“There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million,” author Walt Streightiff once stated. In the perspective of the child, no matter from what century the child may have been or is from, the world is filled with mystery and new adventures every day. Children’s literature, since the nineteenth century, has been capturing the world in which children see with their own eyes. The imagination, curiosity, and adventure of children are portrayed by authors who remember what common thoughts and questions they once had at the young age which they set their main characters to be in their stories. Whether it is a chapter book for children ages ten and older, a beginner chapter book for eight …show more content…
Both Holes and Who Stole the Wizard of Oz? are categorized as mystery books, however the picture book We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past does not have a plot which can be named a mystery. Although this is the case, all three still share elements of surprise in their stories, which hook the children readers into reading more. As the plots of these stories develop, the child reader becomes further pulled in to reach the ending climax. It is clear from the first couple of pages in Avi’s chapter book that the twins, Toby and Becky, will be looking for the enigmatic thief of the Checkertown Library who stole the five most treasured children’s books of the town. As the novel by Sacher progresses, the reader becomes aware that there is a mystery as to why Camp Green Lake is so secretive with the artifacts found in the holes dug and what underlying story those artifacts are connected to. The element of surprise found in the picture book, We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past by Woodson comes when the grandmother whispers in Teeka’s ears to tell her, “Hope Martha don’t bring that pie again,” which grabs the reader’s attention through the book, anticipating Cousin Martha’s arrival at the picnic with her supposed “dried-out apple pie” (Woodson, 1997, p.6). With these three books, the imaginative minds and curiosity of the children can be seen from the plot progression and element of surprise of the