Essays and Research Papers on Children's Literature

A 3 page research paper/essay that, first of all, briefly discusses the life of Hans Christian Andersen and then relates Andersen's story "The Nightingale" to his life. Themes in "The Nightingale" are also discussed. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 4 page paper discusses Madeleine L'Engle's book "A Wrinkle in Time" and argues that it has lasted because of its unique heroine, who is 15 and flawed. She was an independent young woman in a genre dominated by strong men. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 10 page paper uses the book of short stories "No Easy Answers" as its source. It has two sections: in the first, it summarizes five of the stories and what the moral of each is; in the second, using an additional five stories, it describes a pivotal event in each. Bibliography lists 14 sources.

This is a 4 page paper which gives an overview of the book, "The City of Ember". The bibliography has 1 source.

A 3 page review of the novel “the Young Man and the Sea” by Rodman Philbrick. Bibliography lists 1 additional source.

This 3 page paper discusses Susan Cooper's book "Greenwitch" and answers questions about it. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 6 page paper which compares and contrasts the Cinderella story with the Disney cartoon film version. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 6 page paper compares the Charles Perrault version of the fairy tale “Cinderella” with that of the Brothers Grimm, and what the differences might tell us about the two cultures. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 6 page reaction paper to an essay by Aviva Layton, "Grim Fairy Tales and Gory Stories." Historical scholarship shows that children reading fairy tales (and similarly violent tales) has been considered controversial since around 1800 (Should children). There is a tendency for adults to want to protected children from what is deemed "ugly, illogical, ...

A 5 page essay that discusses the structure of Paolini's fantasy novel. Examination of a young adult novel Eldest Inheritance, Book Two by Christopher Paolini (Knopf, 2005) shows that this heroic fantasy tale inculcates all four categories of conflict (man vs. man; man vs. nature; man vs. society; and man vs. himself) with the result ...

A 3 page report on “Skateboarder Tough” by Matt Christopher. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page paper which offers a book report of Matilda Nordtvedt’s Song of the Brook. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page paper argues that the fable "Beauty and the Beast" does not conform to current societal ideas about women's roles and gender. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This paper compares and contrasts two books by Avi: "Crispin, The Cross of Lead" and "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle." Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 10 page research paper that examines how Jonathan Swift's classic Gulliver's Travels, which is a biting adult satire was transformed into a staple of children's literature. The writer summarizes Jackie Stallcup's insightful history and analysis of Gulliver's myriad children's adaptations. This review establishes the fact that adaptations of classics into children's books says a ...

A 3 page paper which examines how various Cinderella stories influence, or could influence, little girls. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page paper which reviews the novel Silver Skates by Mary M. Dodge. No additional sources cited.

This 3 page paper provides a book report written on a grade school level. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page paper which analyzes Hansel and Gretel by Brothers Grimm. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page book review of a juvenile novel. Trouble at Wild River by Lois W. Johnson is a thrilling, suspense novel geared toward pre-teen readers. The suspenseful narrative propels the novel, as the young people, Kate and Anders, endeavor to discover who has been changing the ownership markings on the logs that farmers will ...

This 4 page paper is a reaction to articles by Kari Gold and Bruno Bettelheim, in which the authors discuss fairy tales. The paper argues that Gold's approach is more accessible than Bettelheim's, who tends to go deeper into psychological examination of the stories than is supported by the text. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 3 page paper gives brief reviews of the books "Holes" by Louis Sachar and "The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963" by Christopher Paul Curtis.

A 5 page paper which reviews, individually, The Witch of Black Bird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare and The Silent Boy by Lois Lowry. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page paper which examines the characters in the novel The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows by Barry Denenberg. No additional sources cited.

This 4 page paper examines this fictitious work. Age stratification is discussed. Bibliography lists 4 sources.