Ch. 3 Blog

When evaluating books, it is essential to consider the book in terms of values. You may want to dissect the literature, piece by piece and determine whether or not it fits the evaluation criteria. Take the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; I had no idea that it caused controversies to the point of banning it from certain schools. I suppose if I were an African American individual, reading a book (written for enjoyment) that had slavery within its bounds would make me to feel quite uncomfortable. I would ask myself, “What values does this book address?” I have read Huckleberry Finn, once awhile ago and I do remember feeling ill when I read about the attempted lynching toward Jim, Huckleberry’s black friend. Even though I could not relate to Jim, culturally, I still felt remorse for blacks during the books’ setting. I believe this book could be construed in different ways, depending on which side of the spectrum you are looking thru. I believe it presents slavery as a horrid act of human nature, in a ruthless world where a young white boy, whom is an “outcast” of society, befriends yet another outcast, a black man. I find that the values of this particular book are that of friendship, loyalty and love. Ultimately, Huckleberry loved Jim, and judged him not by the color of his skin but by the shape of his heart.

There are so many children’s books out in America. Out of the endless amounts of literature, think about how many different characters there are. The impossibility becomes possible; characters who are crazy, wild, shy, loud, rough, absurd, pensive, introverted, extraverted… the list could go on and on. Now, along with the characters, it is essential to concoct an ideal setting for them to reside in. “Believable settings place readers in geographic locations and time periods that they can see, hear, and even feel” (Norton, 2007). Without characters within a book, the setting would be pointless; without a setting, the characters would be worthless. They two work hand-in-hand to make the literature come alive. Having characters that are believable allows room for a child to relate to the characters. If the setting is within a time-frame that is unfamiliar to the child , with the clues from the characters, the child will be welcomed into the plot.