The Value of Children’s Literature
Literature provides ….	My thoughts	Reading – bibliographic details
Promotes empathy and open-mindedness	Students step into the shoes of the characters and thus experience empathy and viewpoints different from their own	B. Combes Why Read (literature for Children and Young Adults, Sept 16)
Promotes logical thinking and general learning (including cross curricular)	Having an internalized, strong understanding of story structure (fictional elements) benefits students (adults and children) in understanding and remembering information	Story Proof (reason # 2)
Develops creativity- the ability to imagine things that do not yet exist	Everything that we have now was invented by someone; they had to imagine something that was not yet created (China promoting Sci Fi to learn innovation)	N Gaiman- Why our future depends on libraries…
Develops comprehension and meaning-making	Data-knowledge continuum- understanding something helps us to make meaning, or to act on it	Story Proof (reason #1&3)
Develops second as well as first language language mastery	Develops vocabulary and an understanding of language structure	Story Proof (reason #6)

Really, everything from Haven’s Story Proof (7 reasons)

Reason #4: Stories create motivation and enthusiasm for learning

Reason #5: Stories create involvement and a sense of community

Reason #7: Story structure improves writing success.

References:

Gaiman, N. (2013, Oct 16). Why our futures depend on libraries, reading and imagination. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming

Haven, K.F. (2007). Story proof: The science behind the startling power of story. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Publishing Group.