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[CCBC-Net] Children on their Own
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From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2005 11:00:18 -0500
I remember, as a child, loving books in the orphan vein, such as The Secret Garden and The Family Under the Bridge.
For me the ultimate (although she was not technically an orphan) was Pippi Longstocking. Pippi fulfills a lot of childhood dreams: being your own boss in your own house, having a pet monkey, riding a horse to school, having super-human strength and unpullable pigtails, etc. I thought Pippi had the perfect life.
Megan asked the question of how today's realistic fiction differs from some of the classic orphan stories. It seems that many of today's literary orphans are looking for a home and family in the more traditional sense, whether it's with the crotchety old grandmother who reveals a heart of gold or the perfectly-matched foster family.
Orphans from days of yore seemed, for the most part, perfectly happy on their own or with their own patched together families.
Kathleen T. Horning, Director Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706
horning at education.wisc.edu Voice: 608-263-3721 Fax: 608-262-4933 www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Thu 25 Aug 2005 11:00:18 AM CDT
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2005 11:00:18 -0500
I remember, as a child, loving books in the orphan vein, such as The Secret Garden and The Family Under the Bridge.
For me the ultimate (although she was not technically an orphan) was Pippi Longstocking. Pippi fulfills a lot of childhood dreams: being your own boss in your own house, having a pet monkey, riding a horse to school, having super-human strength and unpullable pigtails, etc. I thought Pippi had the perfect life.
Megan asked the question of how today's realistic fiction differs from some of the classic orphan stories. It seems that many of today's literary orphans are looking for a home and family in the more traditional sense, whether it's with the crotchety old grandmother who reveals a heart of gold or the perfectly-matched foster family.
Orphans from days of yore seemed, for the most part, perfectly happy on their own or with their own patched together families.
Kathleen T. Horning, Director Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706
horning at education.wisc.edu Voice: 608-263-3721 Fax: 608-262-4933 www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Thu 25 Aug 2005 11:00:18 AM CDT
