Picture Books
Picture books are books with many illustrations with little to no words. The different categories of picture books include: ABC Books, Counting, Concept Books and Informational Books, Participation Books, Wordless Picture Books, Predictable Books, Beginning Reader Picture Books, Picture Storybooks, Engineered Books and Baby/Board Books. Also included in this section are Picture Books Available in Audiovisual Formats.
Poetry
Poetry is an important genre of literature that can be divided into two categories: narrative poems and lyric poems. Narrative poems include ballads. Lyric poems include haiku's, limericks, concrete poems, sonnets, cinquain, and free verse.
Folklore
Folklore includes stories that were orally passed down from generation to generation and are part of every culture. The different categories of folklore are: Folktales, Tall Tales, Fables, Myths, Epics, Ballads, Legends, and Religious Stories. Today, there is a tremendous amount of books that fall into this genre that many children and adults still enjoy. Despite, this enjoyment, there are critics that suggest that these traditional stories will lead children to become out of touch with reality; breed violence in young children; frighten children and cause them to have nightmares; and that these types of stories are a waste of time and stories dealing with the "real world" are more favorable.
Modern Fantasy
Modern fantasy is about beings, places and events not occurring in the real world. Identifiable authors create extraordinary characters and worlds which challenge and expand our sense of the norm.
Fantasy is rooted in folklore but the stories are not handed down orally as in traditional folklore. These stories have strong themes, traditions, and structures which are established in ancient myths and legends. However, the stories are shaped through the vision and style choices of the author rather than in oral tradition, which is rooted in cultural belief and told by the storyteller
Fantasy is rooted in folklore but the stories are not handed down orally as in traditional folklore. These stories have strong themes, traditions, and structures which are established in ancient myths and legends. However, the stories are shaped through the vision and style choices of the author rather than in oral tradition, which is rooted in cultural belief and told by the storyteller
Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Contemporary realistic fiction includes literature with fictional characters,settings, and events, but may happen in real life. Everything that happens in this type of genre is possible on Earth. This genre is one of the most popular because people are interested in themselves and find these stories the most familiar.
Biography
A biography is a detailed description of a person's life. It entails more than basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death—a biography also portrays a subject's experience of these events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae (resume), a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various aspects of his or her life, including intimate details of experience, and may include an analysis of the subject's personality.
Informational Books
Informational books are Nonfiction books. It conveys information about the natural and social world. Some genres that fit into Informational books include chapter books, picture books, photo essays, interviews, concept books, reference books, journals, and activity books. Informational books have a reputation for being boring. However, Informational books have made so many advances. Now, children enjoy the attractiveness and engaging pictures that draw their attention.
Multicultural and International Books
Multicultural literature includes books that portray people of color: African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos. They also, however, include books that help to portray religious groups other than Christians like Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Mormons and Amish. Lastly, they include books that portray the intellectually and physically challenged.
Multicultural and international books serve three main functions:
Multicultural and international books serve three main functions:
- They help create an awareness, understanding, and appreciation for the differences of others.
- They help children of color to view their culture in a positive light.
- They provide a vehicle for students to travel to different cultures and witness the rich story-telling traditions these countries have to offer.
Pacific Island Literature from Guam and the Micronesia Region
Pacific Island Literature includes picture books, poetry, folklore, modern fantasies, realistic fiction, biographies, and informational books from Guam and the Micronesian region. Stories from Guam and the Micronesian region were traditionally passed down orally from generation to generation. The earliest known book to be published in English on Guam in 1905 was Useful Plants of Guam by William Edwin Safford. Children's books were not published on Guam until it was part of the United States in the 1940's. The earliest known Children's book was Marjorie with the Chamorros. Since then, Chamorro children’s literature has been making great strides, some for educational need, but most importantly for the younger generations to know the rich stories of their island that need to be told and passed down.
Historical Fiction
Historical Fiction books provides adult and children evidence about how life was in the past. History reveals relevant information about what happen to people and what happen in a particular place in the past. It is very important for teachers and adults to encourage historical fiction books to children in order for them to know about how life was in the past, comparing to present life. That way, they can predict or be prepare for the future.
There are five types of Historical Fictions:
1. A story of historical events happening before the life of the author.
2. A contemporary novel that becomes historical fictions with the passage of time.
3. Authors chronicle their own life stories in a fictional format.
4. The protagonist travels back into history.
5. A novel speculates about alternative historical outcomes.
There are five types of Historical Fictions:
1. A story of historical events happening before the life of the author.
2. A contemporary novel that becomes historical fictions with the passage of time.
3. Authors chronicle their own life stories in a fictional format.
4. The protagonist travels back into history.
5. A novel speculates about alternative historical outcomes.