| Popis: |
Death and dying are experiences that all children will face or are currently facing. Children bring the results of those experiences with them into the classroom. Teachers are then placed in a situation in which they must handle this issue. Therefore, a way to help these bereaved children in the classroom is needed for the best possible learning to occur. One way that teachers can help is through a process similar to that of bibliotherapy. Bibliotherapy is an approach that uses children’s literature to help children come to positive resolutions by engaging in the same issues in which the characters in the book take part. The purpose of this study was to analyze 35 children’s picture books published between 2000 and 2006 to determine how death and dying were portrayed. After carefully reading and analyzing each book, a matrix of 10 characteristics was developed. Data were then gathered through a content analysis of each book. From this content analysis the main categories were determined within each characteristic. From this study, it was concluded that the 35 books would be appropriate to use in a primary grade classroom. These books could be used by K-3 teachers in a bibliotherapy-like approach to help bereaved children in their classroom, or as tools to help children better understand death and dying. As a result of this study, a matrix of characteristics and book summaries were developed from the 35 books used. The matrix of characteristics and the book summaries can be used as resources for teachers, parents, school personnel, children’s book authors and educational researchers who would like more information about the characteristics of children’s picture books about death and dying to use these books with children or for further research. |
