Thrift, that homely, old-fashioned virtue, is the theme of the following thesis. Webster defines it as "care and wisdom in the management of one's resources." Now, in our national emergency, we find it becoming the mode, and likely to be valued more and more as America assumes her world responsibility. If we have trained to thrift in the necessities of life, we have reserve with which to bring into it also. Often, to save an object calls forth resourcefulness and creative ability. Witness the antimacassars of a day gone by, lovely webs of lace and linen, made by the lady who wished to save her chairs and sofa from hair oil. During the twelve years it has been my privilege to conduct a kindergarten, the search for literature to bring home needed lessons in conservation to the small people in my care has been disappointing. Feeling deeply that we need to teach our children to save, I have been forced to create my own teaching material. After much thought upon the subject, the following stories and poems resulted. As they unfolded in my mind, I told them, orally, to my kindergarten children, to find how they reacted to them. Now, hoping that they may be of use to other teachers of the very young, I have attempted to catch them from the blue, and fasten them down by small black words on this white paper. Children, I have found, have a perception for the beauty of nature, approaching spirituality. "But trailing clouds of glory do we come From God, who is our home Heaven lies about us in our infancy"1 Because the relation of the young child to nature is such a close and intimate one, there is little need for lessons in natural conservation. For this reason only four of the following stories deal with this subject: "The Search for Spring", "The Poppy Family", "Bird Friends" and "Seed Babies." Little ones cannot save forests, but they can be lead to cherish flowers of the wild . A low shelf of vases and flower-frogs of various sizes and color pays big dividends in beauty. The flowers of the field which they pick in such abundance, take on a new interest. They are no longer cast aside, or left to wilt, but made into charming arrangements. "Great oaks from little acorns grow." May we hope these same little ones will be the adults who save our giant Sequoias from extinction? The bulk of the stories deal with lessons of thrift in the material environment of the little child. If we can lead him to save tangibles here, we add to his appreciation and creativeness. There is great pleasure for children in discarded things: milk tops, cheese cartons, berry-baskets, egg-shells or bright stripes of cloth. A "Rag-Bag-Rug" may be loomed by them, to be displayed with dancing eyes. Expensive toys are not needed for true happiness. The child does not communicate with others in order to share thoughts; he does so in order to play. An adult thinks socially even when alone, but child under seven things egocentrically, even in the society of others. So we are shown that for the child, the external world is perceived by means of schema of internal origin. Intellectual evolution requires that both mind and environment should make their contributions. We are justified in meeting the small child on his own plane. "In the course of our studies on child psychology we had expected to fix seven to eight years as the age before which no genuinely physical explanation could be given of natural phenomena. Our present enquiry entirely confirms this expectation."2

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The influence of books on human behavior has been attested since ancient times. Today books have been advocated as a solution to the difficult problem of combating racial prejudice. Many educators and librarians have recommended the inclusion of children's books with black characters in the school curriculum. It is thought that empathy with a black character in a story may cause a change in attitude toward Blacks. Festinger's research on attitude change through the creation of dissonance lends support to the theory of empathy. Festinger found that involving an individual in an action which disagreed with his attitude was likely to effect a change in attitude. Although much has been written on the influence of books, few experimental studies have been reported. Shirley (1969) documented the kinds of influence from books which high school students report. Litcher and Johnson (1969) found a significant attitude change from the use of multi-ethnic readers. Jackson (1944) concluded that books could be effective in changing racial attitudes, but Carlsen (1948) disagreed. To investigate the effect of reading books with black characters on the racial preferences of white children, a picture test was constructed based on the work of Horowitz (1938). The Race/Activity Decision Criteria Picture Test is designed to measure the degree to which race is used as a criteria for decision-making. Fifty-six children's books with black characters were rated by librarians and teachers on literary quality and ability to foster good race relations. These books were read during class time by 125 fifth grade students in an all white suburban school. All reading was voluntary and was not associated with regular assignments. A posttest was administered and the data was analyzed by a multiple regression analysis system using a computer program which allowed either specified or unspecified ordering of variables. Due to non-linearity of the test scale, the population was divided on the basis of posttest scores into two groups: (a) those who displayed no racial preferences or a bias toward Blacks, and (b) those whose scores indicated a prejudice against Blacks. Results of the analysis indicated that the effect of books on racial preference is not a simple one-to-one relationship. In the Bias/No Preference Group, the greater the number of books read, the less often race was used as a decision-making criteria. For the Prejudiced Group, however, the greater number of books read was associated with higher prejudice scores. Results were significant at .05 level for both groups. The quality of books read as defined in this study was not significantly associated with posttest scores. Specific content of books was significant only for the Bias/No Preference Group. In this group, reading about black characters with socio-economic status was significantly associated at the .01 level with greater bias toward Blacks. Although these findings generally support the theory that books are effective in influencing human behavior and indicate that this effect is cumulative, the implication is clear that, as yet, we do not have sufficient knowledge to make reliable predictions of the effect of particular books on individuals. The relationship is complex and requires further study. It would appear that most schools would be justified in including books with black characters in their curriculum. However, books should not be relied upon to provide the exclusive thrust of a program to alleviate prejudice, especially in communities where extreme prejudice is the norm. / 2031-01-01

Traditionally the hero of any story in the Fantasy genre has been decidedly and overwhelmingly male, with female representation being limited to that of sidekicks and damsels in distress. With the rise of the Second Wave Feminist movement, the call for more active and diverse female representation increased as young women attempted to find ways to assert their autonomy and break free of the gender roles imposed on them by patriarchal society. This dissertation aims to investigate the ways in which the female heroines in selected novels by Tamora Pierce and Ursula K. Le Guin, both of whom were shaped by second-wave feminism, have contributed to changing these conventions. In examining the female protagonists from Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series as well as Ursula Le Guin’s Annals of the Western Shore and Earthsea series, this dissertation compares both authors’ brands of female heroism and considers the effect they may have had on the young women reading them. In its conclusion, the dissertation also suggests that the representation of the female hero in Young Adult Fantasy fiction has evolved over time with Pierce’s Alanna paving the way for others to extend the boundaries set by conventional gender roles in this genre. This dissertation thus compares the experiences of Alanna from Song of the Lioness and Memer from Voices to the traditional hero’s journey as established by Joseph Campbell. In so doing, the classic narrative of the male hero is seen to have been revised and adapted in recent Fantasy fiction in which women take on heroic roles. It is argued too that Pierce’s brand of heroism is more typically masculine, and closer to the mould of the “male hero’s journey” than Le Guin’s. Le Guin’s brand of heroism is seen to have expanded on the concept of what it means to be a female hero, and given voice instead to a potentially more inclusive female experience. Despite their differences, it is recognised that both authors have had an impact on contemporary works of Young Adult Fantasy by authors such as Holly Black and Naomi Novik, who have been able to construct strong female protagonists on the foundations laid by Pierce and Le Guin. The research is also significant in that it highlights the importance of representation for the identity formation of young adult readers. Using the work of Allison Waller, it is argued that it is through access to strong, authentic girl characters who wholeheartedly embrace their identities and confidently subvert the gender status quo, that these readers may be encouraged to make changes in their own lives and break free from restrictive cultural expectations. / Dissertation (MA (English))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / English / MA (English) / Unrestricted

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama, 1994. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-116).

by Maggy Chan Mei Lan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-182). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Chapter Chapter One --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter Two --- Historical Background --- p.17 / Chapter 2.1: --- Whimsical Garden: A short Visit to the Realm of Children's Literature in the West / Chapter 2.2: --- Rejuvenated Roses: The Growth of Hong Kong Children's Literature and Its Tinge of Local Colors / Chapter 2.3: --- Magic Wand to the Future: Subversive Children's Literature / Chapter Chapter Three --- Undressing the Dressed: To Overturn Traditional Modes of Adornment --- p.68 / Chapter Chapter Four --- "If Adults Are Not Always Right, Who Is?" --- p.93 / Chapter Chapter Five --- Inverted Chalkboard: School of Subversion --- p.121 / Chapter Chapter Six --- Conclusion: A New Chapter --- p.140 / Appendix I´ؤBiographical Notes on Some HK Children's Writers --- p.147 / Appendix II´ؤNewspaper cuttings --- p.149 / Works Cited --- p.171

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In this study, I use critical discourse analysis to analyze how queer women are represented in 34 English-language children’s picture books distributed in contemporary U.S. markets. I consider how these books include and exclude particular types of queer women characters and incorporate or omit specific queer women experiences. I argue that, in children's picture books, many queer women identities are “othered” through the binary oppositions of (i) lesbianism and motherhood and (ii) lesbianism and being a woman of color. In addition, (invisible) lesbianism in these picture books is still presented as an “issue.” The binary opposition of lesbianism and motherhood is created by making lesbianism invisible in children’s picture books by emphasizing mothering through the prominence of caregiving activities, limiting queer physical intimacy, limiting queer verbal intimacy, utilizing naming practices based on motherhood labels, and directing homophobia disproportionately at queer characters without children. The binary opposition of lesbianism and being a WOC is created by primarily featuring white queer characters. (Invisible) Lesbianism is still presented as an issue by the representation of two-mom families/queer relationships as “incomplete,” “unnatural,” “special,” “just the same as non-queer families and relationships,” and homonormativity. Informed by these results, I offer (i) a toolkit to evaluate the representation of queer women characters in picture books and (ii) a creative response to the queer women representation gaps in children’s literature.

This thesis uses a multidisciplinary approach drawing primarily on archival and bibliographical research as well as the fields of children’s literature, book history and translation to explore British translation of Nordic children’s fiction since 1950. Which works of Nordic children’s literature have been published in the UK during the period in question? And how were Nordic children’s authors and texts selected by British publishers, along with British translators and illustrators? Chapter One gives an overview of limited past research in this area, focusing on publishing and book history and Translation Studies (particularly Polysystem Theory). Chapter Two considers bibliographical research already undertaken in Children’s Literature Translation Studies and is followed by a detailed study of the British National Bibliography (1950-2000). This methodological approach has documented for the first time the depth and breadth of the corpus of British translations of Nordic children’s fiction since 1950, enabling key authors, publishers, translators and genres to be identified. A brief analysis is given of the Golden Age of Nordic children’s literature in British translation up to 1975, followed by a decline into the twenty first century. The thesis then goes on to examine the principles and practices of text and translator selection as its second major research element, with extensive use made here of archival sources. Chapter Three explores publishing archives as a research resource and details issues in their distribution and potential use. Chapter Four gives an overview of the key role of the editor as a centre pin in the process of publishing works in translation, drawing on a wide range of publishing archives as well as introducing the case study part of the thesis which examines an independent press and a major international academic publishing house. Chapter Five looks in detail at the role of author-educator-publisher Aidan Chambers in publishing Nordic children’s literature in the early 1990s through small press Turton & Chambers. Chapter Six examines the role of Oxford University Press in publishing Nordic authors from the 1950s to the 2010s, in particular Astrid Lindgren. This thesis aims to make a significant and unique scholarly contribution to the hitherto neglected study of the translation of children’s literature into British English, offering a methodological framework (bibliographical and archival) which has potential for use with other language systems and with adult literature in translation.

History as a school subject confronts a child with events, motives for action, and moral dilemmas, demanding a high level of abstract reasoning. Before the child reaches the cognitive stage of formal operations (14 years), his abstract reasoning is limited and egocentric in terms of time concept and social consciousness. To supplement this lack of abstraction, it seems necessary to enrich the teaching of history by means of substitute experiences. In an analysis of different teaching methods, it was found that abstract historical facts become more palatable to the pupil when historical novels are used to replace direct experience. The pupil thus identifies with the historical character of his own age group, and encounters history on a human level, because an emotional involvement with the facts has taken place. If a historical novel is to be utilized successfully it must therefore be more than a feebly romanticized, and superficial account of historical facts. Such a novel should capture the exact atmosphere of a specific era. It should attain a delicate balance between fact and fiction, gripping intrigue and real life characters in order to form an emotional bridge between reality and abstract historical facts. In reviewing South African history from 1488 to 1915, it seems that the fiction possibilities of this era have been adequately exploited. Novelists have however given preference to events of a more spectacular nature. More attention and focus has been given to novels for older children and teenagers. There is a great variety of these novels, enabling the pupil of middle childhood and adolescence to identify with the characters, thus experiencing universal needs and universal problems. The natural affinity for fantasy of early childhood has however not been utilized fully. The historical novel concerning the history of indigenous race groups is scantily represented. This jeopardizes the employment of historical novels in promoting positive attitudes towards other races and meaningful co-existence in South Africa. / MBibl, PU vir CHO, 1985