Checklist For Quality Children's Literature

 

            Here's a great checklist for selecting good books for young readers from Penny Britton Kolloff, Ph.D., professor, Illinois State University. It's possible that one of the reasons so few children and youth in this country read for pleasure any more is that these basic principles are being ignored by the adults who are doing the book selection for school assignments, and book suggestions for young readers in libraries.

 

            The main rule is this: Find books that youngsters will enjoy, that will enrich their lives, and in which they see themselves and others like them.

 

            Look for mirrors - books that reflect a child's own experiences back to him or her, and validate them - and windows - books that give a child the "fresh air" of looking into the experiences of others, and gaining from that look.

 

            Criteria for selection of books:

 

            • Good literature, well-written, with rich vocabulary and images

            • Complex, unusual plots or structures

            • Imaginative illustrations that involve or challenge the reader

            • Characters and situations with which the reader can identify

            • Appropriate, effective role models

            • Both emotionally and intellectually challenging

            • Realistic portrays of people and events (non-fiction)

            • Accurate information (non-fiction)