature is helpful when it comes to a child’s development and their learning process. Books are able to teach you almost anything and children pick up on that.