The Child and the Book: A Psychological and Literary Exploration

by Nicholas Tucker

Children's responses to literature are equally fascinating from the psychological and the literary point of view. Nicholas Tucker's exploratory study traces the relationship between the child and the book using both these perspectives, from the baby's first picture book to the moment when the adolescent reader takes up adult literature. In addition, it examines critically arguments for extra care and censorship in the selection of books for children, and conversely looks at what children's books can offer the adult reader. Ranging from nursery rhymes and fairy stories to comics, popular best-sellers and modern children's writing, the author's acute criticism offers a balanced view of a stimulating and sometimes controversial subject.

Genres: Academic

259 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 1981

Reviews

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although now somewhat dated in parts, and in others somewhat debateable, The Child and the Book is an epochal classic in the world of children's literature criticism. Taking a psychological and reader-focused approach, Nicholas Tucker explores the differing attitudes of the child reader throughout growing up. His age-bracketed chapters finish with literature for older children (ages 11-14) and stand solidly against three more general chapters: one on fairy stories, myths and legends, another on selection, censorship and control and a final chapter on who reads children's books.

Academic writing can often be spectacularly difficult to penetrate both to those in and out of the club, and it is to Tucker's credit that he has produced a stylishly accessible - and fabulously intriguing - book. His chapters on the reader aged 0-3 particularly appealed though I'd love to have an argument over some of the generalisations posited here.

One thing to note is that The Child and the Book is now over thirty years old and, as is inevitable in such cases, has elements that have now dated. I'd welcome a revised edition taking in light some of the more current research - particularly in areas of emergent literacy and comics. Even with these faults however, Tucker's work remains fascinating - and madly exciting.

As an introduction to the world of children's literature, and a sympathetic look at reader-response theory, it's hard to beat this. I'd recommend this alongside Maria Nikolajeva's excellent The Rhetoric of Character in Children's Literature and also Perry Nodelman's The Pleasures of Children's Literature because these are books and authors that can't help but excite you about the potential - and the depth - of children's literature.

[Shanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dated and heavy on the psychoanalysis, but still interesting!