When Dorothy arrives in Oz, the readers follow her into a land replete with little people, enchanted animals, evil witches, good witches, and eccentric characters. Such is the stuff of fantasy. Readers step outside their reality into a realm where imagination and suspension of disbelief allow anything to happen?and it often does. Yet, within the…

Folklore, the oldest form of storytelling, reflects the culture of a country, hence its nonfiction classification. Through these tales, one senses the values, the humor, and the lifestyles of its peoples. A powerful genre, folklore is the foundation on which high fantasy is created, epic films are produced, and a single story is passed from one…

Fantasy and science fiction are two genres that are products of imagination. Both present alternate worlds governed by their own laws and values, but it is the plausibility of events in each world that sets the two apart. In fantasy, events happen by magic or inexplicable means. In science fiction, events could happen based on advanced…

Discusses the use of tea parties to stimulate children to use their creativity to plan, organize, and think about the materials they would need. Considers the use of riddles and gives examples of tea parties from literature, including fantasy books. (LRW)

Discusses children's fantasies about running away and describes children's books and films that address those feelings. Includes suggestions for creative activities for younger children and middle grade students, including puppets, plays, illustrated maps, and role playing. (LRW)

Discusses various encounters children may have that leave lasting impressions, including encounters with animals or natural elements in general, those with people that evolve into friendship or tension, and fantasy encounters. Examples are given from films and literature, and sample creative activities involving encounters are suggested for…

"Traditional Literature" is defined by Carl M. Tomlinson and Carol Lynch-Brown in "Essentials of Children's Literature (Allyn and Bacon, 2001) as "the body of ancient stories and poems that grew out of the human quest to understand the natural and spiritual worlds and that was preserved through time by the oral tradition of storytelling before…

Describes how children can become immersed in the world of fairy tales through activities such as choosing a character and developing a monolog, and creating a pantomime, a prop and a piece of advice, all relevant to their character and story. Includes a list of resources. (AEF)

Suggests titles and learning activities to promote the use of children's books in the elementary school classroom. Language arts topics addressed include language skills; vocabulary enrichment; distinguishing between reality and fantasy; the concept of point of view; poetry; creative writing; and reading. (six references) (LRW)

Provides lesson plans for K-3 art/music/science; grade 3-5 reading/language arts; grade 2-4, 4-6, and 6-8 social studies. Lists print and nonprint resources and discusses library media skills and subject area objectives, instructional roles, activities, procedures, evaluation, and follow-up. Includes activity sheets for the lessons on Van…

Describes seven library media activities: "Mathematics: What's After the Decimal Point?"; "Music: Melody"; "Physical Education: Rope Climbing in Past and Present Jobs"; "Reading/Language Arts: Fantasy Themes"; "Re-Telling African Folktales"; "Social Studies: Famous People of the Westward…