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The Works of Katherine Paterson
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From: Megan Schliesman <Schliesman>
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1999 09:50:47 -0500
Before turning our attention to the works of the winner of the 1999 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award, Katherine Paterson, I want to thank everyone who provided such thought-provoking and insightful comments on Tomi Ungerer during the first half of this month. A special thanks is due to Linnea Hendrickson, who did such a superb job facilitating the discussion. Thank you Linnea, and everyone, for exemplifying how wonderful the electronic discussion format can be.
Now let's turn our attention to Katherine Paterson. Like Tomi Ungerer, Paterson offers a rich and varied body of work for our consideration. Among her many works for children are the Newbery-award winning novels Bridge to Terabithia (Crowell, 1977) and Jacob, Have I Loved I (Crowell, 1980); the Newbery Honor Book The Great Gilly Hopkins (Crowell, 1978); Park's Quest (Lodestar, 1988), Lyddie
(Lodestar, 1991), and Jip, His Story (Lodestar, 1996). Paterson does not only write novels, however; short stories, retellings of traditional literature, picture books, and nonfiction are also part of her body of work.
Let's begin our discussion with Paterson's novels, and bring in other books as we see connections to be made.
Paterson is a writer who believes in the power of literature to enable children to make connections and feel compassion--to make them feel connected to and affirm their humanity, in a sense. At the Marquette University Children's Literature Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last fall, she spoke powerfully of this belief and after hearing her I felt inspired. I think it is something that many, if not all of us, who work with children's literature also believe, but there was something renewing to the spirit in hearing a writer who creates such honest, emotionally powerful works affirming that basic tenet of why we (or at least I--not to be presumptuous) in part do what we do.
So to begin our discussion I'd like to ask you to share your thoughts on Katherine Paterson's work in general, or your responses and considerations of specific works she has created, in the context of what you think they offer children. What have been the responses of children you know who read Paterson's works? How do kids connect with them, these books that are wonderful storytelling but also, perhaps, so much more? How do you as a critic or reviewer or teacher or scholar or librarian connect with them?
Megan
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education UW-Madison 608&2?03 schliesman at education.wisc.edu
Received on Tue 17 Aug 1999 09:50:47 AM CDT
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1999 09:50:47 -0500
Before turning our attention to the works of the winner of the 1999 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award, Katherine Paterson, I want to thank everyone who provided such thought-provoking and insightful comments on Tomi Ungerer during the first half of this month. A special thanks is due to Linnea Hendrickson, who did such a superb job facilitating the discussion. Thank you Linnea, and everyone, for exemplifying how wonderful the electronic discussion format can be.
Now let's turn our attention to Katherine Paterson. Like Tomi Ungerer, Paterson offers a rich and varied body of work for our consideration. Among her many works for children are the Newbery-award winning novels Bridge to Terabithia (Crowell, 1977) and Jacob, Have I Loved I (Crowell, 1980); the Newbery Honor Book The Great Gilly Hopkins (Crowell, 1978); Park's Quest (Lodestar, 1988), Lyddie
(Lodestar, 1991), and Jip, His Story (Lodestar, 1996). Paterson does not only write novels, however; short stories, retellings of traditional literature, picture books, and nonfiction are also part of her body of work.
Let's begin our discussion with Paterson's novels, and bring in other books as we see connections to be made.
Paterson is a writer who believes in the power of literature to enable children to make connections and feel compassion--to make them feel connected to and affirm their humanity, in a sense. At the Marquette University Children's Literature Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last fall, she spoke powerfully of this belief and after hearing her I felt inspired. I think it is something that many, if not all of us, who work with children's literature also believe, but there was something renewing to the spirit in hearing a writer who creates such honest, emotionally powerful works affirming that basic tenet of why we (or at least I--not to be presumptuous) in part do what we do.
So to begin our discussion I'd like to ask you to share your thoughts on Katherine Paterson's work in general, or your responses and considerations of specific works she has created, in the context of what you think they offer children. What have been the responses of children you know who read Paterson's works? How do kids connect with them, these books that are wonderful storytelling but also, perhaps, so much more? How do you as a critic or reviewer or teacher or scholar or librarian connect with them?
Megan
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education UW-Madison 608&2?03 schliesman at education.wisc.edu
Received on Tue 17 Aug 1999 09:50:47 AM CDT
