Abstract:
The first part of this thesis is a short review of the various cultural stimuli which influence children’s reading interests. Primary children watch television and learn much about space and their modern world. Therefore, they like compact action stories and science books. Middle-grade children are great collectors of things and enjoy reading the many series books. The type of literature that is most popular for a certain age group and for either boys or girls reflects the physical, psychological, and sociological phenomenon of the times.Adult critics find it difficult to select books based on children’s criteria. Children dislike many critics’ choices of best books and often choose their own lasting favorites. Authors of children’s books must write from their own genuine experience as if children were walking “beside them, not in front or behind.”The second part of this thesis consists of four original short stories by the author written for children. “Bill Bumpkin is the tale of dissatisfied pumpkin who leaves his corn patch in search of a friend. After being scratched by mice and butted by cows, he finds a true friend in the boy who makes a jack-o-lantern of him.“The Day Before Easter” tells of a little girl who believes the Easter Bunny didn’t escape from a burning brush pile until she discovers three candy Easter eggs left under a tree. “Eerie the Owl” is the story of a young boy who nearly starves a screech owl unintentionally. He selfishly tries to keep him for a week that he might win a prize in a pet parade. In “To Catch a Fish” a boys believes he is really grown-up until he is faced with the task of baiting his own hook to catch a fish.The final part of this thesis is a brief summary of the reactions of children to the four stories. Each story was read to two different classes at Burris Laboratory School, grades K-4. Each teacher was given the same eight leading questions to guide the children’s responses in informal discussion. This experiment was conducted to discover the grade level for each story and the children’s opinion about each story.
