Children's Literature in Israel

Abstract

Children's Literature in Israel Dr. Adir Cohen Click for larger view View full resolution All Pictures © Gerald McDermott Children's literature is one of the most neglected subjects in Israel. To date not one institute exists in Israel, which has undertaken to research this subject, to investigate and relate more deeply to the psychological, aesthetic, social, educational and teaching aspects of the subject or to take an interest in cultivating the teaching of it. Because of the large immigration to Israel from diverse countries of origin and because there exists an extremely large population of disadvantaged school children, the problems of encouraging our children to read fluently have increased and have become more complex Scales that were appropriate to the reading behaviour of children of the first settlers do not apply to the new culture and so, the need arises to review and clarify these questions, taking into account the considerable social changes that have taken place in Israel in the thirty years of the country's existence. It seems that the time has come to renew the effort to advance and cultivate children's literature in Israel, to intensify research and improve teaching in this field. The Centre for Children's Literature at the University of Haifa seeks to respond to the important needs of research and teaching in children's literature. Its aim includes: [End Page 5] advancement of research in the fields of children's literature; cultivation and improvement of teaching in this field; development of a new approach to children' s literature; cultivation and improvement of children's reading; increased involvement of writers, artists, editors of children's and teachers' newspapers in children's literary education, modelling their artistic sense, whilst being aware of the children's psychological needs and their interests in reading ; and improvement of the children's literature published in Israel. [End Page 10] Dr. Adir Cohen School of Education University of Haifa Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31 999 Israel Copyright © 1979 ChLA Newsletter