Style and Tone

By: Lisa BridgenLIB 732

July 9, 2011

STYLE:Style is how the author says something within their writings.

The style of a book is determined by the writer and how they want you to read their book. This is done through devices of language and sounds.

Style will also vary with the different types of genres.

STYLE:Figurativ

eLanguag

e "Maybe, if you open your ears

like Charlie, you can hear the beautiful,

funny, sad, joyous,

amazing music he heard..."

What Charlie Heard by Mordicai Gerstein is an example of the literary device style of figurative language as there are many different uses of personification within the story. Musical instruments and the sounds they make are given human like characteristics and qualities.

STYLE:IMAGERY:

“Then all of a sudden

I’m a circus seal!On my Orange Daysthat’s how I feel.”

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss uses imagery to bring you into the world of colors in relation to feelings. We all have heard the saying “I feel a little blue today.” That saying is truly brought to life as Seuss draws on the senses through linking certain feelings with certain colors. The reader is drawn to visualize not only the images spoken through the words but also a time in which they felt those feelings and emotions.

STYLE:ALLUSION

Billy Bob, Billy Bo, and Just Plain Billy, don’t have enough money to cross the Troll’s toll bridge, so the Silly Billies form a ‘carpool’ with The Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack of beanstalk fame.

The literary style allusion uses indirect references to a common understanding to imply something within the story. In The Three Silly Billies, there are many references to the original stories of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Three Bears, Little Read Riding Hood, and other fairy tales. Younger children may not be able to relate or pick up on the references and humor that goes along with this story but they will still be entertained.

STYLE:Hyperbole

“For lunch one day, frankfurters, already in their rolls, blew in from the northwest at about

five miles and hour. There were mustard

clouds nearby…”

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, is a great example of a story with the literary device of hyperbole. This story is full of exaggeration with mustard clouds and orange juice showers in the town of Chewandswallow. Children love humor in stories like these where they can laugh at the extremity of food falling from the sky yet still connect with the characters.

Devices of Sound:Alliteratio

n“Out we creep

While people sleep.Soon we hope to find a heapOf cheese and bread crumbs,

Piled deepOn codfish bones and beets.”

Raccoon Tune is a great example of the literary device sound of alliteration because of its use of repetitive words with the same or similar sounds. This is a great story for children because not only is it a fun filled story but it also teaches children rhyming words and sounds.

Devices of Sound:Onomatopoeia

“Mouse squeaks, “Too damp, too dank, too dark.” So he lights wee twigs with a small, hot spark…”

In Bear Snores On, there are many different references to onomatopoeia. With many of the references regarding the animals and their sounds within the story. There are many different sound words that children love and it is a great way for them to associate sounds with words.

TONE!A story can contain multiple different tones. It can be a serious tone but include moments of humor.

The tone of a story is controlled by the writer but can be interpreted by the reader and his or her experiences.

Tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject and readers.

Tone:HUMOR

“Let’s get one thing straight, OK? I NEVER wear a pink flouncing skirts or twinkling glass slippers! That’s Cinderella. She does a lot of sitting around the castle looking pretty. BORING!! Me, I’m an action kind of gal. I love for danger! For suspense!”

Humor is one of the most common tones within children’s literature. The book You Think It’s Easy Being the Tooth Fairy is one of the many examples of the tone of humor within children’s books. This book will make children smile and laugh along side any adult.

Tone:Variety

“In case you missed it, my name is Alvin Ho. I was born scared and I am still scared. Things that scare me include long words (especially hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, which means fear of long words).”

Many books contain a variety of tones. The writer will choose to use multiple tones to capture the attention of their readers. In the story Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters, the consistent tone throughout the story is humor, however it contains tone such as sensationalism for children.

WORK CITEDLukens, Rebecca J.. A critical handbook of

children's literature . 8th ed. Boston: Pearson Allyn and Bacon, 2007. Print.

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