Abstract
This paper shows the difference between older and modern children's literature by comparing the relationship gender plays in each. Historically girls were portrayed as passive and succeed only due to the actions of others, as in "Snow White", and boys succeed because of their mischievous behaviour, as in "Jack and the Beanstalk". More recent children's literature reverses this role by making girls capable of being more active, as diplayed by the protagonist of "The Paper Bag Princess", although boys have remained reliant on mischief, as in "Haroun and the Sea of Stories."

From the Paper
"As is true in society, gender affects how certain characters deal with the obstacles inherent in both life and in children's literature. Bruno Bettelheim argues that "the message that fairy tales get across to the child" [is] that a struggle against severe difficulties in life "is an intrinsic part of human existence but that if one does not shy away, but steadfastly meets unexpected and often unjust hardships, one masters all obstacles and at the end emerges victorious" (381). What Bettelheim does not acknowledge is that historically, in much of children's literature girls do not succeed based on their own actions and boys often emerge on top by behaving in a devious manner. This is particularly true of fairy tales. In more recent literature those positions are not necessarily true; girls have become dominant through action, although boys have continued to rely on mischief."

Tags:beanstalk, books, children, english, fairy, gender, haroun, jack, munsche, passive, patterns, snow, success, tales, white

Abstract
This paper analyzes the mature theme of survival as discussed in Rebecca Lukens' work "The Critical Handbook of Children's Literature." Using "Hana's Suitcase" and "The Paper Bag Princess" as examples, the paper looks closely at the plot, characterization and setting of these two works in order to determine the mature theme and its effects upon the readers.

From the Paper
"Children's literature can often be a source of education for children and this instruction can either be personal or school-related data. Rebecca Lukens, author of "A Critical Handbook of Children's Literature," explains how themes can be instrumental in this education. Some pieces of children's literature, such as "Hana's Suitcase" and "The Paper Bag Princess" have included such mature themes to engage their readers in their stories. The mature theme of survival, as found in the texts of "Hana's Suitcase" by Karen Levine and "The Paper Bag Princess" by Robert Munsch, is illustrated through the use of plot, character and setting. The plot of "Hana's Suitcase" shows examples of the mature theme of survival. As Lukens states, the theme is "one that enlarges our understanding and the one we discover for ourselves" (93)."

Tags:levine, munsch, lukens

Abstract
This paper describes how influential children's literature can be in forming ideas and stereotypes with relation to gender issues. It explains how crucial the early stages in life are in forming opinions of the society we live and grow up in.

From the paper:

Books are not only an important resource for helping to develop the language skills of a child, adding to his imagination by presenting to him new ideas and thoughts as well as to the child?s vocabulary by presenting to him or her new words and phrases. The books that a child reads also play a significant and important role in transmitting the culture of the society to the child of which the child is a member. An important part of the culture of the society where the child is born and grows up are the various gender roles. The way that genders are portrayed in the children?s books in this way contributes to the image children develop of their own role and that of their gender in society.

Tags:male, female, social, cultural, image

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts four English versions of the traditional Grimm fairy tale, "Cinderella." First, it describes the plot of the original Grimm version of "Cinderella." It then gives a brief plot summary of each of the versions, where necessary, and then discusses the differences and similarities between the different versions which were selected and the original Grimm text.

From the Paper
"Over 1,500 versions of Cinderella are thought to exist (About Cinderella). Certainly, a comprehensive discussion of these is beyond the scope of this paper. As a result, I will focus on only four different versions of the classic tale: 1) the traditional brothers Grimm version of Cinderella; 2) Emma Donoghue's The Story of the Shoe; 3) Charles Perrault's reworking of the original Grimm tale, entitled Cinderella; and 4) The Prince, by Priscilla Galloway.
In the classic Grimm fairly tale, Cinderella is a helpless girl, bullied by her mean stepmother and stepsisters into doing all the household chores. One day, a magical fairy godmother invites Cinderella to a ball at the royal castle. At the ball, Cinderella meets a kind, strong prince, who is deeply enamored of her. Cinderella loses track of time, and at midnight she is forced to leave the ball. In her haste, Cinderella leaves her slipper behind, and the prince sets out to find the owner of the slipper."

Tags:fairytale, prince, Grimm, story, novel, classic

Abstract
Judy Blume's classic novel, "Are You there God? It's Me, Margaret", is considered one of the best and most enduring pieces of modern young adult fiction for its exploration of topics and situations that occur in the lives of almost every adolescent. This paper explores the novel in terms of how Blume's presentation of the character of Margaret allows Blume to address issues experienced by adolescents, especially younger girls

Abstract
This paper examines arguments by many religious leaders why they consider the Harry Potter series to be anti-Christian and pro-Pagan. It looks at different articles and opinions from religious leaders as to why they think this is the case. It also takes examples from the various books in the series on which their arguments are based.

From the Paper
"The Harry Potter Series by British author J.K. Rowling and the recently released film have introduced youngsters everywhere to the fantastical world of the occult. Whereas some parents and educators praise the series for renewing children's weaning interest in reading, other critics, especially those from the Christian sector, fear that this book is introducing children to paginated ideals. The Bible tells us, that "There shall not be found among you anyone who... practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord..." Harry Potter and his cohorts practice these condemned activities with no mention of the Christian blasphemies they are committing, and have resultantly enraged critics everywhere. "

Tags:religious, rowling, children, bible, god, witch, fantasy, education, parents

Abstract
This paper argues that the attraction and the limitations of the genre of adventure fiction are that these books do not want to be "read", they want to be enjoyed. The author points out that it might appear over-simplistic to dismiss "Treasure Island", "The Lost World" and "The Island of Doctor Moreau" as pure fantasy or "escapist" fiction because these novels also serve an important political purpose. The paper states that it is important to remember that, at the end of the nineteenth century, the proportion of boys who could read far outnumbered the girl readers, which suggests that adventure fiction was written to appeal to those youngsters for whom travel and exploration in foreign lands was a source of wonder and excitement. The author concludes that reading, enjoyment and academic analysis then are concerns that are very much questions of relevance and context.

From the Paper
"These authors were certainly influenced by the social and political issues that were occurring in the second half of the nineteenth century and it necessary for us to consider what was going on before we consider the matter of academic analysis. Darwin's theories had unsettled the social order and the success of these novels, it could be argued, was due in some part to the way in which their authors attempted to reinforce the stereotypical values held before "Origin of Species" was brought to the forefront of public attention. Feminist issues too were becoming apparent but women were generally silent in these texts."

Tags:plot, academic, passion, fantasy, colonized

From the Paper
"Some things about fairy tales we know to be true. They begin with "once upon a time." They end with "happily ever after." And somewhere in between the prince rescues the damsel in distress.
Of course, this is not actually the case. Many fairytales omit these essential words. But few fairytales in the Western tradition indeed fail to have a beautiful, passive maiden rescued by a vibrant man, usually her superior in either social rank or in moral standing. Indeed, it is precisely the passivity of the women in fairy tales that has led so many progressive parents to wonder whether their children should be exposed to them. Can any girl ever really believe that she can grow up to be president or CEO or an astronaut after five viewings of Disney's "Snow White"?"

Bacchilega (1997, chapter 2) chooses "Snow White" as a nearl

Abstract
This paper is concerning different kinds of Cinderella stories from different cultures. It makes interesting comparisons on major plot differences based on cultural differences. The main emphasis of the paper is on the negative messages that the tales portray to children (being ideals of superficiality and materialism) and the way that these influence children's self-esteem.

From the Paper
"The truth is, the world has been shallow for ages. We learned such values when we were only children, and our parents learned the same values when they were children, and so on for centuries past, all from a simple bedtime story. The infamous story is Cinderella; the story of a beautiful girl who is mistreated by her ugly stepsisters, only to thwart them by eventually meeting, and immediately falling in love with, a rich, handsome prince. Almost any person you talk to will tell you that he or she was read this tale as a child, or is at least familiar with it. The characters in Cinderella stories embody values that are both superficial and materialistic, and the stories teach children to model their own lives after the characters in the stories in order to achieve the happy ending they want in their own lives. The different characters in the Cinderella stories show not only that true love is based on looks, but also that being unattractive reflects bad character. These lessons are taught in most Cinderella stories, three of which are the Disney Cinderella, the McLoughlin Brothers' "Cinderella", and the "Tale of the Anklet". These stories send bad messages to children because they have a negative effect on the children's self-esteem.?

Tags:anklet, beauty, confidence, materialism, superficial

Abstract
The paper uses as a starting point the comment of children's literature critic Peter Hunt, that 'before 1970, it might be said, adults were, on the whole, reliable: since then they have not been.' It analyses language and plot to compare and contrast "Five on a Treasure Island" and "Harry Potter", as examples of pre- and post-1970 children's literature, respectively and draws conclusions about the extent to which adult characters have changed over time. Then, shifting emphasis to Rowling's work, the paper discusses more complex literary theory including a psychoanalytic analysis of the protagonist's relationships with his father, uncle and nemesis, and asks how we can really know which characters function as adults and which as children.

From the Paper
"However, it is not difficult to contest this view with obvious instances where adults are unreliable in Five on a Treasure Island. Throughout the story, adults cause the problems that the children have to work to solve. Moreover, despite Quentin and Fanny's essential reliability, there are also crucial times when they fail to protect the children in the most basic and obvious ways, for example, when they are trapped on the island in chapter fourteen. They also fail to protect the children in more subtle ways. The children are exposed to distinctly adult problems like the family's lack of money. Julian, Dick and Anne's parents mention casually that Quentin and Fanny would appreciate 'a little money' (p. 2), and later in the book Quentin thinks nothing of disappointing George by selling the island to make money."

Tags:azkaban, blood, chamber, famous, fire, five, goblet, half, hunt, order, parent, peter, pheonix, prince, prisoner, reliable, secrets, unreliable