Death is a common theme throughout literature, but becomes a topic of interest when
used in literature written for children. How much can a child handle? Should
they be exposed to such dark topics? How should authors go about this process?
These are all great questions that parents, authors, librarians, and teachers
must ask. The theme of death can be seen throughout much of children’s
literature and is depicted in various ways to suit the various stages of child
development as well as the varying reactions towards death that children deal
with.
According to an article by author Carol Romero, children relate to death
in four different areas. The first area is that children all have various
reactions towards death. The second area is the cultural attitudes of American
society towards death that affect the way children experience death. The third
area is that since colonial times, children’s literature has treated death as a
reflection of the cultural values of each era. And lastly children’s concepts of
death are related to the developmental stages that they are in.
According to Piaget’s stages of development, around the age of
six children enter into the concrete operational stage. During this stage,
“children construct schemes that enable them to think logically about objects
and events in the real world” (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 251). This is important to keep
in mind that children are ready to logically view the world around them.
Also indicating that they are at the point where they can begin to understand death.
In an article by Kathy Danielson, she introduces the three conceptual
stages that children have in relation to death. The first stage occurs when
children relate death to sleep. The second stage is when children recognize that
death is permanent. The last stage is when the child recognizes that death is
permanent as well as universal. In her article she also talks about the five
stages that individuals go through when confronted with death as stated by E.
Kubler Ross. The stages are as follows; denial and isolation, anger, bargaining,
depression, and lastly acceptance.
In literature, the theme of death can be divided up topically. Some books
deal with death of pets, others deal with death of parents, grandparents,
sibling, and/or peers. An experiment was done on a sixth grade class. They read
four different books about death. After they were done reading the books, the
students were asked about the books. Many answered that they liked the books
since they felt that death needs to be understood. At the same time they also
stated that they felt uncomfortable discussing the books and their personal
perceptions about death to their class (Danielson).
Another study was done that analyzed ninety children’s books with the
theme of death. The experimenters came to the conclusion that children’s
literature geared towards preschool students and lower elementary students are
lacking in quality books that have the theme of death. They also found that
books written for children ages nine and up involved more violent portrayals of
death compared to books written for children ages five to eight. Another
conclusion that they found was that the books consistently represented parents
as dealing with death in a responsible way. The last conclusion they came to was
that the death of parents in the books had a larger impact on the characters
than a death of a friend or peer (Green).
Death can be a touchy subject for anybody, but especially for children.
Many books geared towards helping children come to terms with the reality of
death can be helpful but parents must also be aware of their child’s maturity
and the way that death is depicted in the books. If a child is not
developmentally ready to handle death, then books with death in them should be
chosen with care.
Works Cited
Boyd, D., & Bee, H. (2012). Lifespan development.
Boston: Pearson
Danielson, Kathy Everts. Death: Realism In Children's
Books. n.p.: 1985. ERIC. Web. 16 Dec. 2012
Green, Mary Lou Johnson. "The Image of Death as Portrayed in
Fiction for Children." (1975). ERIC. Web. 16 Dec.
2012.
Romero, Carol E. "The Treatment of Death in Contemporary
Children's Literature." (1974). ERIC. Web. 16 Dec. 2012
used in literature written for children. How much can a child handle? Should
they be exposed to such dark topics? How should authors go about this process?
These are all great questions that parents, authors, librarians, and teachers
must ask. The theme of death can be seen throughout much of children’s
literature and is depicted in various ways to suit the various stages of child
development as well as the varying reactions towards death that children deal
with.
According to an article by author Carol Romero, children relate to death
in four different areas. The first area is that children all have various
reactions towards death. The second area is the cultural attitudes of American
society towards death that affect the way children experience death. The third
area is that since colonial times, children’s literature has treated death as a
reflection of the cultural values of each era. And lastly children’s concepts of
death are related to the developmental stages that they are in.
According to Piaget’s stages of development, around the age of
six children enter into the concrete operational stage. During this stage,
“children construct schemes that enable them to think logically about objects
and events in the real world” (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 251). This is important to keep
in mind that children are ready to logically view the world around them.
Also indicating that they are at the point where they can begin to understand death.
In an article by Kathy Danielson, she introduces the three conceptual
stages that children have in relation to death. The first stage occurs when
children relate death to sleep. The second stage is when children recognize that
death is permanent. The last stage is when the child recognizes that death is
permanent as well as universal. In her article she also talks about the five
stages that individuals go through when confronted with death as stated by E.
Kubler Ross. The stages are as follows; denial and isolation, anger, bargaining,
depression, and lastly acceptance.
In literature, the theme of death can be divided up topically. Some books
deal with death of pets, others deal with death of parents, grandparents,
sibling, and/or peers. An experiment was done on a sixth grade class. They read
four different books about death. After they were done reading the books, the
students were asked about the books. Many answered that they liked the books
since they felt that death needs to be understood. At the same time they also
stated that they felt uncomfortable discussing the books and their personal
perceptions about death to their class (Danielson).
Another study was done that analyzed ninety children’s books with the
theme of death. The experimenters came to the conclusion that children’s
literature geared towards preschool students and lower elementary students are
lacking in quality books that have the theme of death. They also found that
books written for children ages nine and up involved more violent portrayals of
death compared to books written for children ages five to eight. Another
conclusion that they found was that the books consistently represented parents
as dealing with death in a responsible way. The last conclusion they came to was
that the death of parents in the books had a larger impact on the characters
than a death of a friend or peer (Green).
Death can be a touchy subject for anybody, but especially for children.
Many books geared towards helping children come to terms with the reality of
death can be helpful but parents must also be aware of their child’s maturity
and the way that death is depicted in the books. If a child is not
developmentally ready to handle death, then books with death in them should be
chosen with care.
Works Cited
Boyd, D., & Bee, H. (2012). Lifespan development.
Boston: Pearson
Danielson, Kathy Everts. Death: Realism In Children's
Books. n.p.: 1985. ERIC. Web. 16 Dec. 2012
Green, Mary Lou Johnson. "The Image of Death as Portrayed in
Fiction for Children." (1975). ERIC. Web. 16 Dec.
2012.
Romero, Carol E. "The Treatment of Death in Contemporary
Children's Literature." (1974). ERIC. Web. 16 Dec. 2012