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A Critical Handbook of Children's Literature (review)

1977; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 1; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/chq.0.0602

1553-1201

Malcolm Usrey,

Themes in Literature Analysis

Reviewed by: A Critical Handbook of Children's Literature Malcolm Usrey Rebecca Lukens . A Critical Handbook of Children's Literature. Scott, Foresman, 1976. A few days ago, a student in one of my children's literature classes came to get help with her term paper, a critical analysis of one of Elaine Konigsburg's books. In looking over the paper, I noticed references to Rebecca Lukens' A Critical Handbook of Children's Literature; and when I asked Susan what she thought of it, she said, "I found it very helpful with lots of insight." Susan expressed simply two of the virtues of Mrs. Lukens' recent book, for from the first chapter to the last, it is helpful and perceptive. A Critical Handbook is helpful because it fills a need that general textbooks do not as they lack the space to present the terms and supporting details that Mrs. Lukens does. It is one thing to say that plot is "what happens" in a book, but it is another to explain the ramifications of plot in several pages with examples drawn from familiar children's books. Mrs. Lukens gives many critical terms and their meanings, but what makes her book unique is that she uses children's literature to exemplify the terms and definitions with more of them than in most textbooks on children's literature. That she has chosen her examples from well-known and distinguished books for children is one of its most helpful features. Such exemplification makes the book more meaningful and functional for students—and for professors—who may not be familiar with the large number of less-known children's books and who will usually be familiar with most of the books Mrs. Lukens uses for illustration. The book presents its information in considerable detail in ten chapters of 200 pages while most textbooks devote only a few paragraphs, or at best, one chapter to the principles of evaluative criticism. Among others, Mrs. Lukens has chapters about character, plot, setting, theme, point of view, style, and tone, and each chapter follows a similar format, beginning with a definition of the topic, then presenting the various aspects of the topic, explaining its functions and importance to literature, and concluding with how to evaluate the topic in children's books. At the same time, Mrs. Lukens shows how each topic functions in all kinds of books from traditional folk tales to modern fantasy and realism. For example, in chapter five, she defines theme, describes several kinds of themes found in children's books, shows how to evaluate themes, and also includes a discussion of didactic themes in children's books. Tone, style, and point of view are aspects of literature difficult to explain to students, yet Mrs. Lukens has taken these three topics and explained them satisfyingly, citing several examples reflecting the different facets of these topics. In the chapter on point of view, she presents the various view points a writer may choose and explains the value and function of each in specific kinds of books. Her examples are fine essays in miniature, revealing not only the function and value of point of view, but also explaining how it can contribute to the overall quality and artistry of a book. We may realize, for example, that Meindert DeJong's The House of Sixty Fathers is a remarkably good book, but how many of us have taken the time to appreciate the fact that it is DeJong's use of a "consistent, child-like point of view" that helps to make it the good book it is? In the chapter on style, Mrs. Lukens shows how Scott O'Dell uses figurative language in The Island of the Blue Dolphins appropriate for a girl of Karana's background and knowledge: "Karana's brother Ramo has eyes 'half-closed like those of a lizard lying on a rock about to flick out its tongue to catch a fly.' An invader's beard is combed until it 'shines like a cormorant's wing.' Karana says the enemy's mouth is 'like the edge of a stone knife.'" I wonder how many reading O'Dell's book note the just-right images...