Performance of Children's Literature Spring 2025

Classics – Part 2

Related Books and More

What themes have you noticed in the two books in this module? How do they relate to some of the presentations you have been watching from your classmates?

Picture Books

Related Presentations

Links here go to your classmate’s presentation and/or more information about a particular book. Note: If a link is inactive, the presentation may not have yet been shared or there is not currently additional material to share.

The Wizard of Oz, Frank L. Baum (1900)
Class Presentation
King of the Wind, Marguerite Henry (1948)
Class Presentation
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis(1950)
Class Presentation
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster (1961)
Class Presentation
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle (1962)
Class Presentation
The Book of Three, Lloyd Alexander (1964)
Class Presentation
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Koningsburg (1967)
Class Presentation
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of N.I.M.H, Robert C. O’Brien
Class Presentation
The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper (1974)
Class Presentation
The Witches, Roald Dahl (1982)
Class Presentation
War Horse, Michael Morpugo (1982)
Class Presentation
The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley (1984)
Class Presentation
The Giver, Lois Lowry (1994)
Class Presentation #1

What motifs and themes have you noticed across the materials in this module? How do they relate to some of the presentations you have been watching from your classmates?

Back to Theorizing Fantasy
End with Vocal Exercises for Review

15 responses to “Classics – Part 2”

  1. Denise Warren Avatar
    Denise Warren

    There were motifs and themes, of self-discovery through adventure in both the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil and Peter Rabbit and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. There were also motifs of rebellion, forbidden places, and temptation, as Peter Rabbit ventured to Mr. McGregor’s garden to eat fruits and vegetables he was not entitled to, just like the Kincaid children did in the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil, when they ventured into the Metropolitan Museum of Art and took things that did not belong to them. There were motifs and themes of boredom, curiosity, and gaining a different perspective in The Phantom Tollbooth, as Milo learned how to not take the little things for granted, while in The Night I followed the dog, the narrator also felt that his dog was boring until he learned of his dog’s adventures during the night.

    Reply
    1. Rachel Wong Avatar
      Rachel Wong

      Hi Denise, I totally agree with this. I think perhaps there’s also a sense of bravery leading the character to self-discovery. I think most of the characters we stumbled upon were brave enough to take a leap of faith towards what they believe in.

      Reply
  2. Calista Spezio Avatar
    Calista Spezio

    I noticed many shared themes throughout the presentations I watched. The giver and the wizard of oz have many connecting themes. Both Dorothy and Jonas are both going on journeys of self discovery. Also, both of the main charters are somehow guided by a higher power in a way. Jonas with the giver and Dorothy with Glinda. Overall, although both stories are about different things, they share many of the same themes.

    Reply
    1. Amy Merino Avatar
      Amy Merino

      I agree another theme we’ve seen is that the characters face challenges as the book goes on and find their journey.

      Reply
  3. Danielle Avatar
    Danielle

    One theme I noticed in the materials is growing and learning about yourself by going on a journey. Many stories show characters leaving home, facing challenges, and slowly becoming stronger and more confident. This idea also came up in my classmates presentations, where they talked about characters changing over time and finding out who they really are.

    Reply
  4. Aliviya Iskhakova Avatar
    Aliviya Iskhakova

    Both series we have looked at this module have one major thing in common; their genre is fantasy. They feature magical creatures, talking animals, and actual magic exists in their world amongst many other mystical elements. This is a common theme I’ve seen throughout the book I was assigned as well as other people’s presentations. My book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, had talking and sentient mouses, rats, birds, etc. In other presentations, I see a lot of fantasy books as well, like books with witches and fantastical stories like Wizard of Oz.

    Reply
  5. Layla Ettu Avatar
    Layla Ettu

    Some themes that I’ve noticed across the materials in this module or themes versus good evil, fantasy as well as conflict. The presentations that my classmates and I have done have some of the same themes. There’s also a lot of fantasy stories being read. Most of the stories had a lot of the same concepts that we see in the real world but the characters were doing magical things throughout the story, making it a little more “playful”.

    Reply
    1. D'Ella Brown Avatar
      D’Ella Brown

      Hi Layla. I have seen those themes as well in the stories we read and also in the fantasy genre in general.

      Reply
  6. Jada Williams Avatar
    Jada Williams

    Compared to the class presentations, the themes that were presented in the videos were courage, being self sufficient and believing in yourself. In the stories “ Sylvester and the Magic Pebble”, “ The take of Peter Rabbit and “ Brave Irene” each character made their own choice to follow what they wanted to do and ended up having to deal with the challenges that came with it. They were alone and had to think smart and patient about how they will get through it. Fear of not being able to be back home where it mattered most to them gave them more drive to push harder. Similar to the texts in the presentations where Layla introduces “ Roald Dahl” and Aliviya introduces “ Mrs.Frisby and the Rats” as well as Aleksandra in “ The Hero and the Crown”.

    Reply
  7. Sophia Awad Avatar
    Sophia Awad

    A major theme I can say I believe is shared between ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit,’ by Beatrix Potter (1901), and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis (1950), is that bad actions have consequences. This is seen in ‘The Tales of Peter Rabbit,’ Potter (1901), as Peter disobeying his mother’s rule and entering the garden brings on grave danger and thus the consequence of losing his clothes or getting caught. Similarly, in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe(1950), the consequences are more serious and impact a whole world as Aslan must give his life to repair the damage caused by Edmund’s betrayal, which puts Narnia in jeopardy.

    Reply
  8. Synphanie Mojica Avatar
    Synphanie Mojica

    Motifs and themes I have noticed in Brave Irene and The Tale of Peter Rabbit is determination and persistence. In Brave Irene, she has to face wind and snow to get the duchess her dress for the party. Peter Rabbit also had to endure many obstacles to get away from Farmer McGregor, such as getting sick from hiding in a full watering can and getting lost in the garden, but he persevered in making his way back home. Many of the presentations used motifs of animals, magic and achieving some goals which are enjoyable for most children.

    Reply
    1. Shania Smith Avatar
      Shania Smith

      I agree with the theme of determination. Its a great theme for children to learn.

      Reply
  9. Aleksandra A Grala Avatar
    Aleksandra A Grala

    Across these stories, a few big themes show up a lot is bravery, curiosity, imagination, and kids (or animals) going on little adventures that teach them something. Whether it’s Peter Rabbit sneaking into a garden, Sylvester turning into a rock, or Irene delivering a dress in a snowstorm, the characters face challenges but don’t give up. A common motif is the journey and how it helps them grow. These themes connect with my classmates’ presentations too, especially when they talked about how children’s books often help kids deal with emotions, solve problems, or understand the world in a simple but powerful way.

    Reply
  10. Salma Avatar
    Salma

    One theme I noticed is that a lot of the characters go on some kind of journey, not just physically but also emotionally. They leave home, get into trouble, or face something new, and by the end, they’ve learned something important about themselves or the world. I also noticed how many stories mix real-life feelings like fear or curiosity with magical or fantasy elements.

    Reply
    1. Leslie Talavera Avatar
      Leslie Talavera

      i completely agree with you, considering how the characters usually have a character development half way throughout the book or movie. And usually give us the readers something to learn about.

      Reply

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