Childrens Fiction Books | Children's Books

Childrens Fiction Books Carry Varied Themes

Traditional themes found in children’s fiction books published long ago have given way in recent years to more realistic topics faced by contemporary youth. Reading, the mere act, was once the domain of the privileged few who, through their economic station in life, could learn to read and have access to books. Themes of fantasy, adventure and morally-based religious instruction remained repeatedly chosen themes for much that appeared in children’s fiction books before universal child education gain a hold in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Even then, childrens fiction books still held onto traditional themes that usually presented adventurous tales beyond experienced reality or remained instructional in nature. As the world’s children readers grew in number, creating children’s fiction books became a popular publishing venture and themes took on more contemporary topics. Although swashbuckling tales remained popular with boys while less active, but highly romantic, themes of love, accomplishment, loyalty, association and achievement peppered through literature aimed at young girls, brave new authors began to explore a variety of children’s fiction book themes that were never mentioned in polite society.

Novels with themes like abandonment, orphaned, abused, divorce, cruelty, even violence and death were explored by many 20th century children’s fiction books writers, especially in the past 25 years or so.

Much like the disappearance of whitewashed family television shows of the 50s like Leave It To Beaver were replaced by modern-day depictions of family life like Roseanne, writers of children fiction books also have displayed themes where realism is strongly depicted.

Competition to engage today’s youth fiercely pits electronic media sources such as television, video and computers against the traditional printed word. Therefore, modern successful writers of children’s fiction books must develop main characters with whom today’s youth can easily relate. The white bread stereotypical 50s youth who, while possibly high-spirited and a bit rambunctious, learns that mom and dad are always right and always do good can now be replaced by the youth with a learning disability suffering at the hard hand of an abusive alcoholic father. Not all real-world families are represented by the Cleavers.

Additionally, where use of children’s fiction books read in school were limited to language-teaching classes, more alternate use has been employed in cross disciplines such as also learning about geography, social studies and other subjects where introduction of teaching through storytelling has proven to be an effective learning method. Possibly learning about geography by, reading a children’s fiction book where the main characters travel from identified place to another, is a more compelling, and successful, method than traditional approaches have provided in the past.

Stories that involve youth in dramatic, active approaches to real-world scenarios can impart valuable life lessons without becoming very preachy. Furthermore, through use of diversity in character structure, scene selection, plot and other storytelling elements, a successful writer of modern-day childrens fiction books will not only achieve the goal to entertain, but will inevitably instruct. Though presenting stories that today’s children can relate to, authors penning children’s fiction books can also impart those valuable lessons that will enhance the life of today’s young readers.

Children's Books News:

REVIEW: Get the children reading this summer
The poor chap's World Cup dreams came to absolutely nothing. Theo Walcott didn't even make the trip...

CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: Clarinetist Oran Etkin Shares a World of Musical.
Enhanced CD Featuring Etkin's Timbalooloo Method Will Be Released on Motema Music on September 14th CD Release Concerts for Wake Up Clarinet, as well as Performances by Etkin's Group Kelenia, Scheduled Throughout 2010 ."really really remarkable. he has touched both of our boys' lives." --Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber "Oran Etkin makes music ...

Lashings of editing jolly bad for Blyton books
Enid Blyton's classic children's books are to be re-edited to remove some of the dated words and phrases...

NewS.26.20100729130919.E0730Author_20100730.jpg
When Yvonne Terblanche came out of South Africa with husband Leon and immigrated to Canada in 2003, she brought with her two suitcases and many hopes and dreams for the future...

Tips for Sarasota grandparents on reading to your grandchild
Reading to your grandchildren introduces them to a world of lifelong learning and a love of books...

Corner: Good new books for beginning readers include 'Cat the Cat'
When his classic book, "The Cat in the Hat," was published in 1957, Dr. Seuss began a revolution in the beginner-book industry...

REVIEW: Children's books recommended
Markus Zusak's The Book Thief is right up there among the most remarkable books of recent times, a strange, haunting war-time tale in which death itself is a character...

'Ramona and Beezus': Perhaps a little too cute | 2 stars
If you were a girl and grew up in the 1970s and 80s, chances are you read Beverly Clearys Ramona books...

"Sweet Farts"
We will wager that headline not only caught your attention, but triggered a wave of anger that such language would be presented in a community newspaper that is often seen by youngsters...

Just Between Friends a huge childrens clothing, toys and baby equipment consignment sale
Just Between Friends Douglas County is having it's annual sale for childrens clothing, toys, books, childrens and baby decor, sports equipment and furniture sale at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Back to School sale September 3rd and 4th 2010...

Community Announcements
The 25th Annual Children's Festival of the Arts will be held Sunday, August 8th, from noon to 4:30 p.m. The free event will have dance and music from around the world, family art workshops, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck from Six Flags Magic Mountain, puppet making and more...

Balancing child, work, and school
I'm a mother of a 3-year-old boy and also a student at Solano. It's hard to have time with my son and to make sure he knows I love him...

Ohio pastor to turn over dead brother's estate
The co-pastor of an Ohio megachurch where a 62-foot-tall Jesus statue was struck by lightning said she will turn her brother's estate over to her nephew after years of family feuding...

Young readers making waves at Santa Fe Springs City Library
Poolside is not the only place to find fun and make waves this summer. The Santa Fe Springs City Library is presenting its summer reading program, "Make Waves at Your Library," through Aug...

Columbiana County Sheriff Reports f...
A Salem man reported at 3:58 p.m. Saturday that someone stole two $50 bills from his wallet after he left it laying on the counter at Vittle Village in Unity Township...

Johnette Downing serenades summer readers
LObservateur LAPLACE Some of the librarys littlest patrons got a real treat this week when Johnette Downing came to St. John the Baptist Parishs public libraries to share her child-friendly brand of music and storytelling...

REVIEW: What's worth reading with the kiddies
Jacqueline Wilson can do no wrong. It's official. She's cornered the market in serving up plausible tales of disintegrating, dysfunctional families clinging together amid the wreckage...

Chicago's best and biggest $2 book sale at the Newberry
One of the city's biggest and best book sales runs today through Sunday . The Newberry Library 's 26th-annual Book Fair offers over 120,000+ donated books divided into 70 categories ranging from fiction to childrens' books to puzzles and arcana, much of which goes for $2. Expect crowds in the independent library's beautifully strange romanesque ...

CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: Clarinetist Oran Etkin Shares a World of Musical Journeys in New Release for Kids: Wake up Clarinet!
Enhanced CD Featuring Etkin's Timbalooloo Method Will Be Released on Motema Music on September 14th CD Release Concerts for Wake Up Clarinet, as well as Performances by Etkin's Group Kelenia, Scheduled Throughout 2010 ."really really remarkable. he has touched both of our boys' lives." --Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber...

Ohio pastor to turn over dead brother's estate in family feud
The co-pastor of an Ohio megachurch where a 62-foot-tall Jesus statue was struck by lightning said she will turn her brother's estate over to her nephew after years of family feuding...

Technorati Tags: Children's Books, Childrens Fictional Books, Childrens Fiction Books