Reading stories such as ‘Since Dad Left’ (Binch, 1998) can be very beneficial for children who are suffering through the separation of their parents. With Britain having a relatively high divorce rate, it is likely that some children will go through a separation whilst at school. It is normal for children to feel isolated when going through a divorce and feel different from their peers, leading them to feel insecure about their ‘imperfect’ family home life.
The story illustrates the difficulty the child has in socialising since his parents have separated, “Since Dad left, there were times when he just wanted to sit on his own and look out of the window at the fields and sky floating by.” If children are feeling this way themselves, the knowledge that they are “different” from their friends, who may appear perfectly happy, may cause them to feel further isolated. Taking children through the domain of their own and other peoples stories is the best way to help them tackle new experiences (Bruner 1986 cited in Wells, 2009). Therefore, on reading this story, children may find comfort in the knowledge that they are not alone and that what they are feeling is normal.
Social skills can be developed through stories as children are often able to familiarise themselves with the characters and acknowledge the moral of the story. In turn they become able to recognise ‘good’ and ‘bad’ behaviour. Some stories are moral in purpose and provide lessons in the cultivation of positive qualities such as kindness, generosity and compassion (Medwell et al, 2009:124).
When children are at school, one of the most fundamental problems is often that of friendship. Children may find it hard to make friends because they are shy or new to a class and in some cases they may just not be able to find their niche within the variety of groups, sometimes formed within the classroom. A story called “Friendship Blossoms” (Broad, 2010) is about a young elephant who, despite his efforts, cannot seem to fit in with any of the already formed friendship groups where he lives. The repeated sequence of him asking the groups if he can join in but being refused is not an unfamiliar occurrence in primary schools, where children are often reluctant to allow new people to join in.
Reading stories like this may help children to understand why it is important not to leave anyone out or discriminate against them because they are different. Through the characters hardship the children may be able to recognise the feelings that they themselves or their peers may have felt in a similar situation and in turn, help them learn the importance of being kind to one another.
Stories can also be valuable in the development of creativity skills as children learn to imagine beyond the barriers of feasibility and create what has not been seen. “Wells argues that the process of understanding the world presented by stories obliges children to use decontextualised language by creating a world inside their head.” (Medwell et al, 2009:124).
Lastly, children can reap much enjoyment from stories as they have the propensity for giving children great pleasure (Medwell et al, 2009). They should therefore be given the opportunity to enjoy them in their simplest form, as a means of leisure.
Living in a Multicultural society can be helpful in gaining an insight into the different cultures, beliefs and lifestyles of societies around the world and it is through the sharing of stories that we can begin to learn about each other’s differences. Gamble and Yates (2008) suggest that reading books set in a different place or time, allow children to not only access experiences beyond their everyday life but also to reflect on their own lives and come to understand their place in the world.
Stories can describe the lives of people from different countries, or people from this country with different backgrounds. They may describe the culture of a previous age or the culture of a society devastated by war. Stories which help us to understand the lives of those who live or have lived differently from us can help to enhance our own cultural awareness, making us far more knowledgeable about the world we live in.
Gamble and Yates (2008:154) suggest that “Books can be windows looking out to the world, showing how children grow up in different places, rich cultural heritages, the universality of human experience as well as highlighting sometimes difficult circumstances that children have to endure perhaps due to war, totalitarianism, poverty or extraordinary events.”
Ian Serraillier provides a perfect example of this in his book, The Silver Sword (1956), in which the readers follow a family of Polish children on their journey to find their parents, since being separated from them during the Second World War. This story is based on fact and not only provides readers with an informed portrayal of the conditions of a war torn country and the lives of its inhabitants but also of the culture of a polish family.
Descriptions such as “Instead of proud homes, he found crumbling walls; instead of streets, tracks between mountains of bricks. Windows were charred and glassless. Public buildings were burnt out shells.” (Serraillier, 1956:24) provide children with the opportunity to form vivid images in their heads and give them a sense of the war torn environment. Children who have no experience of war torn devastation can begin to understand the consequences of war and empathise with the people who suffer the conditions. This is an example of how culturally beneficial books can also offer emotional benefits by providing insights into the difficult experiences that arise in different cultures.
Children who have travelled to escape similar conditions and have come to settle in a new country may feel comforted that their peers are learning about the kind of situation they have come from and this could give them the confidence to speak of their own experience.
Some stories can provide much more favourable depictions of different cultures by describing the exotic settings and creatures that surround them. These stories are valuable in learning about the different places in the world, and may give children a sense of perspective about the grandness of the Earth and of all its different environments. This visual simulation can be supported by pictures in picture books such as “Lila and the secret of the rain” (Conway, 2007).
The story is about a girl who lives in a Kenyan village and is experiencing a hot drought. The descriptions of the hot weather and dryness of the earth inform children of the different climates which can be found in different parts of the world. In the story the well dries up and the crops fail, this provides an insight into rural lives in which people depend on nature for their livelihood. The pictures complement the story as they display vast lands and a lack of buildings and greenery as well as pictures of cattle and people dressed in traditional Kenyan clothes, carrying baskets on their heads.
Through reading stories like these children can become more familiar with the different lifestyles lived around the world. Children, who are from these countries but know or remember little about them, can gain a deeper understanding of where they are from.
Stories are highly valuable in the acquisition and development of language skills as children can learn to form coherent sentences and link them together to produce the logical sequence of discussion. Wells (2009) suggests that from the moment children are born they begin ‘storying’ in their minds and this plays a major part in helping them to make sense of their linguistic experience and learn the language of their community. This theory implies, therefore, that stories are vital in the learning of language.
The structural format and vocabulary of written stories provide children with an introduction to written language. Through learning the written language children are more able to understand the rules of grammar and sentence structure. “In written language vocabulary is often much more precisely selected, structures are more formal and grammatical rules and conversions are more rigorously adhered to than in spoken language.” (Medwell et al, 2009:125).
Stories provide children with a vast bank of vocabulary which they are then able to use when expressing themselves in writing or verbally. ‘In the best stories, the language is not only comprehensible, it is rich and inventive.’ (Medwell et al, 2009:135). The use of adjectives, adverbs and prepositions in stories, provide children with a wealth of descriptive language which they can use to supplement their written and verbal story telling. Conjunctions used in stories help children learn how to link sentences together.
‘Rosie’s Walk’ (Hutchins, 1968) is a great example of a story which enriches children’s language skills. The story is about a chicken who went for a walk and uses prepositions to describe how she made her journey and overcame the obstacles along the way. Sentences such as “around the pond” and “over the haycock” use common prepositions which children may already be familiar with. The use of pictures and hand gestures can support children’s learning and help them to relate the words to their activities. These words may be useful in helping children express themselves when writing or telling stories.
Reading stories provides children with valuable structural models which help enable them to form their own, (Medwell et al, 2009). Traditional stories, in particular, have a clear structure which children initially recognise as including a beginning, middle and an end. Children can then go on to learn that stories usually include a complication and resolution.
Goldilocks and the three bears (wood, 1991) is a traditional fairy tale which tells the story of a young girl who wanders into the woods and trespasses into a bears home, only to be found by them when they come home. The story uses the traditional narrative structure and language of a fairy tale, opening with ‘Once upon a time’.
The story then takes us through to the complication, which is when Goldilocks is caught trespassing. The resolution is her escape and the ending is that the bears make a new pot of porridge and live happily ever after.
Reading stories with this familiar structure, helps to enable children to organise their own thoughts into a linear structure of beginning, middle and end. They are then able to make sense when telling others of their own experiences, often using words such as “first” ,“then”, “after” and “end”. Medwell (2009) suggests that stories are the way we try to make sense of a series of events, organising them to consist of a starting and ending point.
The language used in traditional stories can also be important in helping children to organise pieces of information. Sentences starting with ‘One fine day’ (Wood, 1991:n.p) and ‘As for the Three Bears’, (Wood, 1991:n.p) can be helpful to children when writing stories as they are useful when introducing and closing subjects.
In Conclusion, it is evident that stories form the basis for making sense of the world. For children to become adequately literate they need to be able to understand the way in which language, grammar and narrative structure are used to produce coherent verbal and written expression. Literacy is the centre of the English curriculum and is essential in the comprehension of all other subjects of the curriculum.
Stories are inherently within us, so it is only logical that we seek to mould and improve a primary act of mind so that it serves us as best possible. Just as the intrinsic need to make sense of space and time is nurtured in Mathematics, the need to make sense of the world is nurtured through stories.
Children have access to a vast bank of literature and it is the job of teachers and parents or guardians to ensure they are provided with a wide variety of stories. It is important to include stories which will allow them to develop their language skills, deepen their emotional understanding, discover new cultures aplenty and provide them with a means of pleasure.
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Bibliography
Children’s Books
Binch, C., (1998) Since Dad Left, London, Frances Lincoln
Broad, M., (2010) Friendship Blossoms, London: Hodder Children’s Books
Conway, D., (2007) Lila and the Secret of Rain, London: Frances Lincoln
Hutchins, P., (2009) Rosie’s Walk, 3rd edition, London: Red Fox (first published: 1968)
Serraillier, I., (1960) The Silver Sword, London: Penguin
Wood, T & J., Wood (1991) Goldilocks and The Three Bears, London: Oyster Books
Background Reading
Gamble, N., & S. Yates, (2008) Exploring Children’s Literature, 2nd edition, London: Sage Publications (first published: 2002)
Medwell, J., G. Moore, D. Wray & V. Griffiths, (2009) Primary English: Knowledge and Understanding, 4th edition, Exeter: Learning Matters (first published: 2001)
National Curriculum (2010) English Key Stage 1: QCDA, Available at:
, (accessed 02/12/2010)
Primary National Strategy, (2006) Primary Framework for Literacy and Mathematics, Norwich: DfES
Wells, G., (2009) The Meaning Makers: Learning to Talk and Talking to Learn, 2nd edition, Bristol: Multilingual Matters (first published: 1987)
