Personal Bias and Book Selection Criteria

In Chapter 1 of Darigan, "Why We Read," the authors discuss personal bias in making book selection decisions on page 16. In the Jacobs and Tunnell, Chapter 2, page 10 is the same list of 9 reasons often given for selection criteria. What is your personal reaction to the criteria? How important do you consider these issues when you evaluate literature?

I feel like the list of criteria presented on page 16 for selecting books seems overly simplified. When I skim through the list, I think they make a lot of sense. When I start to think deeper, though, I can come up with an argument for a reason why that criteria isn't necessary for at least eight of the nine "rules." Choosing a book to read to a class is so much more than just going through a list of criteria. When selecting a book, I need to keep in mind the purpose I hope to accomplish or lesson I hope to teach and my audience.

While books that teach lessons are wonderful, I think sometimes it's okay for a book to be in existence just because it's a fun story. I'd say that in most of the novels I read, there are small lessons interspersed throughout, but rarely is there an overlying lesson throughout each book. When choosing books to read with your class, I think that most of the time the lesson should either teach a lesson or a concept. And truly, most children's lit does. Every once in awhile, though, I think it's okay to read a book that doesn't have a specific lesson in mind. If a book can teach a good lesson, be well written, and engage the reader, I think it's definitely a winner.

Large, colorful illustrations can often enhance a story so that it is even better than it would've been on it's own. I do not, however, think that books always have to have illustrations that are both large and colorful. Sometimes black and white illustrations can make an even greater impact than color illustrations, depending on the style. For example, I love the use of black, white, and red shades Ian Falconer uses in his book Olivia. I wouldn't call those illustrations colorful at all, yet they are some of my most favorite in children's literature. I think the most important part of the illustrations is that they make an impact, be it through color, size, or style.

The harshness of life is something that many children have to deal with each day and of course we want to protect our children as much as possible. Harshness, however, is a part of life. I think that often when we see harsh sides of life in books, these are the most teachable moments we will experience through literature. I think of books like A Chair for my Mother by Vera B. Williams, where the mom, grandmother, and daughter all live together and experience their home burning in a fire. Another good example of the harshness of life is The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, where a little girl has to leave her family and go live with her uncle in the city. While these stories all have hard parts to deal with, in the end, everything turns out beautifully. When we skip over harshness in stories, we teach our children that life is easy and there are no problems. This isn't something I want my children to grow up thinking. I believe it is important, though, that if a story has harsh aspects, it should at least have a positive outcome.

I completely agree that an absence of swearing in literature is desirable. I don't even like to read profane words in the adult fiction that I read. This is an absolutely necessary piece of criteria in my selection of children's books. As a former kindergarten teacher, even words like, "stupid," "dumb," and "shut up" make me cringe because I don't want my students repeating them!

Length of a book isn't something that I am too picky about. If I want to read the book in one sitting, then it should be short enough to hold the kids attention for that long. If it's a book I really want to read them that is too long, I simply split it up. As far as chapter books go, I don't think the length is important at all. Whether or not the story is engaging is so much more important than how long it takes me to read it!

As far as vocabulary goes, I think it's important that students be able to understand what they're reading. If they can't understand, they will get bored or frustrated and quit. That said, it's also important to use words here and there that students can guess through the use of context clues. When we "dumb down" language too much, we are hurting the students just as much as we are by using language that is way above their heads.

Familiar content is huge when selecting a book. We want our students to be able to make connections to the text and if they aren't familiar with what they're reading about, it's hard to make connections. I think there are times, however, when it's okay for a book to be unfamiliar if we are introducing a new concept through that book. In those situations, it's especially good to look for different areas in which the students can make connections, even in small ways.

I think that political correctness is important in books that we are going to be reading to students at school. We want them to be accepting of others and show no hostility towards people who are different. I believe books can be such a great way of teaching these lessons to kids. However, there are some things that probably aren't politically correct- Bible stories, etc- that I would read to my own children at home but not to students at school.

I believe that when selecting books for children, we should keep in mind the greater purpose rather than just checking off the criteria on the list. Just because a book doesn't meet one of the aforementioned "rules" doesn't mean we should write it off altogether. In general, this list is good so long as we don't let it completely take over the way we make our selections.