Owing to a project I've been working on, I've had to read a few children's classics in depth lately, and will continue to have to do so probably for the next year. Right now I'm studying Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Technically not children's literature, since though it was ostensibly written for children, it's quite clear that it was intended, at least in equal part if not primarily, for adults.
Next on th elist will be the Fables de la Fontaine. I've already started rereading them.
Another that I've had to look at, also related to the project, is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We might not think of it as children's literature in the usual sense, yet unlike many other bills of rights, it is written in easy-to-understand language and is laid out in such a way as to be easy to follow. Few if any children would be interested in reading it in their spare time, but as a document to read in school, it is in fact introduced to upper elementary students and then taught in greater depth in jr. high in some schools around the world.
Especially when I look at Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience, I find that there are many topics in it that overlap with the UDHR. They therefore complement one another as part of an integrated course plan. As for the Fables de la Fontaine, they mostly teach common sense morality, but again some of them are quite deep. I just haven't looked at how they might be integrated into the full course plan yet.
Yet another that I've been reading lately is Ljudmila Jevsejeva's Donaceto por Infanoj (all four books). They target a somewhat younger audience and deal mostly with the everyday experiences of typical upper elementary kids. Easily accessible to that age group too, and also teaches some morality in a humorous way. Again, reading it as an adult brings new perspectives to its depth of meaning that children might not appreciate as much, yet it's still just as acessible to them.
Another was Zamenhof's poems. They tend to contain a certain emotional intensity and are mostly rallying cries, motivational poems towards social justice. They do not target children at all and may be difficult for jr. elementary children without a doubt, and even upper elementary without teacher or parental assistance. But as part of a curriculum teaching social justice, wonderful poems.
I've also been digging into many Psalms and other passages from the Bible too as part of European culture, again mainly focussing on passages that are easily accesible to a younger audience and which can be easily integrated into a wider curriculum teaching language, moral education and citizenship.
This same research had gotten me tor ead a number of other documents too, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the US Bill of Rights, the Declaration des Droits de l'homme et du Citoyen, etc. There is no doubt though that for upper elementary and jr. high students, the Universal Declaration of Human rights is far more accessible in terms of grammar, vocabulary, layout, presentation, etc.
Anyway, I've been learning alot reading about the education system of various countries, mostly online, along with children's literature and not-so-childish literature that is also taught them in various countries.
I'm still debating national anthems though. Some parts of the Royal Anthem are not too pretty, and the Marseillaise is just outright bloody. The Canadian national anthem is somewhat bland (though there are interesting historical tidbits about it along with various topics of debate, granted). Blake's Jerusalem is quite nice. Though I haven't decided what anthems, if any, I'll include in my final project, which I hope to complete within the next year or two at most.
Anyway, I've been learning lots studying what children learn in different countries, strangely enough.
...Get the Creative Juices flowin' while I work on finishin' up my novel...
