Analyzing Muhiddin Yenigün's Stories in terms of Basic Elements of Children's Literature

Abstract

Stories, one of the most important elements of children's literature, are one of the literary genres that develop children's imagination, emotional intelligence and life knowledge. Stories in this genre introduce children to different characters, different cultures and different lives. Through these stories, children learn to express themselves, gain value judgements and love books. Children's literature also contributes to the development of children's reading skills and language abilities. Books in this genre are prepared in a way to attract children's attention and are decorated with eye-catching colours and pictures. Thus, children connect with the stories more easily and have a pleasant reading experience. In Turkish lessons, textbooks, stories and children's literature play a major role in children's language learning and language use. These tools show children the rules of language, the power of expression and the richness of language. Children's love of language and language skills are developed by supporting them with these tools. In this context, Muhiddin Yenigün's works written for children can be considered as qualified examples of children's literature. When these works are analysed in terms of both external and internal structure, it is seen that they are designed and written in accordance with the basic criteria of children's literature. While the external structure includes elements such as the size of the books, paper quality, cover design, binding method and the quality of the illustrations, the internal structure includes elements such as the protagonists, subject, theme, environment, message, language and narration style of the stories.