Applying Theories to Children's Literature

Applying Theories to Children’s Literature

Arminta Hayes

Eng/ 290

November 19, 2013

Professor Sands

Children’s literature is one of the beginning stages of how children learn to communicate and increase their knowledge through reading. The story or Charlottes’ Web will be used to examine child development. Examples based on the theoretical and scientific studies by Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget increase our knowledge of child development. There are numerous ways to analyze these functions but children’s literature is the perfect mirrored models for this development. Each model will help parents, and educators to choose literature that will reflect their child at every developmental state. Also, Writers benefit in the understanding of child development roles because it will help to grab the attention of a specific target audience. In addition to models of child development being used to analyze Charlotte’s Web, I will also us a literary critical approach to let readers know whether a story like Charlotte’s Web is considered a good read in the form of children’s literature.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Charlotte’s Web starts off by discussing the relationship between Fern, the little girl, and Wilbur, the pig. Fern’s father was going to kill Wilbur because he was the runt of the little pigs. Fern stopped her father from killing Wilbur and she began to nurture and care about Wilbur, which in return helped Wilbur to trust her. Fern and Wilbur’s relationship is conducive to Erickson’s psychosocial development theory known as trust vs. mistrust. Russell (2009) stated “from birth to roughly 18 months children have little option but to trust those who are their caregivers” (p. 2). Also, “books at this stage can provide both security and reassurance (p.2).” Charlotte’s web does touch on this theory through the characters but I do not believe this type of book would be beneficial for a child between the ages of birth to 18 months. First,...