Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons^™

The Portrayal Of Grandparents As Caregivers In Young Adult Fiction, Susan Christine Bunch

Graduate Research Papers

The number of children and young adults being raised primarily by their grandparents continues to increase (Landry-Meyer & Newman, 2004). If either the grandchild or grandparent is suddenly thrust into a different family structure it can create challenges. Some young adults turn to the characters in literature as models for how to cope with life challenges (Hughes-Hassell & Rodge, 2007). It was the purpose of this quantitative study to explore physical health, mental and emotional health, and lifestyle and social challenges faced by grandparents and grandchildren when the grandparents are the primary caregivers, and how those challenges are portrayed in …

A Need For Picture Books Showing Girls Playing Organized Team Sports, Lisa A. Heiden

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this project was to create a children's picture storybook depicting female characters participating in competitive team athletics. The book shows a young girl learning about the game of basketball and sharing the experience with her older sister. The researcher has a long history of athletic participation and a deep passion for sports. These experiences allowed the researcher to capture the essence of the sport of basketball and create a picture book for children that engages the reader and possibly encourages participation in athletics for children of various ages. The book gives young, athletic girls an early experience …

Hidden Alphabet On The Farm: Can You Find It? : A Research Project, Sandra Greufe

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research project was to introduce young children to agriculture and provide a new and interesting way of looking at the alphabet. Researching the use of alphabet books to introduce children to agriculture shows that presenting the alphabet in a new and exciting way is beneficial to teaching children the alphabet (Norton, 2007). Studies show the movement of people to urban areas corresponds with decreased knowledge of agriculture ( AFBF A, 2006c). Hidden Alphabet on the Farm: Can You Find It? presents the alphabet to young children in a new and exciting way and teaches children about …

Laughter And Tears: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Apra Loomis

Graduate Research Papers

Young adult literature often focuses on different problems associated with adolescence. Humor may provide a strategy for alleviating the tension associated with such problems in realistic fiction. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of humor in current, positively reviewed young adult literature in dark topics such as depression, death and suicide. Themes that emerged included humor as a coping device, self-defeating humor, and affiliative humor. Humor as a coping device was shown to increase with age as a way to deal with stressful situations in a study by Fuhr (2002). In a study by Erickson & …

Promoting A Desire To Read With Graphic Novels, Alexis Woodward

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research project was to create a graphic novel to encourage reluctant 4th grade boys to become interested in reading. This research questioned the graphics in graphic novels that appeal to reluctant readers, the type of content that would appeal particularly to boys who lack interest in reading, and the method of balance needed between text and graphics to capture the interest of boys who lack motivation to read. The researcher focused on graphic novels and their use in the classroom, different ways graphic novels can motivate reluctant readers to become interested in reading, the concept of …

Hull Iowa: Yesterday And Today, Lisa Jansma

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research project was to teach the history of Hull, Iowa through an informational book for the elementary students. The research created a history book of Hull, Iowa that will be used to supplement the upper elementary Iowa History Unit at the Boyden-Hull Elementary School and others in the surrounding area.

Katelyn's Story: Using Fiction To Combat High School Dropout, Cecilia La France

Graduate Research Papers

High school dropout continues to be a problem for schools, communities, and the individuals who leave an academic high school program. High school dropouts suffer in greater health problems, economic struggles, and legal issues than those who complete a high school program. Despite the persistence of the high school problem in American culture, young adult literature doesn't keep pace in representation of the subject. Additionally, among the limited number of books addressing the topic of high school dropout, female protagonists lack representation reflecting their percentage of the dropout rates.

Young adult literature provides readers a learning and reflection opportunity in …

Importance Of Reader's Advisory Interview In Graphic Novel Promotion, Lori Petersen

Graduate Research Papers

Web sites, magazine articles, books, and even summer library programs are promoting graphic novels as an almost magic cure for those children who struggle with the written word or who may be simply lack interest in reading. Much of the appeal of the graphic novel for teachers and librarians is based on the pictures, and it is easy to assume this makes reading easier.

This research sought to explore the graphic novel reading experiences for young readers to ascertain (1) the nature of their understanding of the graphic novel; (2) their tendency to draw inference and interpretation from text and …

Blood Of Elves, By Andrzej Sapkowski, Translated By Danusia Stok. Reviewed By Jason Easter., Jason Easter

Mythprint Book Reviews

Mythprint is the quarterly bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society, a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the study, discussion, and enjoyment of myth and fantasy literature, especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. To promote these interests, the Society publishes three magazines, maintains a World Wide Web site, and sponsors the annual Mythopoeic Conference and awards for fiction and scholarship, as well as local discussion groups.

Seeds Of Truth: The Importance Of C. S. Lewis's Interactions With Child Readers In The Chronicles Of Narnia, Joseph Thouvenel

Seminary Masters Theses

This paper explores the ways in which C.S. Lewis's interactions with child readers in The Chronicles of Narnia provide important insight for communicating theological and spiritual truths to children. Through a brief examination of Lewis's own childhood as well as a concise analysis of his writings to and about children, important insights regarding the place of imagination and wonder within The Chronicles of Narnia will be revealed. This paper also inspects the seven books that comprise The Chronicles of Narnia, paying specific attention to Lewis's use of first- and second-person narrative within this series as a means of demonstrating his …

A Program Evaluation: Therapeutic Playgroup For Preschool-Aged Children With Mental Health Needs, Denise M. Harden

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The understanding of preschool children has been explored in the fields of developmental psychology and early childhood education. The field of school psychology has also increased interest in the assessment of the social and emotional functioning of preschool children (Martin, 1986). Currently, there are changes in national education policy and societal pressures for systematic, professional assessment and intervention with younger children (Executive Office of the President, 1990). In addition, focus has been placed on the incorporation of evidence-based practices into assessment and treatment (Tolan & Dodge, 2005). Mental health services, in particular, aim to address the social and emotional needs …

Professional Psychology Training Programs: Program Interventions And Prediction Of Doctoral Student Stress And Life Satisfaction, Crista Montgomery M.S

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A growing literature on professional training and practice of psychology advocates that psychologists must be educated on risks and effects of impairment and the importance of self-care. Despite the general recognition of the importance of these issues, they have not been incorporated into training standards such as the American Psychological Association (APA) Guidelines and Principles of Accreditation (2007). In order to assess the approaches that programs currently adopt to address impairment and self-care, this study extended and updated previous research. A large sample of students (n = 591) enrolled in APA accredited doctoral training programs in professional psychology completed surveys …

Tolkien's Sigurd & Gudrún: Summary, Sources, & Analogs, Pierre H. Berube

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

A thorough, analytical guide to The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, listing Tolkien’s sources for each incident in his poem and finding analogs in the rest of his work. Consists mainly of charts, which are an excellent guide through this tangle of Northern legend and an unfamiliar and highly allusive poetic style, and will provide a firm starting place for later scholarship on this long-unseen work. Includes a family tree of named characters in the poem.

The Heart Of The Labyrinth: Reading Jim Henson's Labyrinth As A Modern Dream Vision, Shiloh Carroll

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Demonstrates how Jim Henson’s film Labyrinth traces its ancestry to the dream vision genre exemplified by such medieval works as “Pearl” and The Divine Comedy, showing how the dream vision parallels and guides main character Sarah’s growth toward emotional maturity. Also addresses the way Sarah deals with the prospect of sexual maturity, rejecting a too-early adulthood.

Perilous Shores: The Unfathomable Supernaturalism Of Water In 19th-Century Scottish Folklore, Jason Marc Harris

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Discusses the origin and significance of water superstitions and the varied array of water creatures in 19th-century Scottish folklore; compares these folkloric elements to similar stories from Norway to Benin to ancient Greece.

Amanda Mckittrick Ros And The Inklings, Anita G. Gorman, Leslie Robertson Mateer

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

On the connection between Amanda McKittrick Ros, frequently hailed as one of the worst writers to ever set pen to paper, and the Inklings, who would compete to see who could read aloud from her oeuvre the longest with a straight face. Considers Ros’s lasting appeal and the peculiarity of her genius.

Innocence As A Super-Power: Little Girls On The Hero's Journey, David Emerson

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

A study of the power of innocence, particularly of innocent girl characters, and how innocence functions in their stories. Dorothy of Oz, Lucy of Narnia, and Chihiro from Miyazaki’s Spirited Away are compared to discover just how their innocence works as their greatest strength.

Letters, Ryder W. Miller

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Miller, Ryder W.; ed. From Narnia to a Space Odyssey: The War of Ideas between Arthur C. Clarke and C.S. Lewis.

Reviews, Emily E. Auger, Joe R. Christopher, Janet Brennan Croft, Jason Fisher, John D. Rateliff

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Tales Before Narnia: The Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction. Ed. Douglas A. Anderson. Reviewed by John D. Rateliff.

The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures In Narnia. Laura Miller. Reviewed by Joe R. Christopher.

Projecting Tolkien's Musical Worlds: A Study of Musical Affect in Howard Shore's Soundtrack to Lord of the Rings. Matthew Young. Reviewed by Jason Fisher.

Esotericism, Art, and Imagination. Eds. Arthur Versluis, Lee Irwin, John Richards, and Melinda Weinstein. Reviewed by Emily E. Auger.

The Annotated Wind in the Willows. By Kenneth Grahame; introduction by Brian Jacques; edited with a preface and notes by Annie Gauger. …

Ancient Myths In Contemporary Cinema: Oedipus Rex And Perceval The Knight Of The Holy Grail In Pulp Fiction And The Sixth Sense, Inbar Shaham

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

A study of two contrasting myths of fathers and sons— the stories of Oedipus and Percival, which Claude Lévi-Strauss saw as in many ways inverse images of each other—in a number of contemporary films, focusing most closely on Pulp Fiction and The Sixth Sense.

The Noldor And The Tuatha Dé Danaan: J.R.R. Tolkien's Irish Influences, Annie Kinniburgh

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Shows what use Tolkien made of some elements of Celtic folklore by tracing similarities between Tolkien’s Noldor and the Irish Tuatha de Danaan, demonstrating that his Elves owe at least as much to this heritage as to the Norse álfar.

Editorial, Janet Brennan Croft

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

No Sex In Narnia? How Hans Christian Andersen's "Snow Queen" Problematizes C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles Of Narnia, Jennifer L. Miller

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Author speculates that echoes of Andersen’s “Snow Queen” inevitably (for readers familiar with the tale) bring a tinge of sexuality to encounters with the White Witch of Narnia. In this way, Lewis’s deliberately sexless tales become, for some characters, an exploration of dealing with the pull toward maturity. Touches on responses to Narnia by Pullman and Gaiman.

Naming The Evil One: Onomastic Strategies In Tolkien And Rowling, Janet Brennan Croft

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Investigates name magic associated with evil characters in Tolkien and Rowling, such as acts of naming and self-naming, avoidance terms, and the use of true names. Describes the naming plots associated with Melkor/Morgoth, Sauron, Saruman, and Voldemort.

Mystery Within Mystery: E. Burke Collins And "Dare The Detective", Deidre A. Johnson

English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mythcon 40 - Sailing The Seas Of Imagination, The Mythopoeic Society

Mythcon Programs

Welcome to the 40th Annual Mythopoeic Conference

As I returned home from Mythcon 38 in Berkeley two years ago, I thought about how the Society had not had a Southern California Mythcon for several years. It seemed important to me that for this special anniversary conference that we return to the territory where the Society began. One thing led to another, and I ended up volunteering to chair this conference.

The Third Mercy, William H. Wandless

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Ravana Questions Hanuman, Randy Hoyt

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Brekka, Dag Rossman

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

The Five Blows, Mary Johnson

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.