Historical Fiction for Children by Jacobs, Leland

After reading the article, "historical Fiction for Children," by Jacobs, Leland, my biggest take away from this article was just how significant historical fiction really is. Leland describes in the article how for elementary students it puts kids in a different period of time. The children are able to almost "time travel," by using their imagination and putting themselves back into a important period of time. Not only do children also get to experience what life was like during that time, but they are able to look at the clothes people wore, the adventures that occurred, and what their houses looked like back then. Imagination for kids is important to have. Historical fiction gives kids the satisfying feeling of imagination along with the knowledge about history during certain periods of times. I also took away from this article, how important it is to learn about periods in time that changed our lives for the better today. For example, a book about Christopher Columbus and how he found America is truly significant. Young readers, are able to view what might have happened during 1492, by putting themselves there using their imagination. They are able to view the boat Columbus traveled on, what he wore, and what the land might have looked like when he arrived. Its a genre that teaches students the beauty of imagination and learning about periods of time that gave them a better life. As a future teacher, I feel seeing students being interested in a topic such as history would really put a smile on my face because they are learning each and everyday how a particular event changed their lives for the better.