In Conclusion....

Task 4: Present research findings.

The Evolution of Children’s Stories.

In researching the evolution of children’s stories I explored many aspects of storytelling through many different time periods from the early 15 century up to today, 2011. My research  areas altered as I progressed as delving into why changes happened opened up new areas of investigation

I started my research with the first way children’s stories started, although they weren’t specifically aimed at children at the time. The next logical leap was the first printed children’s stories. They were not really stories for children’s’ enjoyment but more of instruction manuals on ‘good behaviour’. I then took a more modern look on classic fairy tales and how they have changed and manipulated over the course of history, the main culprit being the Disney Corporation and their ‘cookie cutter’ version of the original tales. When lamenting the change of fairy tales I also noticed a lot of the classic children books my parents and grandparents and I have enjoyed are now being  censored and whittle down by people who march in the “Political Correctness’ Army. I closed my finding with a list of ‘controversial’ children’s books, that in my point of view shouldn’t be  banned, it should be up to parents to chose materiel they think is appropriate for their own children and not push their feelings onto all readers.

I have realized that throughout my blogs I have presented a somewhat biased opinion, but I am pushed by what interests me as it is human nature that most of the information I take in is that which appeals to me and what I wish to share with others.

Children Stories in Voice and Print...

The article from the Atlantic by  Hewins. C.M starts  of by saying the literature for children was in comparison to literature in general, a late development.  From my school history class I learnt that before books the first stories were shared orally as they were not affordable for everyone so a lot of stories got passed around. People told stories for centuries before writing was invented. Children's books, like adult books emerged from these oral traditions. Every culture has used storytelling to pass on traditions and beliefs to future generations. Tales had to be told in such a way that they would be remembered. In the middle Ages storytellers could be seen in the market places and were honoured members of in royal court.

Nursery rhymes were also rich with the oral story telling tradition. All of those little clap-hand games and ditties I sang a 1000 times annoying everyone in the vicinity actually had historical meanings!! According to a YouTube Clip from an old Disney cartoon and information from The Encyclopedia Britannica, a lot of songs we sing in kindergarten have direct links to historic events! London Bridge did actually burn down and Mary Mary quiet contrary was Mary Queen of Scots.

Mother Goose- which is being "exposed" in this clip was actually one of the first books in print for Children's enjoyment. Before that books were only religious guides on moral behaviour and were normally in the forms of chapbooks which were good because it got literature out there, More people during this time were learning to read but the chapbooks were also popular with people because they  had pictures to get their meanings across. Basically a Middle Ages version of a Children's comic.- but not as exciting as Spiderman or The Avengers.

Issues to be further researched:

• How stories that were designed for adults got manipulated through time to be classic children's tales.
• Public reaction to published literature designed specifically for children's enjoyment.

Disney as a Storyteller,  Political Correctness Seeping into Kids books and Controversial Children's books....

Type 'Disney' into YouTube and you will be bombarded by people expressing their dismay through clips of the all encompassing evil power of Disney! While I don't go that far I do despair at the loss of the Original Fairytale. The brothers Grimm wrote stories of high adventure and for all ages but  editors  started "fixing" things. Tales gradually got softer, sweeter, and primly moral... all with the trusty "Happily Ever After". Disney present this in 99.9% of their animated films.  An article from the Socialist Review also brings up an analysis of a particular favourite 'The Little Mermaid'  which watching with a critical eye, basically give the message to young girls - "Keep quiet and be beautiful and you'll become the ultimate housewife and live happily ever after." In comparison in the original tale of the little mermaid, the Mermaid comes to the party too late and the Prince marries another. She becomes one with the sea again as she is transformed into sea foam... while this ending isn’t all happy is teaches a lesson about being true to yourself and thinking about your actions before you jump straight into something, which is lost in the sappy Disney Version. I found I agreed with some of the findings that the original tales are better, because if they had the stuff to last orally through the generations they had to be able to capture the hearts and imagination of kids all over the world and they would also had to relate to them as well, as always having a happy ending wdoesn't actually relate to the real world.

Other great stories are being lost in political correctness...
 
The most noticeable for me is Enid Blyton, whose books are being modernized for kiddies
today, including names changes for characters, different jobs, different lives all because it not deemed fit for ‘modern society’. But what people forget is the books being written within the context of her time. She wrote about the childhood she knew, which was middle-class, and created her fiction with characters that belonged to the era in which she lived.

Children, by and large, want to be thrilled and excited by stories that move ineluctably towards a happy ending. Enid Blyton’s talent is to engross the most recalcitrant or tentative young reader in tales that do just that: in Blyton, the good triumph and the bad are punished they dont notice things like schooling or class status, They just like the adventure of the book, so its not for them that the changes are taking place, as Barbara Stoney said 'The fact is that no child has been rendered racist or sexist by reading Enid Blyton'. I think

"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”—G.K. Chesterton.

Most people grew up with classic tales that had not been changed at all, its not like we make revise Charles Dickens and cut out all the child labour- just because it isn't done anymore. The stories are what children like and they may be able to understand the contrast from todays time if they are old enough, so they are learning and understanding things.

Books that have been on warning....

 

A lot of books are banned or touched up in libraries, I have gone through a list of controversial books and I think the ones I have listed here are worthy of a second glance and are a good read. It’s just unfortunate that some people don’t think so. With kids lives changing and the term family taking on new meanings shouldn’t kids read about them and as it’s increasing something they will be exposed to in their future. Titles include books that are subtlety about homosexuality, diversity and have natural nudity in them. I think it should be up to the parents what books their children to read and if they don’t like a particular book they shouldn't read it. I think banning it is censorship and is taking away other people’s rights to read them. I found stories that teachers have been forced out of their communities and jobs over sharing certain books with kids, which I think is very extreme. It’s not like a 10 minute book is going to cause too much emotional damage on a child, even if it doesn’t follow the parent’s moral code. They will have forgotten it in a day as kids are always moving on and learning new things. I think people should have an open mind about children's books because the typical family is changing and children are learning about families of all kinds.

And Tango Makes Three - Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell.

  
This is a YouTube video of one of the most Controversial books in America. It’s not Mein Kampf, not Mao's Little Red Book, not some violent graphic novel. It’s about a Penguin family....

Issues to be further researched:

• Psychological effects on children if fairy tales are too scary.
• Children Stories at the movies- it might be a new tradition passed on by generations
• Role of family in children's books.
• Parental supervision regarding children’s reading

In final conclusion...

Children's literature has changed and matured from its early beginnings as instruction manuals on good behaviour. There will always be someone with an opinion against something, but the most important thing is that children keep reading and opening their minds to a world of imagination.

References:


Maio, Kathy 1999.Women, Race & Culture in Disney's movies. Viewed 3 november 2011.
http://www.newint.org/easier-english/Disney/diswomen.html


Hewins. C.M 2010, The History of Children’s Books,  The Atlantic Issue 1888, Viewed 30 September 2011,
< http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1888/01/the-history-of-children-apos-s-books/6098/1/>.


Dal6 2009, A Sketch of the History of Children's Literature, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9le18qWScA


Children’s literature. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/111289/childrens-literature>.


The Secret History of the Nursery Rhyme, n.d, Viewed 30 September 2011  http://www.rhymes.org.uk/nursery-rhyme.htm.


Giroux, Henry A. Animating Youth: the Disnification of Children's Culture. Socialist Review 24:3 (1995), pp. 23-55. Reprinted as "A Disneyzacao Da Cultura Infantil," in Tomaz Tadeu Da Silva and Antonio Flavio Moreira, eds. Territorios Contestados (Brazil: Vozes, 1995), pp. 49-81. Viewed on 30 October 2011. http://www.henryagiroux.com/online_articles/animating_youth.htm


Stoney, Barbara. Mail online. 2006. Last viewed on 1st November 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-392400/Row-faster-George-The-PC-meddlers-chasing-us.html


Paton, Graham. 2009. Traditional fairytales not "PC" enough.  The telegraph online. Viewed 3 Novemeber 2011http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/4125664/Traditional-fairytales-not-PC-enough-for-parents.html


Hooper, Sara. 2007. And Tango made three. Viewed on 2nd November 2011. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6440187.html


johnmarkstratford 2009, And Tango Makes Three. Viewed 2 November 2011 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyPjUa908hM&feature=related

Controversal childrens books

A lot of books are banned or touched up in libraries, I have gone through a list of controversial books and I think the ones I have listed here are worthy of a second glance and are a good read. It’s just unfortunate that some people don’t think so. With kids lives changing and the term family taking on new meanings shouldn’t kids read about them and as it’s increasing something they will be exposed to in their future.

This is a Top 5 list of books you should give a second chance. I think people have wrongly judged these books and the people who have tried to share them with kids have been threatened with their jobs!
 
And Tango Makes Three - Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell: Tango is adopted by two gay penguins.  An article from the School Library Journal states that a “A Southwick, MA, school librarian says she fears losing her job after introducing a class of second graders to And Tango Makes Three —the fictionalized children’s picture book based on two real-life male penguins at New York’s Central Park Zoo. In the book, the penguins share a nest like other penguin couples and together nurture a fertilized egg, then raise the chick.”

The Story of Babar -Jean de Brunhoff: Racist and disparaging to animals.
The books are written in a charming and appealing style with an attention to detail which captivates both children and adults. Underneath they could be seen as a justification for colonialism, with the benefits of French civilization being visited on the rustic African elephant kingdom. Some writers, such as Herbert R. Kohl and Vivian Paley argued that, although the books are superficially delightful, the stories are politically and morally offensive.”

Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak: Witchcraft and supernatural elements as well as a spirited child. Having a story about a small child throwing a tantrum for the benefit of his mother was not a story you were going to find in children’s literature before the 1960s, because children weren’t supposed to yell at their mothers. The idea that children experience rage and that it’s a natural part of their psyche was a new idea to children’s picture books. This is why some people were afraid of Where the Wild Things Are when it was first published.”

Nappy Hair - Carolivia Herron: Taken as a racist book, a 27 year old teacher transfers schools after reading this book to her class. The book celebrates the differences and unique attributes of black people. Yet, when white teacher Ruth Sherman read this book to her third-graders she was pilloried by black and Hispanic community members who had not read the book.

In the Night Kitchen - Maurice Sendak: A young boy is naked.
In the Night Kitchen proved controversial on its releasewith some librarians and teachers reacting to Mickey’s nudity by removing the book from the shelves or covering the child’s genitalia with pen or tape. The book continues to appear on lists of banned or challenged books, somewhat to the consternation of those who can find nothing disturbing or “sexual” in the nudity of such a young child as Mickey appears to be.”

I found this clip on banned books and controversal books and I feel it sums up my thoughts on the issue. I used a few lists to compose my Top 5, and found many different points of view. I was pretty biased in my research, and next time I think I should find opinions from both sides of the page.

References:

Hooper, Sara. 2007. And Tango made three. Viewed on 2nd November 2011. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6440187.html

Scubagrrll. 2010. 2009 Banned Children's Books Presentation. Viewed on 2nd November 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tinMGVVWI4

Political Correctness within Childrens books

Politcal Correctness Gone Mad!
Classic innocent stories are being corrupted.... by people (ADULTS) today with modern ideas. Classic characters like Noddy and Big Ears are being vilified because when they were written, nobody thought twice about guys being friends and living in the same house and most kids today wouldn’t think twice about it either!

Enid Blyton has been hit with many modern day versions of her stories, names changed, characters living different lives all because it not deemed fit for ‘modern society’. But what people forget is the books being written within the context of her time. She wrote about the childhood she knew, which was middle-class, and created her fiction with characters that belonged to the era in which she lived.

In The Adventurous Four, she wrote about a 15-year-old boy called Andy who worked with his father full-time, as a fisherman. But it has been changed Andy should, in fact, be in full-time education, so the story now ensures that he is not guilty of reprehensible truancy. Now he is at his school desk all day and only helps Dad at weekends.

Why???? We don’t go after Dickens to take out all references to child labor. We'll have Oliver Twist pursuing a full-time education until the age of 16, before leaving to take up a 'work experience' post with Mr. Sowerberry the undertaker.
The Famous Five are famously intrepid explorers. One adventure takes them into the dark recesses of a series of caves. Surely they shouldn't be permitted to take such risks? What of the danger of falling rocks, hypothermia?

Surely the errant Five should be safely at home, experiencing their adventures vicariously through their computer screens?

Well, of course they shouldn't. Children, by and large, want to be thrilled and excited by stories that move ineluctably towards a happy ending. Enid Blyton’s talent is to engross the most recalcitrant or tentative young reader in tales that do just that: in Blyton, the good triumph and the bad are punished. As Barbara Stoney, Enid Blyton's official biographer said ‘It is all palpable madness. The fact is that no child has been rendered racist or sexist by reading Enid Blyton’
So I don’t understand why people get their knickers in a knot when the stories keeps the kids engrossed in adventures and maybe teach them about different aspects of people’s lives in period before they were born.


Most of my research for this subject and the previous page on Disney came from popular opinion within my life, through family and friends and through social media. One of my greatest resources was from the people who read them. I found out how people are feeling through, blogs, facebook and even a bit of twitter. There are sooooo many YouTube videos about the evilness of Disney... I actually got a bit scared of mind control influences that big companies may have been using on me. But I have also heard from my elders, my Grandparents and parents their despair at the classic tales they read as they were growing up, being vilified at not being politically correct enough for today’s generation. But if our parents learned lessons and morals from them the same lessons and morals are still in the stories.... without having to change them.

Noddy from Toyland.... Is this guy Corrupting your Kids????
http://blog.inkyfool.com/2011/07/poop-noddy.html

References:Stoney, Barbara.  Mail online. 2006. Last viewed on 1st November 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-392400/Row-faster-George-The-PC-meddlers-chasing-us.html

Noddy from toyland, 2011. Last viewed on 1st November 2011.
http://blog.inkyfool.com/2011/07/poop-noddy.html