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C H A P T E R 2 :
Elements of Quality Children’s Literature

33
First Person.
When the narrator is one of the characters in the story and refers 
to himself or herself as I and me, the author is employing the first-person point of 
view . With this point of view, the reader will see events unfold through the eyes and 
thoughts of the narrator, and only the narrator. Therefore, the reader cannot learn 
what other characters are doing or saying if they are not in sight of the narrator. 
Because the reader can never learn what is in the minds of other characters, an au-
thor using the first-person point of view might contrive for the narrator to do a bit 
of eavesdropping. With this kind of device, the author can reveal essential informa-
tion through other characters as well. For example, a child might be able to hear the 
adults in her family talking when she climbs out her bedroom window to the porch 
and listens outside the living room window. In this way, the author can move the 
story line along without changing narrators. 
Readers of realistic fiction will find first person the primary point of view for 
that genre. However, when a story is told only through events the narrator has 
experienced, the reader should expect the narration to be quite subjective. A good 
example of a book using this point of view is Judy Blume’s Are You There God? 
It’s Me, Margaret . This story is told through the eyes of a young girl. An interesting 
Box 2.1 
 Character Continuum 
 Title of Book:
___________________________________________________________________________ 
 Name of Character:
______________________________________________________________________ 
friendly ________________________________________________________________ unfriendly
happy _______________________________________________________________________ sad
wise ______________________________________________________________________ foolish
adventurous _____________________________________________________________ cautious
outgoing _____________________________________________________________________ shy
unselfish ___________________________________________________________________ selfish
honest _________________________________________________________________ dishonest
brave _____________________________________________________________________ fearful
leader ___________________________________________________________________ follower
mature ___________________________________________________________________ childish