Children's and Youth Literature

Picture Book

This course might deal with the social problems and taboos concerning childhood that are often missed in children’s literature, especially in the picture book, which is often associated with the illustration of an "innocent childhood”. Yet, picture books also deal with complex and controversial side issues such as child’s poverty, emotional negligence, drug and sexual abuse. As they combine visual and textual narration, the course might take a closer look at these two forms and their hybridity, and the way this hybridity is used to illustrate the side issues adequateley (since these books are read by children).

READING (English and German/not yet completed):

• Boljahn, Ulrike (Illustration), Sylvia Deinert und Tine Krieg. Das Familienalbum. Oldenburg: Lappan Verlag, 1993.
• Browne, Anthony. Voices in the Park. 1998.
• Browne, Anthony. The Visitors Who Came to Stay. 1984.
• Cave, Kathryn; Riddell, Chris. Something Else (Dt: "Irgendwie anders"). London: Penguin Books Ltd, 1994.
• Foreman, Michael; Gray, Nigel. I'll Take You to Mrs Cole. Andersen Press, 1999.
• Greder, Armin. Die Insel. Zurüch: Sauerländer Verlag, 2002.
• Morrison, Tony. The Big Box. 1999.
• Morrison, Tony: The Book of Mean People. 2002.
• Hughes, David. Macker. 1993.
• Pressler, Mirjam; Krömer, Astrid. Nora ist mal so, mal so. Frankfurt am Main: Alibaba Verlag, 1996.
• Ruegenberg, Lukas; Chotjewitz, Petr. Straßenkinder. Köln: Middelhauve, 1995.
• Taylor, Clarke; Dicks, Jan Thompson. The House That Crack Built. 1998. Based on the family nursery rhyme “The House That Jack Built”, this picture book deals with drug abuse and drug use of cocain in a 'hip-hop rhyme narrative'.

LINKS:

• The House that Jack Built Original nursery rhyme
• The House that Crack Built Changed version
• Reading Guide for 'The House that Crack Built'
• Something Else
• Wikipedia Toni Morrison
• Wikipedia Anthony Browne