Searching for the Children Reading the Cross-century Fiction Series

• Main Authors: Ou Chia-Wen, 歐佳玟
• Other Authors: Chang Tzu-Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/aqt9vz

碩士 === 國立臺東大學 === 兒童文學研究所 === 95 === The publishers in Taiwan have ‘imported’ a large number of children’s books from foreign countries since 2000. At the same time, adults have operated the children’s reading activities everywhere. But we find those who have ‘occupied’ the main markets of children’s books are adults. Where are the children readers? In the mythical situation, the Eastern Publishing Co. also participated in choosing and translating the children’s books. They collected 54 books and named this series as the cross-century Fiction Series. To attract its implied reader –children who are nine to twelve years old, the Eastern Publishing Co. has done its best. The readers can select one book as well as the whole series. The chief editor did the editorial work in person. Since all these books were awarded in their countries, the Eastern Publishing Co. has confidence in them and hopes the readers will love to read them. During the process of designing, editing and selling these works, what the editor thinks about the children did make great contribution to the publication. Therefore, the researcher tries to see if there is a unity between the recent children’s characteristics and the editor’s viewpoints of children. The researcher also tries to answer the question: if children like to read this Series. By means of analyzing the designing, editing and selling of the series, the researcher understands the relationship between the editor of children’s books and the children, and goes on to discuss the situation of children’s fiction read lately. After analyzing the series of books, the researcher comes to the conclusion. First, the adults are used to choosing the children’s books for their kids, so they have become the main consumers. Because of it, the editor decides to put some factors to attract the adults to buy these books through their covers and their layouts. The editor cares about children’s needs when she considers the contents of texts. Second, adults have already been the leaders of the children’s reading activities but they know little about literature. They don’t understand what kind of texts children can choose, either. Both of these affect immediately the designing, editing and selling of the series. Indirectly, they form the gap between the editor’s viewpoints of children and the children characteristics.