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EDUC 465 – Children’s Literature

Take-Home Midterm Exam (30 points)

Textbook

 Scieszka, J., & Smith C. (1992). The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales. New York: Viking Books for Young Readers.

Question

Write a review of Scieszke & Smith (1992) The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales

using the following criteria (for more details on the review process, you will need to refer to

Chapter 8 of From Cover to Cover by K.T. Horning.

Grading Criteria: You will be assessed by the following criteria:

Reading and Note Taking /5

Bibliography /4

Review

 Introduction

 Analysis

 Use of Sources

 Conclusions

/4

/6

/3

/3

Grammar/Writing Style/Citation Style /5

Total /30

Instructions:

Submission

 You have one week to complete this exam.

 Papers should be four pages in length; Time New Roman 12-point font and

double-spaced (Notes and Bibliography are not included in the four pages length).

 Please use Canvas “Assignments” tool to submit your paper.

 Late papers receive a 10-point deduction. You will receive 0 points if the paper is

more than one day late.

Reading and Note Taking (Adapted from Doonan, 1993, p. 59).

While reading the picture book for this exam, please take notes on your reading experience,

following the steps below. Your notes must be handed in along with the exam.

Step 1: Read the text by itself. Write down what you notice (e.g., do you notice a

rhythm?)

Step 2: “Read” the pictures. Make notes about anything that gets your attention

Dominant Color

Tone

Scale

Repetition of shapes, objects, layout

Irony/Contradictions

Step 3: Write down at least three possible answers to the question “What is the effect of

what I am noticing” in this sequence of illustrations.

Consulting Outside Sources For the review portion of this exam, you will be expected to refer to a number of secondary

sources. You must include quotes from at least 3 reviews from recognized sources (i.e. Kirkus

Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Canadian Review of Materials, Horn Book, etc.), and you are

expected to refer to Salisbury & Styles (2012) and Horning (2010) to support your critical review

of the book (minimum of 2 quotes).

Citation Information Your review must be accompanied by a bibliography in APA style, and should include

 The picture book

 Your 3 review sources

 Salisbury & Styles (2012)

 Horning (2010)

 Any other secondary sources consulted

Writing the Review (adapted from Horning 2010)

Descriptive

 What is the book about?

 What themes are being explored?

 What do you think of the illustrator’s artistic style?

 Provide some background information on the illustrator.

Analytical

 What sort of critical reception has the book received?

 What artistic tradition does the illustrator draw on?

 Discuss the use of line, colour, perspective.

 What is the relationship between words and pictures?

 Analyze at least two images within the book in explicit detail, using Horning and/or Salisbury & Styles to support your analysis.

Sociological  Are the book’s themes controversial in any way?

 Do you think the themes and illustration style affect reception and/or popular appeal?

 Is the book or any of its themes based on historical or current events and/or politics?

Conclusions What did you learn about picture books through your research on this illustrator? Tie your

conclusions to the issues you discussed in the midterm and to our discussions/readings about

picture books. What is significant about what you have found?

Grammar/Writing Style Please make sure to proofread your exam before submitting. This is an upper division course,

and as such, you are expected to have a solid grasp of writing, grammar, and the ability to adhere

to a specific citation style. You are to use APA style throughout this exam. You will lose marks

for grammatical errors, non-adherence to the APA style guide, and for unclear or sloppy writing.