CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AND MORAL EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY OF CHINUE ACHIEBE, CHIKE AND THE RIVER, KOLA ONADIPE SUGAR GIRL, MUHTAR BAKARES ADVENTURE ALONG THE WATERFRONT AND GABRIEL OKARAS AN ADVENTURE

CHAPTER ONE

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Children literature is defined conceptually in literature exclusively about children. Children literature refer mainly to stories , poetry, poems rhymes, folk tales, drama exclusively created for children such as infant, toddlers and the young people as target audience. Children literature which is exclusively written for children seems to rest on three criteria, the first is whether the heroes are children or teenage, the second is whether the theme that is the idea, relationships and language are simple or complex simplicity of theme is therefore the overriding criteria that determine and defines literature for children.

Literature is for children if the ideas, relationship and language are formal too complex whether oral or written. For example a classic literature like GUILLIVER Travel is admitted into children literature because of simplicity of it ideas, relationship and language. But the turn of the screw or LOLILS, let us say would not be admitted as children literature because the ideas, relationship and language otherwise called the theme are complex. Thirdly children literature is often aimed at teaching moral lessons. Education and other who work with children are becoming increasingly aware that values cannot be legislated from external sources. Meaning decision can be made only by the child. It is logical therefore to help children develop a means of making constructive and beneficial moral decision through children literature.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Concerted view of literature reveals that moral education is becoming an increasingly popular issue in the field of psychology and education. Media report of increased violent juvenile crimes teen pregnancy, embezzlement, human right violation, numerous abuse and suicide have caused many people both within and outside the country to declare a state of moral crises among the youths.

However there is a growing trend towards linking the situation to these social problems to the teaching of moral and social values in both public and private schools in Nigeria. Therefore the problem confronting this research is to investigate children literature and moral education with a case study of CHINUE ACHIEBE, CHIKE and the river, KOLA ONADIPE sugar girl, MUHTAR BAKARES adventure along the waterfront and GABRIEL OKARAS an adventure to juju island.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What is children literature 2. What is moral education 3. What is the role of children literature on moral education 4. What is the nature of the work of CHINUE ACHIEBE, CHIKE and the river, KOLA ONADIPE sugar girl, MUHTAR BAKARES adventure along the waterfront and GABRIEL OKARAS an adventure to juju island.