University Honors

The recitation and reenactment of children's stories with their associated images and illustrations are often an individual's first encounters with storytelling, literature, and guided imaginative experiences. These stories may have a general focus of academic, social, or ethical and moral instruction, especially through the use of anthropomorphic characters and magical or mythical elements. There is, however, a significant subgenre of children's literature which focuses intently on exercises in imagination and wonder. Imagination and wonder are tools of communication, but even more they are a critical part of growing up, maintaining perspective, and embracing joy in literary forms. Literature as the inciting factor in wonder allows children to explore complex problems and their own concerns in a safe space. This project is an exploration of communicative tools in children's literature with a special emphasis on how wonder is created and used int he telling of these stories. The project combines research with the creation of children's literature to develop a fuller understanding of how and why imagination is so ingrained in books for children. To do so, I am writing and illustrating three children's books with distinctive fantasy elements and characters and using my experience in authorship to ground my research in what elements are critical to "good" children's books. The research examines works of authors past and present to discover what is necessary for children's books to contain if they are to be hallmarks of children's literature which appeal to all people regardless of age.