Children's Fantasy

     

    The Field Guide (book 1) from the Spiderwick Chronicles, written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, was one of the most popular fantasy books for elementary-age readers. This book follows the lives of the three Grace siblings, twins Simon and Jacob, and older sister Mallory, when they move with their mother into their grandmother's ramshackle old house in Maine. They soon discover that this house is anything but normal. There are goblins, faeries, trolls, and many more fantastical creatures living in the woods. These creatures are invisible to the naked eye but can be seen by looking through a hole in a stone or by having a hobgoblin spit in your eyes (DiTerlizzi, Black, 2003). These children eventually get drawn into a classic battle of good versus evil that spans a total of 8 books. 

    This book is classic fantasy. It has it all, faeries, goblins, trolls, and even dragons later in the series. There is a very clearly defined conflict between Mulgarath, an ogre, and the Grace siblings. He desperately wants the "field guide" left to them by their grandfather, a book that details all the creatures of the fantasy world and their weaknesses, so he can take over the world (DiTerlizzi, Black, 2003). The illustrations of this book are representational art and surrealist art genres. All are beautifully done and look almost hand-drawn to extend the feel of the field guide, and many detail realistic elements (humans and realistic landscapes) alongside very fanciful elements (fantastical creatures such as faeries and goblins)(DiTerlizzi, Black, 2003). 

    This book and the series that goes with it are best suited for older elementary readers, such as 3rd through 5th grade. One activity that could be done before reading the book is discussing the different types of conflict in books (man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. machine, etc.) and instruct them to discern what type of conflict is featured in this book. Many of the creatures in this book take inspiration from realistic elements, such as the faeries all bear a strong resemblance to flowers and many of the other creatures resemble trees or other various plants. One activity that could be done after reading the book is pointing out which creatures resemble real objects and why that could be. We could discuss the types of camouflage that real animals have, as well, and why they have these traits. Some classroom conversations could go as follows:

Teacher: Many animals, such as tigers and butterflies, have methods of camouflage to hide from predators. What types of camouflage did you notice on the animals in the book?

Students: {answers vary}

OR:

Teacher: Literature often has some kind of conflict that goes deeper than simply good vs. evil. Some examples include Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Man, Man vs. Animal, and more. I want you all to read/listen carefully and once you're done, describe to me what kind of conflicts the Grace siblings face in this book. 

    I read these books when I was in late elementary school/early middle school, and loved them. These books completely changed my taste in literature, and fantasy is STILL my favorite to this day. Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black wrote the Spiderwick Chronicles, and later the sister series Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles, both of which I adored as a child. I hope I can inspire more children to read and love these books, and hopefully to love reading in general. 

REFERENCES:

1. Galda, Lee. Literature and the Child. Available from: Yuzu Reader, (9th Edition). Cengage Learning US, 2016.

2. DiTerlizzi, Tony; Black, Holly. "The Field Guide". Simon and Schuster, 2003. 

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