Evolution of Children's Book Genres

Even when cell phone and electricity didn't exist, children of all ages were still entertained. As those children got older, they began to have different interests, resulting in more captivating stories with intricate plots. First, children start with picture books to start grasping the concept of storytelling. Second, they move on to traditional literature, with fairytales and legends of heroes. Third, they begin reading modern fantasy. From then on, they delve into realistic fiction, historical fiction, biography, and poetry. The evolution of these stories has opened a door of entertainment for all ages.

When children are very little, they look at picture books. These books often have no words, and if they do, there are very few. They are meant to start developing a sense of awareness in young children by teaching them to connect words with the pictures. These books combine both verbal and visual formats. The authors use basic vocabulary to help children develop reading skills. A well-known example of a picture book is The Tale of Peter Rabbit. "Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were -- Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter" (Potter 1).

As the children grow, they move on to picture storybooks. These books have more text than pictures, and the pictures that are present are usually to catch the reader's attention. They are usually longer also. These books begin to introduce different parts of speech, like adjectives and adverbs. An example of a picture story book is Miss Nelson is Missing. "The kids in room 207 were misbehaving again. Spitballs stuck to ceilings, paper planes whizzed though the air, they were the worst behaved class in the whole school" (Marshall 1).

Then, after children are done wit...

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...The Fault in Our Stars. “As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once” (Green 124-125).

In conclusion, books and other forms of storytelling have been around since the beginning of time. As children grew older, they begin to have interests in different forms of stories. First, small children read picture books that have few words to get a first understanding of literature. Second, they move on to traditional literature, reading stories of princesses and legendary heroes. Third, they begin reading modern fantasy books, which center on magic and special powers. From then on, they read realistic fiction, historical fiction, biography, and romance. Reading is an important part of children’s lives, because it develops thinking skills beyond what a person can teach them. Books open up an entire world for kids; they just need to open them.