EDU440 Childrens Literature and Literacy Learning

Identify the premise and supporting points of the article and significance to the field.

 

Identify how this article is related to course content and how you would apply the contents in real life.

Identify your informed and substantiated opinion, thoroughly evaluating the article  premise and supporting points.

Generally, Serafini's article addresses the changing face of the fiction and non-fiction texts. The changes have primarily resulted from the technological innovations and advancements especially in printing and designing of the books (Serafini, 2010). Also illuminated in the article is the difference between fiction and non-fiction works as well as the continuously blurring difference between the two. In an attempt to demonstrate the blurredness between fiction and nonfiction texts, Serafini employs the concept of Dragonology and the Discovery of Dragons.

The premise of the article is to analyze two picture books, The Discovery of Dragons and Dragonology and depict how children readers are playfully and skillfully enticed by the books (Serafini, 2010). In so doing, the author also, through analyzing the books, seeks to show how the books create a vague impression of the difference between fiction and nonfiction. In showing this blurred boundary, (Serafin, 2010) argues that fiction writers sometimes use realistic information and the non-fictional writers use fictitious characters to speak to the audience. The notion, therefore, leads to the blurred difference between fiction and non-fiction works.

The article explains in details the changes that have taken place in the literary arena. Hence, the book details on both the fiction and nonfiction texts and what divides the two. The content of this article, therefore, informs the course content mainly by helping children understand the differences between the two. It is also applicable to real life in that authors will be able to take a stand on whether to write fiction or nonfictional works.

 Borrowing from the article and other information it is evident that the distinction between fiction and non-fiction is blurred. Fiction refers to imaginative or creative creations (Stien, & Beed, 2004) and its contents may contain real information thereby rendering it nonfictional. Similarly, a nonfiction work may contain fictional aspects such as characters, names of places or people hence giving the work a fictional characteristic as in the case of Dragonology and The Discovery of Dragons.

References

Serafini, F. (2010). Expository Fiction: Blurring the Boundaries between Fiction and Nonfiction

in Dragonology and The Discovery of Dragons. Journal of Children''s Literature, 36(1), 44.

Stien, D., & Beed, P. L. (2004). Bridging the gap between fiction and nonfiction in the literature

circle setting. The Reading Teacher, 57(6), 510-518.