The discussion of the Rainbow Fish Group in this session of the Children’s Book Classics Study Workshop will revolve around several books on the theme of life.
Thematic reading is described in detail in Chapter 4, “The Ultimate Goal of Reading,” of “How to Read a Book.” In short, thematic reading is considered a high-level stage of reading. Methodologically speaking, thematic reading has two stages: preparation and thematic reading itself.
The preparation stage mainly involves designing an experimental bibliography for the topic to be studied, browsing all the books on the bibliography as much as possible (not all of them need to be analyzed in depth), determining which ones are related to the topic, and thus establishing a clear concept.
Thematic reading itself usually includes five steps: (1) find relevant chapters; (2) lead the author to reach a consensus with you; (3) clarify the problem; (4) define the topic; and (5) analyze and discuss.
We will discuss the thematic reading method itself when we have the chance. We can first experience it through our own practice, and we also hope to provide ideas and accumulate experience for “how to guide children to read deeply.”
For example, this issue’s theme is life, a broad topic that could encompass almost any book, without any boundaries. Therefore, we’ve designed a small, “experimental” list of books: Charlotte’s Web, Sophie’s Masterpiece, and The Cat Who Lived a Million Times. This list serves primarily as a demonstration and focal point. You can choose your own list to go far beyond this scope, but this requires some constraints on the discussion rules, such as a brief introduction to the book’s overall content before the discussion.
A quick glance at these books reveals a few commonalities: they are all fairytale-style fictional works, all exploring major human concerns (and perhaps common issues across all sentient beings, from a human perspective) through animal stories. They all obviously touch on death, but they also touch on birth, aging, illness, and death. Therefore, our discussion can generally focus on this topic.
So what can be discussed on this topic? There’s still plenty of room for discussion, so it needs further focus. Let me offer a few thoughts to stimulate discussion.
The most striking feature of exploring this important issue in a children’s book is its uniquely playful nature. While adults often find this topic quite poignant, the discussion in a children’s book is incredibly engaging. I believe uncovering these kinds of playful details is crucial; it not only helps us understand the issues from a child’s perspective, but also informs our own thinking about these issues.
For example, the question posed by the little girl at the beginning of “Charlotte’s Web”: Should pigs born too young be killed? It directly poses a seemingly childish question. But it’s a real question. Imagine replacing the pigs with humans. How can pigs be compared to humans? And why not? — This question actually reflects the author, E.B. White, who loved farm life and raising pigs, naturally for food. But one strange moment: one of White’s pigs fell ill. He tried everything to save the healthy pig, which would have been slaughtered in winter. Despite his best efforts and his care for the pig for days and nights, it still died. White was deeply shaken, and he posed this seemingly childish question to himself. This question tormented him for a long time. He held a funeral for the pig and wrote a famous essay, but ultimately, he couldn’t resolve it until he finally completed this long fairy tale. It is said that all of White’s subsequent pigs died of old age.
However, in a good literary work, the author wouldn’t let a pig simply survive, so the story includes a spider named Charlotte (a story that has its own legendary story), as well as the people and animals on the farm. The people on the farm remind us of many things, and the details here can also provide endless topics for discussion.
So, what is the relationship between the spider named Sophie in “Sophie’s Masterpiece” and Charlotte? That story is in the picture book. In addition to the story in the text, there is also a story in the pictures.
Why do both of these touching stories feature spiders as their protagonists? Do these two anthropomorphic characters truly embody the nature of spiders? If children were to read these stories, would they be more likely to develop a sympathetic connection with spiders, or perhaps even develop an interest in studying them? Are we interested in studying spiders?
When we learn more about the life history of another species, will we pay more attention to it, identify with it, or even love it more? What if it’s not another species, but a person or group of people just like us?
The Cat Who Lived a Million Times is a unique children’s book. Adults may enjoy it even more than children, often giving it as a token of love. The emotions and insights into life it evokes are also truly unique. According to the author and artist Yoko Sano, she drew on her life experiences to create this work. Therefore, perhaps we need to learn more about her life, especially the conditions in which she lived when she created this work.
The above are some of my preliminary and divergent associations.
Pulling back my thoughts, a very practical question comes to mind: If I had to discuss life, birth, aging, illness and death with the children around me — or if it feels most difficult — to discuss the topic of death with them directly, what would I say? How can I use those excellent children’s literature works to help me?
Okay, that’s all I have to share for now. I look forward to meeting and chatting with you all this weekend.
Finally, I would like to share with you a book excerpt:
“Reading a good book will reward your efforts. The best books will also give you the most feedback. Of course, this feedback is divided into two types: First, when you successfully read a good and difficult book, your reading skills will inevitably improve. Second — and this is more important in the long run — a good book can teach you about the world and yourself. You not only know how to read better, but also understand life better. You become wiser, not just more knowledgeable — as books that only provide information can do. You will become a wise person with a deeper understanding of the eternal truths of human life.” (Excerpt from “How to Read a Book” p293)
Attached is a review of the previous discussion:
Reflections on the Study Workshop (August 26 and 27, 2010)
I hope this issue’s discussion will be more exciting.
Argentine Primera División, October 20, 2010, Beijing
English