Creating Children's Books
WRCT 264
Spring 2013
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
ENGL 297 |
| Certificates: Writing |
In this course each student will create and illustrate a children's book, at the picture book or illustrated chapter book level. Assignments include examining a variety of children's books (from 1930 to the present) and emulating specific authors and illustrative techniques as we develop original work. We will discuss both text and illustration in published picture books, and the creative assignments and workshop discussions will focus on both components, and their interaction.
We will look at a range of questions: What is this book for? Who is it for? Does it appeal to children and adults in different ways? What assumptions does it make about the world of childhood and the relationships children have? How does it obscure, reveal, comment on, or attempt to change the truths of life--things like love, desire, satisfaction, hurt, difference, sickness, and death? What values or norms does it establish--or subvert? What do the words and pictures do to each other? What values or expectations are at stake as the story or pattern unfolds? We'll use questions like these to help drive our experiments and revisions as we workshop all stages of our books.
Two artists experienced in illustration, David Schorr and Connie Brown, will be guest instructors for at least three sessions each, offering classes on illustration (history, current practice) and several working critiques. There will be three assigned readings relating to illustration. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ENGL |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (EDST)(ENGL)(ENGL-Creative W)(ENGL-Literature) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Course Reading Materials will include the following and 50 more books:
FROG & TOAD series by Arnold Lobel, GEORGE & MARTHA series by James Marshall, LITTLE BEAR by Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak, old and new BABAR Jean de Brunhoff and Laurent de Brunhoff, ELOISE AT THE PLAZA by Kay Thompson, GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU by Sam McBratney, and Anita Jeram, ARE YOU MY MOTHER? by P. D. Eastman, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak, GOODNIGHT MOON by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd, ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY by Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz, TELL ME A MITZI by Lore Segal and Harriet Pincus, TELL ME A TRUDY by Lore Segal and Rosemary Wells, HORTON HEARS A WHO by Dr. Suess, GREEN EGGS AND HAM by Dr. Suess, CAT IN THE HAT by Dr. Suess, WINNIE THE POOH by A. A. Milne, AMELIA BEDELIA by Peggy Parish, FANCY NANCY by Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser, OLIVIA by Ian Falconer, MATILDA by Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake, HARRIET THE SPY by Louise Fitzhugh, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer
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Examinations and Assignments:
Weekly assignments will include reading of published books, and continuous workshopping. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
POI requests should include a writing sample emailed to the instructor (abloom@wesleyan.edu) by Monday, November 5th. Please note, if you have no visual arts skills (drawing or painting or other) please do not apply to this class. You are required to be your own illustrator.
Students who are interested in taking this course should come for an interview with the professor. Interviews will be held on a first-come/first-serve basis on Tuesday/Wednesday (Nov. 6&7) from 11:30 to 1:30 in Shapiro Center, 167 High Street. Students should come to the interview with 2-3 art samples--all media welcome, as long as it fits through the door.
This course counts as a Special Topics course for the Creative Writing concentration in the English major.
For the Writing Certificate, the course counts as an elective. |
| Instructor(s): Bloom,Amy B. Times: .....F. 01:10PM-04:00PM; Location: 167 HIGH; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 14 | Permission of instructor approval will be granted by the instructor during pre-registration through the Electronic Portfolio. Click "Add to My Courses" and "To request a POI electronically, click here" to submit your request. |
| Web Resources: Syllabus |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 2 | 1st Ranked: 1 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 1 |
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