Kinky and the Lost Tooth: A Book Review in Relation to Child Play

A Book Review in apprisal to Child Play, Learning and DevelopmentAsk any kid wherefore they love to read, reread and fewtimes even reenact their favorite prevail or fib, and chances argon you wont get a repartee interrelated to educational value. As expected, electric razorren will not see target the magical characters and imaginary places they encounter with each recital they choose to steep themselves in. According to Whitebread and Jameson (2005, p.64), children are usually engrossed in what they are doing when they are at free rein. Of course, we adults know a lot better than that.We know that there is some(prenominal) to a great extent to fairy tales and childrens books than effective their escapism or amusement value. Research upon research has proven time and time again that childrens literature plays an important role in a childs training and holistic development. This is why antecedents of childrens books put much intellection (and some, much research) into producing reading material that is educational without compromising its entertainment and selling value. But what happens when the report is pen or made up by a child? Does it accomplish more or less than what the survey adult- pen literature does?The important difference lies in how adults and children perceive stories, especially childrens literature. Children see stories as an extension of their play activities al close anything is, for them. What exactly goes on when a child engages himself into a level? A very(prenominal) purloin way to get a behind-the-scenes look at what happens when a child engages into literature is by studying a student-made story and its skill effectiveness. Just the fact that this came from a child all the more changes the dynamics in this research. The story chosen for this paper is frizzly and the Lost Tooth, written by V. Mansaray (2008)Once upon a time there was a attractive girl called twisted who lived in a t testify called Matot oka. One daytime she was playing with her friends Pikah, Krit and Kemzo, they decided to play a game called Koo-Koo (hide and seek).As abnormal is running to hide under the Bao Bao tree, she fell d deliver and alienated her tooth. Kinky doesnt realize that a new tooth would grow, she felt very, very doleful because she had a party to go to and she cried all day and all iniquity Suddenly she heard a loud voice calling her name.Kinky, Kinky, K-i-n-k-y I am the tooth fairy. I am here to help you. Listen carefully. range your hands, close your nerve centre.Kinky did exactly what the tooth fairy asked her to do. Now, can you open your eyes? said the tooth fairy. When Kinky opened her eyes and looked in her hand she apothegm that she was holding a pink box. Guess what was inside the little box? When Kinky opened the tiny pink box she found her lost tooth. What do you think she will do with the tooth, now that she has found it?This story is a modern-day fairy tale, obviously becau se of the reference to the tooth fairy. The voice in the story is very simplistic and direct-to-the-point, making it clear and obvious that the language come from a childs mouth (although this is a parking lot approach and style that writers of childrens literature usually employ more like stooping down to a childs eye direct to connect with them while communicating).The lines do not rhyme that much, just now the proper names used are catchy & interestingly unique, for a kid (not much unlike Dr. Seuss famous characters). In addition, there is an straightforward pattern in how the proper names are coined monosyllables repeated doubly (Koo-Koo, Bao Bao, and even Kinky). This indicates that the antecedent is of a young age. It is in like manner noticeable that the near repeated word in the entire story is the geniuss name, Kinky.If cardinal were to take this literary creation as an extension of the authors playtime, then it would also be safe to assume that the protagonist c ould be the authors actual self-projection. Tina Bruce (2001) has menti unmatchabled that in their play, children more practically than not use the first hand experiences that they have in life. in that location werent that many descriptive words used to describe the mend conditions, the protagonist, the fairy, even Kinky herself. This might imply that the child drew illustrations as he/she wrote this story, or even used his/her illustrations as his/her storyboard itself. Children are much more interested in optical and colorful images rather than in verbal imagery. A very visual book will be needed to pique the students interest, and there could be nothing more visual than a childs active imagination.Considering the voice used, the language level employed, and the way the story flows in logical succession, this story would be crush appropriate for children transitioning from the Concrete to the Formal Operational Stages. The question the author leaves for his readers at the end implies that the author is already capable of problem solving and inferencing, which are characteristics of a child around those stages (Piaget, 1954).Reading along the lines of Erik Eriksons scheme on psychosocial development, one(a) can assume that the author/protagonist is at the School Age stage, since the protagonist shows that there is a basic bout between Industry vs. Inferiority (Erikson, 1959). In this story, Kinkys main problem was she had to go to a party save she couldnt because she just lost a tooth.There was the social demand of going to a party (where it is assumed that everybody else is going), besides then again missing a tooth (especially if it was a front tooth) would mean she would be somewhat inferior to the some early(a) kids. The eventual resolution of her problem, however, is still interestingly abstract it took the tooth fairys magic to give Kinky a happy ending.The tooth fairy is one of the most popular characters children encounter in their young l ives and surprisingly, it can be a social tool in more ways than one. This story says a lot about how a child seems to cope with the deform and social repercussions losing a tooth brings in a childs life. Kinkys dilemma could or could not be reflective of the authors real life struggles but whatever the case may be, it is still a real issue many children face at this stage. Kinkys story can be used to inculcate children of an appropriate age how to cope with their self-identities and with seemingly focusingful situations that need their own decision and action.We can further examine Kinkys story by comparing and contrasting it with a published book (presumably written by an adult). Taking for example Selby Breelers 1998 book open Your Tooth on the Roof Tooth Traditions All Over the World, this book takes the focus away from the child and focus more on separate children around the homo. By delineation how other(a) children around the world cope with losing a tooth, Breeler i ntroduces the child to world geography and being conscious of other nationalities and customs at the said(prenominal) time.Breeler does not take away the magic by refuting the validity of the tooth fairy, but instead affirms the child by showing that some children in other countries also believe in the tooth fairy, or an equivalent entity. The author also assures the child that he/she is not alone in losing his/her tooth, that its normal. Breeler ends the story with reassurance, leaving the child reader with hope for renewed confidence dentition fall out every day, all over the world. What do you do with yours?Moyles (2005, p.9) discusses that play in educational settings should have learning consequences. In this light, every piece of childrens literature should have some educational merit. Mansarays and Breelers stories could be used within the class curriculum to stress several learning points, especially those related to reinforcing the childs agency and social awareness. In that way, these resources can actually be used to embolden childrens learning and development. The authors may actually consider extending their work into other literature by expanding these stories into series that tackle different issues and conflicts children face from day to day.A good way to implement these resources in the classroom setting is to allow each student read, analyze and interpret these stories in their own ways. Bettelheim (1989) theorizes that when children get to read about the problems, victories and failures experienced by the heroes and heroines of fairy tales (and in this case, childrens books), they are given the chance to get a greater sense of meaning and purpose, and in effect prepare them for their own conflicts in their own lives.Bandura (1977) reinforces this by his theory on social learning Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally through representativeing from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed , and on later occasions this coded data serves as a guide for action. This just emphasizes the need to gallop children of practicable age to learn how to analyze situations, identify the conflict/s, and then come to their own conclusions and solutions. Children find it easier to do so when they have a model (in this case, a symbolic one, found in the literary protagonists) they can relate to and follow.Another way one might employ these sample resources is to allow the students have a chance to be able to relate or connect their own personal experiences with those of the protagonists. Bowlbys Attachment Theory (1969) comes into play here, revealing that if the educator or parent lets the child use a literary protagonist as their own attachment figure, then one can promptly use that attachment to direct or lead the student to the learning point at hand.Children, especially those in the running(a) stage, need someone with whom they can identify. Johnsons treatise on the interrel ation of child development with learning and literature backs this up in quoting that knowledge cannot be given directly from the teacher to the learner, but must be constructed by the learner and reconstructed as new information becomes available (Ryan & Cooper, quoted in Johnson, 2003). Johnson later on concludes that learning is not the result of development rather, learning is development.By looking through Banduras sociocognitive glasses, so to speak, this interaction between the child and the literary protagonist plays an important role in the childs intellectual development. This means that what a child learns socially is related to what he/she learns cognitively, and vice versa. What a child learns by interacting with other people adds to his/her own schema and thus increases his/her understanding in some cognitive processes. (Bandura, 1977)Mansarays story about Kinky and the lost tooth in itself has little educational merit but if one would look at it by using sociocogniti ve theories, then the educator/parent can sure use such output from the child as clues and tools for further sociocognitive learning. exploitation a story that uses the childs own language and vocabulary, and that is ground on the childs own personal conflicts and issues, proves to be a very important tool in child development. Not completely does the child get to learn about certain subject matter, but the educator/parent can also use it to teach very important life lessons as well.BibliographyBandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall.Beeler, S. (1998) Throw Your Tooth on the Roof Tooth Traditions All Over the World. naked as a jaybird York, Houghton Mifflin.Bettelheim, B. (1989) The Uses of Enchantment The import and Importance of Fairy Tales. Vintage Books.Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss Attachment (Vol. 1). New York, Basic.Bruce, T. 2001, Learning through Play, Babies, Toddlers and the Foundation Years. Hodder and Stoughton.Erik son, E. H. (1959) Identity and the Life Cycle. New York, internationalistic Universities Press.Johnson, D.C. (2003) The Role of Child Development and Social Interaction in the cream of Childrens Literature to Promote Literacy Acquisition. Early Childhood Research Practice Internet, Fall, 5 (2). Available from http//www.ecrp.uiuc.edu/v5n2/johnson.html Accessed 9 April 2008Mansaray, V. (2008) Kinky and the Lost Tooth written by student.Piaget, J. (1954) The Construction of human beings in the Child. New York, Basic Books.Whitebread, D. Jameson, H. (2005) Play, Storytelling and Creative Writing. In Moyles, J. ed. The Excellence of Play. England, pass around University Press, McGraw-Hill.