VARIOUS

INFLUENCES
WHICH IMPACT
CHILDRENS
LITERATURE
 “The more that you read, the
more things you will know. The
more that you learn, the more
places you'll go.”
– I Can Read with My Eyes
Shut!
By Dr. Suess
Children’s literature means anything which is particularly
written for children. Children 's books and literature designed for
language development in children encourage the beginning
reader to form a positive early literacy experience

Children all learn to read at their own pace; however, there are
several factors that help a child master the skills needed to read
successfully.
 4 factors that influences child literature

1. Classroom environment - A literacy-rich classroom

environment exposes children to written and oral language in a
wide variety of ways and gives children the opportunity to
develop their literacy skills.

2. Parental beliefs - time spent reading with a child and

vocabulary development all play a role in a child's literacy
development.
4 factors that influences child literature

3. Read Aloud - Reading out loud to a child frequently has a

significant impact on literacy development by exposing the
child to books and the function of print.
 
4. Vocabulary Development - Children must have a basic
understanding of vocabulary in order to acquire reading
skills, especially comprehension.
 
 Elements of Children and
Adolescents Literature
Literary elements are the things, parts or features that
compose all literary pieces, regardless of what genre that
piece belong (Robinson, 2019).
A. VERBAL ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE

I. Writer's Purpose
- Usually, the purpose of children and adolescents literature
is to persuade, inform, entertain, or a combination of these
things. As a reader, understanding the author's purpose
helps you evaluate bias and more thoroughly understand the
content.
A. VERBAL ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE

II. Plot
— is the order in which things move and happen in
a story.
This involves:
the beginning or exposition
conflict
rising action
climax
This involves:
falling action, and
resolution or denouement
 types of conflict:
• internal struggles within one's self
• external-struggles with a force outside one's self
Example of a plot:
A. VERBAL ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE

III. Characters
 A character is a person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story.
Writers use characters to perform the actions and speak dialogue,
moving the story along a plot line.

 In children’s literature, character is used to mean a person or

personified animal or object.
 Character Development - collection of features that
bring the character to life, inner and outer qualities.
 Revelation of Character occurs through the
character’s thoughts, conversations, actions and
behaviors; the author’s narration; or the thoughts of
other characters.
 Types of Characters

o Protagonist - central or main character, hero or heroine,

which the whole story revolves.

o Antagonist - the villain of the story. This character, or

group of characters, causes the conflict for the protagonist.
 Types of Characters

o Round Characters - Fully developed in the story—central

characters and protagonists.
o Flat Characters - Less important characters, but essential
to the action.
o Dynamic Characters - Changes in the course of the action.
 Types of Characters

o Static Characters - No change in the course of the story—

flat characters, stereotypes and foils (a minor character
whose traits are in direct contrast to the main character).
Importance of Characters
- Characters are what make stories. Without a
character, there is no story to tell, only a lot of
scenery. They can be used to help teach a lesson, to
entertain, to educate, and even to persuade, depending
on the author’s goal for the story line.
A. VERBAL ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE

IV. Setting
 The time and place (or when and where) of the story.
 May also include the environment of the story, which can
be made up of the physical location, climate, weather, or social
and cultural surroundings.
 Helps the reader visualize the events that take place.
A. VERBAL ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE

Characteristics of Setting
 Time identified as past, present or future
 Setting is developed through text or illustrations
 Setting provides details which reinforce the plot and
characterization
Types of setting
 Backdrop Setting
o The story is timeless and can happen at any point in
history or anywhere. The focus is on the lesson or
message being delivered.
 Integral Setting
o Time and place influence action, character and/or
theme. Characters behave in a given way because of
time and place
 Importance of Setting
- Setting creates clear depictions of time and place in a
story. It also creates mood and moves the story along.
Without setting, the plot line would be confusing and
boring. Without a setting, readers and viewers cannot
follow a story plot.
A. VERBAL ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE

V. Themes
 The idea that holds the story together or the author’s message to
the reader. it is the main idea or the central meaning of the story.

 Themes often deal with society, human nature, the human

condition, social issues, and good versus evil.
A. VERBAL ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE

 Authors reveals theme explicitly as well as implicitly.

 Stories usually have a cluster of themes which are often related.

 
A. VERBAL ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE

VI. Style

- Author’s choice and arrangement of words in order to

create plot, characterizations, setting, and theme.
 
 Devices of Style
 Connotation: Associative or emotional meaning of a word: usually
used to describe a character or situation.

 Imagery: the appeal of senses; to help create setting, establish

mood and character.

 Figurative Language: words used in a non-literal way, giving

meaning beyond the usual sense. Ex. Personification, Simile, or
Metaphor.
 Devices of Style
 Hyperbole: exaggeration used for humor or to make a point.

 Understatement: opposite of exaggeration; used to play down a

happening or situation.

 Allusion: tends to have more meaning or mature readers; relies on

a reference to something in our common understanding, our past,
or our literature.
 Devices of Style

 Symbol: something that operates on two levels of meaning,

the literal and figurative levels.

 Puns and Wordplays

 Devices of Sound

 Onomatopoeia: words that sounds like their

meaning.

 Alliteration: repetition of a similar vowel sound

within phrase.

 Consonance: close repetition of a consonant

sound within a phrase but not in the initial
position.
Here’s a sampling of some other recognizable shapes:
 romantic relationship
 friendship
 life
 trip
 puzzle
 game
 B. VISUAL ELEMENTS

I. Line - Artists use lines to suggest direction,

motion, energy and mood.
 Types of Line:
• Vertical lines- suggest lack of movement
.

• Horizontal lines- suggest calm, sleep,

stability, and an absence of strife
 Types of Line:
• Horizontal and vertical lines used in
combination- communicate stability
and solidity.

• Diagonal lines- suggest loss of balance

and uncontrolled motion.
 Types of Line:
• Jagged lines- suggest danger

• Curved lines and circles- seem less

definite and less predictable than
straight lines.
 Types of Line:
• ●Thin lines- suggest being delicate and
ephemeral

• Thick lines- suggest boldness and

strength.
 B. VISUAL ELEMENTS

II. Color - An extremely important element in book

illustration. Combining line and color is perhaps the most
common way in which artists convey mood and emotion in
picture books.
-Color has three main characteristics: hue (red, green, blue,
etc.), value (how light or dark it is), and intensity (how bright or
dull it is).
.
 B. VISUAL ELEMENTS

III. Shape – Shape is a way of composing and

revising a narrative, but it’s also a way of
interpreting a narrative.
 B. VISUAL ELEMENTS

IV. Texture
Texture is the visual description of a surface, or the tactile
sensation something presents. In an image, texture would
represent the surface qualities of a shape, such as dull or shiny,
while in a physical item it would be how the object feels to the
touch, such as rough or smooth.
 B. VISUAL ELEMENTS

V. Styles - a particular manner or technique by which

something is done, created, or performed.
-- In literature, style is the way in which an author writes and/or
tells a story. It’s what sets one author apart from another and
creates the “voice” that audiences hear when they read.
 B. VISUAL ELEMENTS

VI. Illustration - is the act of describing information or

ideas by example, usually in a visual manner in the form
of an image. Examples of illustrations include
photographs, paintings, drawings, and graphs.
C. OTHER STYLISTIC ELEMENTS

I. Musical Quality - Is the degree to which a language

conforms to certain phonemics and phonetic rules
which produce a pleasing melodious sound. These
rules included the sonority hierarchy vowel quantity
and pitch variation.
C. OTHER STYLISTIC ELEMENTS

II. Action - Is some form occur in every narrative Gustav

Freytag (1861-95) a 19th-century German writer,
proposed breaking down a plot into five key stages
Five Key Stages:

 Antecedent action/Exposition
 Rising Action
 Climax
 Falling action
 Denouement/Resolution
C. OTHER STYLISTIC ELEMENTS

III. Humor - is a literary tool that makes audiences

laugh, or that intends to induce amusement or laughter. Its
purpose is to break the monotony, boredom, and tedium,
and make the audience’s nerves relax.
Types of Humor

There are several types of devices that create humor. Humor is,
in fact, the end product and not the device itself. These devices
are:

 Hyperbole/Exaggeration  Surprise
 Slapstick  Incongruity
 Sarcasm  Irony
 Pun
C. OTHER STYLISTIC ELEMENTS

IV. Story Interest

 A feeling of wanting to learn more about something or
to be involved in something.
 Quality that attracts your attention and makes you want
to learn more about something.
C. OTHER STYLISTIC ELEMENTS

V. Variety of Subject matter

The subject matter of something such as a book, lecture,

film, or painting is the thing that is being written about,
discussed, or shown.
Different types of Subject matter are the following below:

1. Contemporary - contemporary refers to works of prose,

poetry, and drama published since 1945. Precisely, it
refers to postmodernism and what has come afterward.
Contemporary literature reflects social and political
viewpoints.
Different types of Subject matter are the following below:

2. Fantasy - from the Greek ϕαντασία meaning ‘making

visible,’ is a genre of fiction that concentrates on imaginary
elements (the fantastic). This can mean magic, the supernatural,
alternate worlds, superheroes, monsters, fairies, magical
creatures, mythological heroes—essentially, anything that an
author can imagine outside of reality.
Types of Fantasy:
Medieval
High/epic fantasy
Fairy tales
Mythological
Fables
Different types of Subject matter are the following below:

3. Mystery - The mystery genre is a genre of fiction that follows

a crime (like a murder or a disappearance) from the moment it is
committed to the moment it is solved. Mystery novels are often
called “whodunnits” because they turn the reader into a
detective trying to figure out the who, what, when, and how of a
particular crime.
Different types of Subject matter are the following below:

4. Historical novels - Historical fiction is a literary genre where

the story takes place in the past. Historical novels capture the
details of time period as accurately as possible for authenticity,
including social norms, manners, customs, and traditions.