Powerful Magic: Learning From Children's Responses To Fantasy Literature (Language and Literacy Series (Teachers College Pr))

This dynamic book delves deeply into children's responses to literature, and in particular, to works of fantasy. Through close observation over time of children's natural and spontaneous reactions to books they are assigned or choose themselves, Mikkelsen demonstrates how children and adults can engage as equal partners in learning, and also provides important insights into how adults can create settings in which children can experience the joy of literature. Featuring important implications for both literary theory and classroom practice, Powerful Magic explores how literature influences children's lives and why children find fantasy so compelling, and focuses on what can be learned from children's responses rather than on what adults might think is important to teach children about literature. This Book Delves Deeply Into Children's Responses To Literature, And In Particular, To Works Of Fantasy. Through Close Observation Over Time Of Children's Natural And Spontaneous Reactions To Books They Are Assigned Or Choose Themselves, Nina Mikkelsen Demonstrates How Children And Adults Can Engage As Equal Partners In Learning, And Also Provides Important Insights Into How Adults Can Create Settings In Which Children Can Experience The Joy Of Literature.--jacket. Children's Ways Of Reading -- I: The Child And The Book -- Stepping Into Response: Alexander And The Wind-up Mouse -- Inside The World Of The Snowman: Different Ways Of Seeing -- Ii: The Reading Transaction -- Alexander In The Classroom: Many Voices, Many Literacies -- A Deeper Look At Aesthetic Literacy: Brooke And Louis The Fish -- Louis In The Classroom: The Transactional Literary Conversation -- Iii: Children As Research Partners -- Fighting The Dragon--and Winning: The Hobbit -- Into The Woods: The Magical Adventures Of Pretty Pearl. Nina Mikkelsen ; Foreword By Laurence Yep. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 183-187) And Index. Delving deeply into children's responses to literature, and in particular, to works of fantasy, this book demonstrates how children and adults can engage as equal partners in learning. It also provides insights into how adults can create settings in which children can experience the joy of literature. Provides insight into children's responses to fantasy literature and ways adults can cultivate a children's positive experience with literature.