3. Maybe you don’t know that most of
the movies or cartoons you enjoy at
the cinema are taken from famous
novels…
We are going to talk about some
famous movies for children taken from
beautiful British or American novels…
But what is childern’s literature?
4. CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
Children's literature is often defined in
four different ways: books written by
children, books written for children, books
chosen by children, or books chosen for
children. It is often illustrated.
5. Books specifically for children existed by
the 17th century. Before this time period
books were written mainly for adults.
Additionally, most printed works cost too
much and were mostly available for
purchase only by upper class society.
6. Types of children's literature
The major categories of children's
literature are:
• Picture books and wordless books
7. • Traditional literature: its
characteristics are conventional
introductions and conclusions, vague
settings, stereotyped
characters,anthropomorphism, cause
and effect, happy ending for the
hero, magic accepted as normal, brief
stories with simple and direct plots.
8. • Fiction, including the sub-genres of
fantasy and realistic fiction (both
contemporary and historical)
• Non-fiction
• Biography, including autobiography
• Poetry and verse.
9. Many important novels for children have become famous
movies or cartoons.
In particular, we are going to talk about films taken from
some of the most famous British and American writers.
Three of them are writers of the past (Victorian Era) and
three are authors of our times.
10. CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN THE
VICTORIAN AGE
The Victorian age of the United Kingdom was the
period of Queen Victoria's rule from June 1837 to
January 1901.This was a long period of prosperity
for the British people, as profits gained from the
overseas British Empire, as well as from industrial
improvements at home, allowed a large, educated
middle class to develop.The era is often
characterized as a long period of peace, known as
the Pax Britannica, and economic, colonial, and
industrial consolidation.
11. The Victorian era became notorious for employing
young children in factories and mines and as chimney
sweeps. Children of poor families would leave school
at the age of eight and were then forced to go to
work. School was not free at that time. All the jobs
for children were very dangerous. There weren’t any
breaks, working days were much longer, and workers
earned very little money. Many characters of
Victorian novels are children like these.
12. “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”
by Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll is the pseudonym of the
English writer and mathematician Charles
Lutwidge Dodgson, born on Jan. 27, 1832,
died on Jan. 14, 1898.
Carroll invented his pen name by
translating his first two names into the
Latin "Carolus Lodovicus" and then
anglicizing it into "Lewis Carroll."
13. The son of a clergyman and the firstborn
of 11 children, Carroll began at an early
age to entertain himself and his family with
magic tricks, marionette shows, and poems.
He graduated in Oxford in 1854. Carroll
remained there, lecturing on mathematics
and writing treatises and guides for
students.
14. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was
written in 1865. It tells the story of a girl
named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole
into a fantasy world, Wonderland,
populated by peculiar and anthropomorphic
creatures.
15. The young girl soon discovers that in that
place the solid, logical laws of science no
longer apply.
18. Major Themes
As children's stories of this period, the book
relate the dream-world adventures of a young girl
with a number of obstinate animals, insects, and
the imaginary characters Carroll has taken from
the worlds of playing cards and chess.
19. An important theme of the Alice books is
"growing up." In addition, the insanity of
Alice's dream world has been considered a
satire on the ordered, earnest world of
Victorian England.
20. Another important theme is the search for
her true self. In fact, Alice is constantly
searching for answers and definitions. In
order to find the real Alice she must go
through numerous different tasks. She has to
understand who she really is.
21. QUIZ
1. Lewis Carroll is the pseudonym of
• Louis Care
• Luis Charles
• Charles Lutwidge Dodgson
• George Louis Carroll
2. Carroll wrote and lived in
• Edwardian England
• Nineteenth century America
• Victorian England
• Nineteenth century Nova Scotia
3. Alice's adventures begin when she follows
• her cat
• the White Rabbit
• the Cheshire cat
• the Caterpillar
22. 4. One of the themes of the book is the
• triumph of madness
• the dangers of the wild world
• the injustice of slavery
• the growth from childhood to adulthood
5. What is the full name of The book “Alice in Wonderland”?
• The Adventures of Alice: Alice in Wonderland
• Alice and the White Rabbit: Alice in Wonderland
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
• Alice's Trip through Wonderland
23. “A Christmas Carol”
by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was born on 7th
February 1812 and died on 9th
June 1870.
He belonged to a middle class family but a
first time of prosperity came to an abrupt
end when his father, after having spent
beyond his means in entertaining, and in
retaining his social position, was imprisoned
at Marshalsea debtors' prison.
24. Just before his father's arrest, the 12-
year-old Dickens had begun working ten-
hour days. The strenuous and often cruel
work conditions of the factory employees
(especially children), made a deep
impression on Dickens. His experience
served to influence his works.
25. A Christmas Carol, is a novella that has become
one of the most popular Christmas stories of all
time. It is a Victorian morality tale. It talks
about an old and bitter man, Ebenezer Scrooge.
Mr. Scrooge is a financier/money-changer who has
devoted his life to the accumulation of wealth but
he undergoes a profound experience of redemption
during a Christmas eve.
28. Major themes
The story deals with two of Dickens'
recurrent themes, social injustice and
poverty. Dickens says that the
Industrial Revolution has driven many
people into poverty, and the society is
obliged to provide for them humanely.
29. Scrooge embodies all the selfishness and
indifference of the rich classes who
complain about the ‘surplus population’ and
think their social duties only consist in
paying their taxes.
31. QUIZ
1. What is Jacob Marley forced to drag about as a result of his sinful life?
• A huge safe full of lead
• A box full of gold
• Heavy chains forged from lockboxes
• A cross made of gold
2. What is the Ghost of Christmas Present's throne made of?
• Food
• Gold
• Pine needles
• Fur
3. Which of the spirits does not speak to Scrooge?
• The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
• The Ghost of Christmas Past
• The Ghost of Christmas Present
• All the spirits speak to Scrooge
32. 4. What is Scrooge's typical response to "Merry Christmas"?
• "Bah! Nonsense!"
• "Pah! Life's too short!"
• "Bah! Humbug!"
• "Oh, fiddlesticks!“
5. Which character says the famous words, "God bless us, Every one"?
• Tiny Tim
• Bob Cratchit
• Scrooge
• The Ghost of Christmas Present
6. Which one of the spirits has a glowing head?
• The Ghost of Christmas Present
• Jacob Marley
• The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
• The Ghost of Christmas Past
33. “Peter Pan”
by James Matthew Barrie
James Matthew Barrie, (9 May 1860 – 19 June
1937) was a Scottish author and dramatist. He
wrote Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow
Up, a "fairy play" about this ageless boy and an
ordinary girl named Wendy who have adventures in
the fantasy setting of Neverland.
34. This play became his best-known work.
Before his death, he gave the rights to the
Peter Pan works to Great Ormond Street
Hospital, which continues to benefit from
them.
37. Peter Pan is a mischievous boy who can fly and
magically refuses to grow up. He spends his never-
ending childhood on the small island of Neverland
interacting with mermaids, Indians, fairies,
pirates, and meeting ordinary children from the
world outside.
38. Peter is the leader of the Lost Boys, a band of boys who
were lost by their parents, and came to live in Neverland.
His best friend isTinker Bell,
a common fairy who is often jealous of him. His
archenemy is Captain Hook, whose hand he cut off in a
duel.
39. Sometimes Peter visits the real world, particularly
around Kensington Gardens, and meet children
there. Wendy Darling is the most important.
He also brings her brothers John and Michael to
Neverland.
40. This text describes the patriarchal society of the
Victorian Era where it was expected that little
girls act as young ladies as to practise for when
they become women, wives and mothers or where
young boys were encouraged, educated and
favoured over their sisters.
Major themes
41. The main theme is that
all children must grow up.
However, every adult
should keep his innocence
and should never become so cynical to
forget the innocence of youth.
42. QUIZ
1. What are the true directions to Neverland?
• Around the Milky way river bend!
• Second star to the right and straight on till morning!
• Follow your heart!
• Take the second right!
2. Who are the Lost Boys?
• People who get lost
• Adults
• The children who fall out of their prams when their parents
aren't looking
• The children who do not want to grow up
43. 3. How did Captain Hook loose his hand?
• It got blasted off when he was shooting a canon
• Peter Pan cut if off and gave it to the crocodile
• He burned it off
• Peter pan ate it
4. What’s the name of the fairy friend of Peter?
• Tinky
• Tinker Bell
• Belly
• Jingle Bell
44. CONTEMPORARY CHILDREN’S
LITERATURE
In today's world, books face competition for children's
attention with pastimes as video games, the Internet,
television or mobile phones.
Because of these distractions, children's books authors,
have to find different methods to encourage children to
read.
45. For this reason current children's books
have taken a step away from fairy tales
and are gravitating toward solving the
problems of modern teenagers’ real life:
divorce, family problems,
racism, multiculturalism,
disabilities or bullying.
46. “The Polar Express”
by Chris Van Allsburg
Chris Van Allsburg was born June 18th
1949.
He is an American author and illustrator of
childen’s books. He wrote and illustrated
Jumanji (1982) and The Polar Express (1985)
both of wich became famous motion pictures.
49. On Christmas Eve, a young boy is hoping for belief
in the true spirit of Christmas. During the night of
Christmas Eve a magic train called The Polar
Express pulls up in front of his house. He is
invited aboard by the train's mysterious conductor
to go to the North Pole. Though he initially
hesitates, he boards the train.
50. On the train, the Hero Boy encounters a
group of other children who are on their
way to see Santa Claus. After many
adventures they reach the North Pole.
51. The boy says he believes in Santa and the spirit
of Christmas so he receives "The First Gift Of
Christmas". Realizing that he could choose anything
in the world, the boy asks for a beautiful sounding
silver bell (that only believers can hear) which fell
from Santa's sleigh.
52. The last line in the movie repeats the
same last line from the book:
"At one time, most of my friends
could hear the bell, but as years
passed, it fell silent for all of them.
53. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she
could no longer hear its sweet sound.
Though I've grown old, the bell still rings
for me, as it does for all who truly
believe."
54. Major Theme
The main theme of The Polar Express is revealed
from the Conductor when he says,
“Sometimes seeing is believing…
And sometimes the most real things in the world
are the things we can’t see.”
So, the major theme in this movie
is FAITH.
55. QUIZ
1. When the conductor asked if he was coming to the North Pole, the boy
• took the conductor's hand
• said “I’ll come tomorrow morning”
• took his coat and climbed aboard
• said "no“
2. What did the boy eat and drink on the train?
• popcorn and soda pop
• hot chocolate
• sweets and candies
• Christmas cookies and milk
3. What did the Polar Express cross before it reached the North Pole?
• a lake covered with ice
• a river of diamonds
• a desert
• a great city
56. 4. What did the boy ask Santa as the first gift of Christmas?
• money
• a new bike
• a silver bell from Santa's sleigh
• a ride on the sleigh
5. What did the boy feel when he put his hand into his pocket?
• a hole
• a key
• a silver bell
• a small wrapped present
6. For whom does the boy's bell still ring?
• the protagonist and his sister
• only children who don’t believe in Santa Claus
• those who truly believe
• anyone who is sad and lonely
57. “The Golden Compass”
by Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman (born on the
19th
October 1946) is an English writer. He
is the best-selling author of several books,
among which his trilogy of fantasy novels,
His Dark Materials.
58. The first book of His Dark Materials has
been turned into the film The Golden
Compass. In 2008, The Times named
Pullman in its list of “The 50 greatest
British writers since 1945”.
59. “His Dark Materials” is a trilogy of fantasy novels
including Northern Lights (1995, published as The
Golden Compass in North America), The Subtle
Knife (1997), and The Amber Spyglass (2000). It
follows the life of two children, Lyra Belacqua and
Will Parry, as they wander through a series of
parallel universes against many epic events.
62. Major Themes
The story involves fantasy elements such as
witches and armoured polar bears. The
series has been criticised for its negative
portrayal of Christianity and religion in
general.
63. The title of the series itself, His Dark Materials,
comes from John Milton's Paradise Lost.
Pullman earlier proposed to name the series The
Golden Compasses.
This term also appears in the poem Paradise Lost,
where it poetically refers to the "compasses" as
the drafting instruments with which God shaped the
world.
64. QUIZ
1. Who are the main characters?
• Lyra and Pantalaimon
• Will and Kirjava
• Lord Faa and Serafina
• The bear and Serafina
2. What is the altheiometer and how many are there?
• an instrument that tell the truth about everything and there are only six
• a way of measuring and there are four
• a watch and there are three
• a torch and there are only two
3. Where does the book mostly take place?
• in America
• in the North Pole
• in Oxford, England
• in Australia
65. 4. What kind of book is this?
• fantasy
• historical fiction
• science fiction
• reality
5. Who is the main character's friend?
• Will
• Roger
• Steve
• Frank
66. “Harry Potter” by J. K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling, (born 31st
July 1965), is a British
author best known as the creator of the Harry
Potter fantasy series, the idea for which was
conceived on a train trip from Manchester to
London in 1990. The Potter books have gained
worldwide attention, won multiple awards, sold
more than 400 million copies and been the basis
for a popular series of films.
67. Harry Potter is a series of seven
fantasy novels. The books tells the adventures of
the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best
friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of
whom are students at Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry.
68. The main story arc concerns Harry's
attempt to overcome the evil wizard Lord
Voldemort, whose aim is to conquer the
wizarding world and subjugate non-magical
people, and who seeks to destroy all those
who stand in his way, such as Harry's
parents.
69. Since the 30th
June 1997 release of the
first novel Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone the books have gained
immense popularity, critical acclaim and
commercial success worldwide.
72. Major Themes
According to Rowling, the main theme is
death, although it is primarily considered to
be a work of children's literature. There
are also other themes in the series, such
as love and prejudice.
73. Themes such as normality, oppression,
survival, and overcoming imposing odds are
important. Similarly, the theme of
adolescence and growing up is also
predominant.
74. QUIZ
(Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)
1. According to legend, what would a person become if he could assemble the
Deathly Hallows?
• Infinitely wise
• Ruler of the world
• Master of death
• Invincible
2. What is written on Harry’s parents’ gravestone?
• The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death
• Where your treasure is, there shall your heart be also
• I open at the close
• In loving memory
3. Who of the following is not a member of Dumbledore’s Army?
• Luna Lovegood
• Neville Longbottom
• Remus Lupin
• Ginny Weasley
75. 4. Why does Dumbledore leave Ron a Deluminator
• To protect him from dementors
• To lead him back to Harry
• So he can turn the lights off
• So he can eavesdrop on Snape
5. How do Harry and his friends enter the Ministry of Magic?
• On the back of a dragon
• In chains
• By Disapparating
• Through toilets
6. Why didn't Harry die when Voldemort tried to kill him in the forbidden forest?
• Voldemort had taken Harry's blood
• Harry had 3 hallows, making him master of death
• He had a philosephors stone
• Voldemort missed
