Essays and Research Papers on Children's Literature

A 5 page report and analysis of the Frindle by Andrew Clements. The writer provides a literary analysis of plot and presentation through a synopsis of the book. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 5 page paper contemplates this fictitious work by Jean Craighead George. The protagonist is discussed in terms of motivation and inner development. Much of the discussion concerns coming of age in different cultures. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A five page paper reviewing Lois Lowry's dystopian novel for young adults. The paper explains the significance of the story's theme, the relationship of love, suffering, and responsibility. A one-page sentence outline of the paper is appended. Bibliography lists two sources.

Fairy tales are more than just stories: they are stories that reflect the social norms and expectations of the culture, provide moral guidance and acquaint children with the important aspects of the social system. They consistently offer a moral dimension that is pertinent to both social and political aspects of the social structure. This 5 page paper argues ...

A six page paper looking at the reasons Joanna Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, originally intended for children, has gained a loyal adult readership. The paper shows that it is possible to read Harry's story as a fairy tale, a deprived-child tale, a boarding school bildingsroman, or a heroic quest. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

A seven page paper looking at the way Joanne Rowling develops Harry Potter's struggle against Sirius Black as an archetypal hero myth. The book cites Joseph Campbell's "Hero with a Thousand Faces" as evidence. Bibliography lists four sources.

This 5 page report discusses both “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” and its writer, Judy Blume. Over the past three decades, Judy Blume has inspired both controversy and devotion. Her readers, young and old, are passionate about her stories and her ability to understand the nuances of interpersonal relationships and the various dilemmas virtually all people find themselves in ...

This 6 page paper provides two essays, one on fairy tales and children and the other on myths in daily life. The works of Bettelheim and Campbell are discussed. The usefulness of fantasy as teachers is a primary themes throughout. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page analysis of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and their use of verisimilitude in these children's novels. The writer argues that despite the fantastical aspects of these stories, the settings come across as real and the characters as true because of the ...

(5 pp) This original adventure story has been created for children ages 5-8. It is written in a conversational tone, as one might present as part of a storytelling group. "Every day is new for all of us," hummed the Small One, darting from one side to another." I try new things every ...

A 5 page paper. Under the pseudonym of Dr. Seuss, Theodor Geisel became the most well-known and most beloved writer of children's literature. Geisel was a man who was personally concerned about numerous world and national issues, many of which became messages in his books. This essay discusses Geisel's Dr. Seuss books in general ...

(5 pp) When the Holocaust began, Alicia Jurman was a young Jewish girl growing up in the southeastern Polish city of Buczacz. In that city, about a third of the population was Jewish. Even though there was anti-Semitism in Poland, as there was anti-Semitism nearly everywhere in Europe, Alicia with her parents and four brothers led ...

A 4 page paper. Another book joins the infamous list of the 100 most banned books in America, or, rather, the books some have attempted to ban. Yet, an editorial in Christianity Today described the series, in part, as a "Book of Virtues with a preadolescent funny bone." The writer defends this book as ...

This 5 page report discusses two of the Western world’s great story tellers -- Charles Perrault and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll). “At the time it all seemed quite natural,” Lewis Carroll wrote in the scene in which the White Rabbit first appears to Alice. Likewise, Cinderella does not seemed amazed when her godmother, who also happened to be ...

This 7 page paper explores the ideas concerning children's comedy and how it is seen in certain books. Bibliography lists 18 sources.

A five page paper looking at the debate over Joanna Rowling's Harry Potter books. Looking particularly at her first novel in the series, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," the paper presents both the fundamentalist Christian viewpoint against the book and the more moderate secular argument in favor of it, finally concluding that the book ...

(5 pp) Almost all of us love stories. There is even an old legend that the reason God created humans so that there would be someone to tell him the stories. Generally they are adapted or sanitized depending on the age in which they are told, and sometimes by the storyteller himself. ...

This 5 page report discusses “The Little Prince” (1943) and a metaphor for freedom and an understanding of one’s personal desires. Time and again, the reader understands that a child’s perspective on the world can often remind an adult of who he or she really is. To a great degree, the most meaningful philosophical aspect of “The Little Prince” ...

A 5 page literary analysis of the popular children's book. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 6 page paper which examines the novel’s theme, setting, character, and considers whether or not the book should be recommended, and if so, to whom. No additional sources are used.

(10pp). One would think that images of love would transcend whatever language - at least in that romantic part of our brain we hope they will. But is that possible, do we love differently when we are young, than when we are in the middle years, or perhaps is the greatest love of ...

A 7 page paper which analyzes the roles of the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." Bibliography lists 4 additional sources.

A 5 page essay that examines three books about juveniles facing exclusion (in some form) within different societal contexts. The books examined are Quintana's The Baboon King, Yumoto's The Friends, and Morgenstern's Secret Letters from 0 to 10. No additional sources cited.

(5 pp) Do you remember any of the books that you read or that were read to you as a child? I remember very few; yet my mother swears I was constantly reading, and I do remember having my own library card of which I was very proud. My thought, now as ...

This 3 page paper illustrates the importance of fairytales by focusing on The Secret Garden and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The importance of the morals involved in fairytales is discussed. Bibliography lists 3 sources.