Good historical fiction helps children develop sensitivity to the different textures of particular historical periods. If we are reading a novel to enrich the study of a period in history, it is best if the story is fixed in a particular time frame to give children a more than superficial understanding. The Railway Children by E. Nesbit informs us about food, housing, transport and the lives of people of different circumstances in Victorian times in the context of a story of adventure and human warmth. A detailed grasp on what life was like in one period helps children know what has been moved on from and contributes to a sense of chronology (Hoodless, 1998).
As well as contributing to the history lesson, historical novels often raise issues about the kind of human dilemmas we discuss in English. D. Oakden’s The Discus Thrower (Anglia Young Books, 1992), for example, tells us about living in Ancient Greece and raises, in a subtle way, questions about how certain groups including women and slaves were treated in that culture. Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Lantern Bearers also brings different ways of living, attitudes and beliefs to a human level. History lessons need stories about events arising from the conditions and beliefs of a particular period rather than stories where the historical setting is a superficial backdrop to events that could be set at any time (Cox and Hughes in Hoodless, 1998). In his novel The Silver Sword (Puffin, 1956), Ian Serraillier shows us the price of war through the experiences of refugee children searching for their father.
Another novel, for older primary children, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (J. Kerr, 1993, HarperCollins) provides insight into living in Nazi Germany and then in wartime Britain. Novels like these take us beyond wars, treaties and laws and bring the past alive through human dilemmas, attitudes and feelings.
Older children in the primary school are often encouraged to reflect on how the historical background has been woven into the narrative. Reading out loud some of the more demanding novels – Rosemary Sutcliff’s Roman stories for example – helps make their insights accessible to children who would find them hard to read on their own. In Young People’s Reading at the End of the Century (1996) it is observed that children are choosing history novels less frequently, showing a preference for novels based on contemporary themes and for fantasies. Reading them out loud in history or English reminds children how interesting and powerful these novels can be (Collins and Graham, 2001). Ten year olds whose teacher was reading them Nina Bawden’s Carrie’s War told me how much the story of the evacuees had helped them enjoy and understand their history work on the Second World War.
Children’s Literature Research Centre (1996) Young People’s Reading at the End of the Century London: The Roehampton Institute.
Collins, Fiona and Graham, Judith (eds) (2001) Historical Fiction for Children: Capturing the Past London: David Fulton.
Hoodless, Pat (1998) ‘Children’s awareness of time in story and historical fiction’ in Hoodless, P. (ed.) History and English: Exploring the Links London: Routledge.
Old Boney was on the poop deck. “A narrow squeak”, he cried. “Back to France, my men. Back to France!”
Seeing Red by Sarah Garland and Tony Ross (1996) Andersen Press
Lewisham Professional Development Centre (1999) Find that Book: Making links between literacy and the broader curriculum. Tel. 020 8314 6146 (the history section of this book provides notes on using The Railway Children and The Lantern Bearers).
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