Nature Themes in Children's Literature
Before heading into any topic of discussion with younger readers, it is healthy practice to prime their thinking with a carefully selected story. Storytelling sets the stage and provides a reference which makes "information" more meaningful; and what is new information to a child if it carries no meaning. Before leading a discussion about adaptations, read a few Just So Stories, and allow students to compare the poetry with the science, and to make their own judgments, with evidence, about why animals have the features they do. And before a discussion of metamorphosis, read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and ask why Eric Carle described his caterpillar as such a voracious eater. There are bits of truth inside every good story, and by presenting the hidden truths, students are encouraged to think, to parse out truths, and a scaffold begins to develop on which new information can take root.