Essay Example on Designing Books for Kids: A Necessary Step for Early Learning

Introduction

Learning how to read is one of the most important stage for the children as they grow up. Children are excited about reading something that excites them, subjects that cover the content of their interests. Therefore, when designing children books, it is essential to consider matters that are appealing to them. Children interact with the environment in the process of their development; creating books with natural illustrations draws the children's attention because they see the phenomena in their daily lives. children's books should not be complicated; they should use words that children are familiar with to make the reading process easy. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar " by Eric Carle and "Corduroy" by Don Freeman are incredible children's stories. The stories use excellent illustrations and simple wording that make them ideal for children. This paper analyses the two books.

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Point of View

The point of view "The Very Hungry Caterpillar " is first person, the author narrates the story. It is told matches to the purpose of the book, the story targets children audience. The author says about a story that fascinates children about a caterpillar and its transformation into a butterfly. Children love butterflies; hence the author addresses what they like. "Corduroy" is told in a third person; the doll bear narrates the story. Naturally, children love dolls, and they are more likely to connect with the story. The writers in the two stories do not change their points of view; they create a simple narration throughout the stories. The point of view is limited to children's understanding capacity. It is suitable for children because they cannot understand complicated concepts. The point of view does not limit the horizon of children because that is their level. It would be inappropriate to give them stories that they cannot even understand. The two authors chose this point of view; children content because they need to reach their target audience that is the children. They want their messages to reach the children. Don Freeman is from a culture where people like dolls. Eric Carle comes from a region with a lot of butterflies and children like them a lot.

Style

The style of writing in the two stories is appropriate to the subject. The subjects are so simple and easy for children to understand. A story about a bear doll and another about a small caterpillar: the style is simple and straightforward; hence it is suitable for the target audience. The two authors in "Corduroy" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" appear to be narrating the stories directly to the children. The authors approach the two stories in a captivating way. "Corduroy" is descriptive; it gives the bear some human characteristics. For instance, it can work and look for its lost buttons. The looks of the bear are well elaborated. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" also clearly describes how the caterpillar looks from the initial stages and how it evolves.

The two stories are descriptive; they allow the audience to get a clear picture of the content they want to pass through. The flow of the story naturally fits the characters in the stories, and this minimizes any chances of confusion. The mood of the two stories is humorous and cheerful. In "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" the act of the caterpillar feasting on everything and overgrowing in size makes the story entertaining (Carle 19). Corduroy looks adorable, he likes humans, and his nature can make children to fall in love with him easily. The mood of the two stories is joy. The caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly that is awesome. Corduroy finally gets an owner who loves him, and that is so adorable.

Characterization

In " The Very Hungry Caterpillar " Carle introduces the caterpillar from the hatching stage, and then it develops over time (Carle 5). In "Corduroy" Freeman introduces Corduroy from a list of dolls living in a toy department (Freeman 5). Freeman gives Corduroy some unique characteristics that make him different from all the other dolls. He is given human qualities like walking and talking differentiating him from the rest. The characters in the two stories are convincing because their characters make them look real. The caterpillar eats like a human; it can eat food meant for humans. On the fifth day, the caterpillar eats lollipop, sausages and cupcakes the same as humans (Carle 19). Children can understand the story easily because these are things they do; they like candies. Giving a caterpillar the abilities to eat lollipops makes the story look more real. Making Corduroy climb on an escalator makes the story more realistic and easy for children to understand (Freeman 12).

The strength of the two stories is, the two authors use a language and pictorial representation that is easily understandable. On the weakness, the two over exaggerates on some issues, for instance, the act of caterpillar eating a lollipop. A doll cannot speak, walk or sleep. The others should be more realistic. There are some instances of stereotyping in the two stories. At some point, the caterpillar gets judged by its bad eating behavior, but in the end, it turns into the most beautiful creature. The little girl's mother also Judges Corduroy because he does not have one button. The behaviors of the characters are consistent with their development. For instance, at early stages the caterpillar eats a lot, then it realizes that it should not eat a lot when it gets a stomachache. Corduroy also realizes that he is in a house and adjusts according to the surrounding. The only character that grows in the stories is caterpillar after it feeds for a week; it transforms into a butterfly. As the caterpillar develops its behavior changes and it becomes adorable.

Themes

The central theme in "The Very Hungry Caterpillar " is growth and development. The story elaborates the various stages the caterpillar goes through before it becomes an actual butterfly (Carle 24). The same account can apply to human lives; humans undergo multiple stages in the development process. "Corduroy" has several themes; the first theme is hope. The bear does not lose hope when no one appears interested to buy it, but in the end, it gets a fantastic home (Freeman 6). The second theme is judging. The story warns people about not judging others by the way they look. Corduroy does not have one button, but he is a good bear. The themes in the story are essential in impacting children behavior, children should understand their development process. Children should also have hope and learn not to judge others by their looks. The themes emerge naturally as the two stories flow. The themes play their roles well, but they do not overpower the story. The ideas contribute significantly to the process of shaping children morals. The two authors give the animals human characters to derive point home. The caterpillars can eat and grow like humans. The Corduroy can walk, talk and act like people.

Setting

"Corduroy" story takes place in a department store (Freeman 5). The building structures indicates that it is a store. there are some shelves where the dolls get placed and other illustrations that make the setting qualify to be a store. " The Very Hungry Caterpillar " story takes place in a forest (Carle 4). It is clear as the caterpillar gets hatched from an egg on a leaf. The setting affects how the characters develop; for instance, the caterpillar feeds on food from its surrounding to grow. The environment in the store allow Corduroy meet humans and develop his human-like characteristics. The caterpillar moves beyond its settings; it feeds on a lollipop and other foods. They are not in the forest, that implies because it gets a stomach ache. The doll also surpasses its settings because it goes home and joins humans in a different context, Corduroy comfortably fits in a home setting.

Plot

"Corduroy," tells a fascinating story. Children will automatically enjoy it because they can relate to the flow. The story is full of action and exciting scenarios; the doll provides fascinating actions that makes the story exceptional. The plot of "Corduroy" is so original, the story is unique in its way. There are some points where some events give thrilling feelings, for instance, when the guard appears into the room after Corduroy fall the lamp (Freeman 18). That can be the climax moment of the story. generally, the plot of the story allows the events to flow naturally; the buildup is exciting.

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar " is a captivating story that children can enjoy a lot. The story has a lot of action; for instance, the caterpillar eats everything on its way. The climax of the story is in the case when a caterpillar eats a lot of home food; sausages, lollipops and it gets a stomach ache (Carle 19). The story has a compelling plot with a clear flow of events in a procedural manner. The caterpillar first gets from an egg, and then it starts its development journey and turns into a butterfly. The plot is excellent and easy to follow. In a nutshell, the two stories present children stories in the most exciting and simple ways. They also cover contents that children like making them easy to relate.

Additional Considerations

The illustrations in "Corduroy" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar "play a very crucial role in building up the story. The decorations and visual elaboration of the images of the caterpillar play an essential role in telling the story. In the start, the caterpillar is small in size then it enlarges with time, it also changes other physical properties to transform into a butterfly. All the colors and illustrations make the story easily understandable. On Corduroy's side, it has some features that make it fit its descriptions. The picture of Corduroy makes him adorable, and this explains why he takes the central role of the book.

The pictures of the two plays are aesthetically satisfying. The books are beautifully designed with incredible images. The pictures have the most beautiful colors that look fascinating. They fit children's level, and the illustrations clear indicate that. The images do not contain details that can be confusing to children; they are so charming and straightforward. The books are excellently designed with appealing cover pages to draw the attention of the reader. Corduroy contains the picture of the bear on the top page, which is so captivating; it entices children to desire to find more. "The very ugly caterpillar" cover page has the image of the caterpillar. It looks incredible, and it can quickly draw the attention of children.

Conclusion

The formatting of the books relates well to the text; the pictures represent what is in the stories. The stories significantly relate to the descriptions in the illustrations. The books use bulky papers. However, everything is so clear despite the large margin of the papers. The binding of the books excellent, considering the large sizes of the paper, the books are well connected. The two books relate closely to the children books. They are so simple and straight to the point. The books contain a lot of pictures that makes them easily understandable. Children like pictures because they see them as exciting. The two books contain a lot of pictures which is a common feature in many children books. The illustrations are also cartoony like in many children books. Don Freeman other books relate in to "Corduroy", they all have content that targets children and same simplicity. For instance, "pocket for Corduroy" closely relates to "Corduroy". Eric Carle other books are also cartoony like " The Very Hungry Caterpillar ".

Works Cited

Carle, Eric. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Early Years Educator, vol. 2, no.3, 2000, pp:38-41.

Freeman, Don. Corduroy. Penguin, 1990.