To Be a Writer: Representations of Writers in Recent Children's Novels

Abstract

Setting: the recent past, The Dominican Republic. Ana Rosa steals paper to sustain her need to write. She writes fiction to entertain her community and also uses her words to expose the injustice of the dictatorial regime under which she lives. (The Color of My Words) Setting: The present, The United States. Archie and Oggie are adjusting to joint custody as they move between their mother's and their father's. Late at night, Archie sits in his calm and entertain his little brother. (How I Became a Writer and Oggie Learned to Drive) What significance does writing have for the young writer characters in a set of children's books? Twenty‐five intermediate novels featuring characters who write were studied, using content analysis, to find out. The researchers present their findings by describing the characters and why they write. Reasons for writing range from exposing injustice to seeking to communicate. According to this study, the benefits of the act of writing for the character also warrant attention. The benefits include validating identity, coping with life experience, building relationships, and affecting change. It was also discovered that when the writing is shared, the effect on the audience is significant. These novels present images of writers and writing that readers of all ages may find inspiring. The researchers present implications for teachers, young writers/readers, and others concerned with the representation of writing in children's books. ما أهمية الكتابة لدى شخصيات الكُتّاب الشبابية في سلسلة كتب للأطفال؟ تمّ تقصّي خمس وعشرين رواية متوسّطة تتمثل فيها شخصيات كاتبة من خلال تحليل المحتوى للحصول على الجواب. ويقدّم الباحثون نتائجهم بواسطة وصفة الشخصيات والسبب أنها تكتب وتتراوح هذه الأسباب من تبيين الظلم إلى طلب الاتصال. وحسب هذه الدراسة فوائد عمل الكتابة للشخصية هي بدورها تطلب الانتباه وتتضمن تلك الفوائد إثبات الهوية وبناء العلاقات وإثارة التغيّرات. وقد تمّ الاكتشاف بأن الاشتراك في الكتابة يؤثر على الجمهور بشكل ملحوظ. وتقدّم هذه الروايات صوراً للكتّاب والكتابة قد تلهم قراء باختلاف أعمارهم لذا يقدّم الباحثون استدلالات للأساتذة والقراء الشباب والكتّاب الشباب والآخرين المهتمين بصورة الكتابة في كتب الأطفال. 写作究竟对出现于一系列儿童图书中的青年作者人物产生什么重要的意义？为了找出答案，研究者采用内容分析法，考查了25本以青年作者人物为主的中级程度小说。研究者通过对这些故事人物的描述与他们写作原因的分析，把研究结果展示出来。故事人物写作原因有多种：从为了揭露不公正行为，到为了寻找沟通途径的原因都有。根据这项研究，故事人物的写作行为所带来的得益，亦不容忽视。这些得益包括了身份的认同、生活经验的处理、人际关系的建立，和影响改变的能力等。这研究亦发现，当作品被分享时，对读者有重要的影响力。任何年龄的读者都会对这些小说和小说中青年作者人物的形象感到鼓舞人心。研究者展示出这些研究结果对教师、青年作者/读者，以及对其它涉及在儿童图书写作中传达意义代表的人士所具的含义。 Quelle signification a l'écriture pour les héros de jeunes qui écrivent dans un ensemble de livres de jeunesse? On a étudié vingt‐cinq romans destinés à un âge moyen qui présentent des personnages qui écrivent, en utilisant une analyse de contenu afin de découvrir ces héros. Les chercheurs présentent leurs résultats en décrivant les héros et ce qui les fait écrire. Les raisons d'écrire vont de la présentation d'injustices à une recherche de relations avec les autres. Selon cette étude, les bénéfices que présente l'acte d'écrire pour les héros méritent également qu'on s'y intére...

Books with potential for character education and a literacy-rich social studies classroom: A research study

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