Northern Lights and Tom's Midnight Garden which are both prizewinning, children's books will be discussed in relation to David Rudd's 'defence' of the work of Enid Blyton. This will be achieved by answering the following questions and tying them into Rudd's essay. How can the success of a children’s book best be quantified? What criteria are used for judging children’s books? How do the chosen texts stand up to this criteria? Who are different groups that judge children's books and what criteria do each of them have? How have the criteria for judging the merits of children’s literature changed since the eighteenth century? What are the arguments for defending Enid Blyton? Finally, are the arguments presented sound, and if they are what impact does this have on how we judge children's books in general? How can success best be quantified? Successful children's books are books that are known to be highly appreciated by a large, statistically verifiable number of children and, possibly, by many critics as well, however, the latter is not always true especially in such cases as that of Enid Blyton. By this definition it would appear that Enid Blyton would be considered an unmitigated success with sales of over 500 million books worldwide, having been translated into 40 languages and in August 2008 was voted the best loved UK author according to a survey conducted for the Costa Book Awards. Plus the fact that she still sells over 11 million books a year despite having died over 40 years ago. Is popularity then the best way to judge the success of a children's book or are there other criteria that have to be fulfilled? Given that Blyton has been heavily criticised it would appear that many people are of the opinion that the success of... ... middle of paper ... ...itories, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 276-85. Squires, C. (2009) ‘Marketing at the Millenium’, in Montgomery, H. and Watson, N. J. (eds) Children’s Literature: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 183-98. Tucker, N. (2009) ‘Twentieth-Century British Publishing’, in Maybin, J. and Watson, N. J. (eds) Children’s Literature: Approaches and Territories, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 143-56. "Booktrust Childrens Books: Prizes and Awards Blue Peter Book Awards."Booktrust Childrens Books: Home. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. . His Dark Materials - The Author - Author's Studio."Random House - Bringing You the Best in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Children's Books. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. .
Wilson, Nance S. “ZINDEL, Paul.” Continuum Encyclopedia Of Children’s Literature (2003): 848-849. Literary Reference Center. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000
...ia J. Campbell. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1996. 39-65. Rpt. in Children's Literature Review. Ed. Scot Peacock. Vol. 82. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000
Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000
In conclusion, critical evaluation of what makes a book good or bad depends on the selection criteria and agenda of those making the evaluation. The prizes have been criticised through the years and the selection committees have risen to this by changing the selection process, even if this change has been slow. Children’s Literature is in flux due to the ever-changing ideas and perceptions of childhood. Children’s books seen as prestigious today may become, like Blyton, unpalatable to the critics of tomorrow.
Senick, Gerard J., and Hedblad, Alan. Children’s Literature Review: Excerpts from Reviews, and Commentary on Books for Children and Young People (Volumes 14, 34, 35). Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1995..
... Rpt. in Children's Literature Review. Ed. Tom Burns.
Ford, Boris, ed, The Pelican Guide to English Literature volume seven: The Modern Age, third edition, Penguin Books, Great Britain, 1973
... (eds), Children’s Literature Classic Text and Contemporary Trends, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan in association with Open University
In Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden nature and its fantastical elements are crucial in making their novels the iconic children literary tales they are presently. However due to these fantastical elements both authors criticized for their romanticized view of nature and idealized depictions of childhood within nature. Scholarly critics Jacqueline Rose and Humphrey Carpenter argue that in creating idealistic narrative worlds both authors lose their ability to represent childhood in a realistic way and instead let their works become escape outlets rather than true depictions of childhood. In doing so these books are no longer true children’s literature, but simply ideals born out of an authors
The opening of Kathleen O’Neil’s article is a discussion of children’s picture books being used throughout history as tools to teach children cultural expectations. O’Neil mentions that children’...
Laura Ingalls Wilder may be viewed as one of the greatest children’s authors of the twentieth century. Her works may be directed towards a younger crowd but people of all ages enjoy her literary contributions. The way that Wilder’s books are written guarantees that they have a place among classics of American literature (“So many…” 1). Laura Ingalls Wilder’s form of writing portrays an American family’s interworking in a journey through childhood.
Literature: The British Tradition. Ed. Roger Babusci etal. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1994. 69-79.
"The Value of Children's Literature | Education.com." Education.com | An Education & Child Development Site for Parents | Parenting & Educational Resource. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. .