General Study Guide for Children's Literature

1. Who are the main characters (protagonist/antagonist)?
2. What are the characteristics/personality traits of the main protagonist(s)? How does this relate to other works of children's literature? i.e. helpless - occurs in other stories such as Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, etc.
3. What are the characteristics/personality traits of the main antagonist(s)? How does this relate to other works of children's literature?
4. How does the author use other characters the develop the story and/or personalities of the main characters?
5. Where is the story set? Is the setting important to the plot? Do other setting descriptions, such as weather, contribute to the story?
6. Does the author use diction and vocabulary that applies to children 2-5, 6-10, or 11-15 years of age? What are some examples of words that hints at the audience age?
7. Does the author have a moral/value that they are trying to spread? What value is this? Is this value/moral relative to the time period the author was living in? Is it still relavent today?
8. Are there pictures in this book? How do the pictures contribute to the story?