Literary Praxis

Lauren Aimonette Liang, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Literacy, Language, and Learning in the Department of Educational Psychology. Her research focuses on the selection and educational use of children's literature, particularly as related to student comprehension, engagement, and social and emotional growth. She has had leadership roles in the Children’s Literature Assembly of NCTE, the American Library Association, the International Literacy Association, and the United States Board of Books for Young People. Jennifer M. Graff, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Literacies and Children’s Literature in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include critical content analysis of diverse children’s literature, pedagogical opportunities with nonfiction children’s literature in early childhood education, and sociocultural contexts of youths’ reading preferences and practices. She has served in multiple leadership positions for the Children’s Literature Assembly of NCTE and the United States Board of Books for Young People (USBBY) chapter of the International Board of Books for Young People (IBBY). Miriam Martinez, PhD, is Professor Emerita at the University of Texas at San Antonio where she taught children’s literature for more than 40 years. Her research focuses on diverse formats of children’s literature, the nature of children’s literary responses, and instructional strategies to support children’s reading of literature. She has served on the board of the United States Board of Books for Young People, and has served as co-editor of the Journal of Children’s Literature and the Journal of Literacy Research.

This book is essential reading for anyone teaching children’s literature in a university setting. The authors highlight the multiple complicated purposes served by these courses, grounding each chapter in a theoretical framework and providing concrete examples of how this theory drives their instruction. Their in-depth descriptions of the major engagements and texts used in their courses along with student voices provide rich examples of meaningful connections between readers and books. Both general and specialized children’s literature courses are included as frames for instructional strategies to engage students in exploring themes and issues, along with genres and formats, of high-quality diverse literature. This rich resource is one that instructors will consult over and over to strengthen their teaching and deepen their understandings of the potentials of children’s literature in lives and classrooms.

• Introduction: Teaching Children’s Literature: A Changing LandscapeMiriam Martinez, Jennifer M. Graff, and Lauren Aimonette LiangSection I: Children’s Literature Survey CoursesChapter 1. Text Formats and Textual Response: Preparing EC-6 Educators as Readers and Teachers of Children LiteratureMiriam Martinez and Rebecca Stortz, The University of Texas at San Antonio Chapter 2. Preparing Teachers to Be Curriculum Designers in Literature Based InstructionXenia Hadjioannou, The Pennsylvania State University-Berks and Erika Thulin Dawes, Lesley UniversityChapter 3. Finding our Footing: Children’s Literature as a Foundation for Effective PracticeMary-Kate Sableski and Jacqualine M. Arnold, University of DaytonSection II: Children’s Literature Survey Courses with a Special EmphasisChapter 4. Becoming Purposeful: Understanding Text Selection for Use in Schools and Libraries through an International Children’s Literature CourseLauren Aimonette Liang, University of Utah and Elizabeth Thackeray Nelson, Utah Valley UniversityChapter 5. Fostering Social Justice and Navigating Censorship with Children's Literature in a (Re)Designed Undergraduate CourseAdam Crawley, University of Colorado-BoulderChapter 6. Teaching Graphic Novels from Transnational PerspectivesRené M. Rodríguez-Astacio, Fresno State University and Suriati Abas, State University of New York-OneontaChapter 7. Immigrant Conversations: Discussions in the Children’s Literature CurriculumRuth McKoy Lowery, University of North Texas and Cheryl Logan, Ohio State University, MansfieldSection III: Children’s Literature Courses with Specialized FocusChapter 8. The Often-Overlooked Genre: Exploring Nonfiction Across the Curriculum K-12Mary Ann Cappiello, Lesley University Chapter 9. Exploring Complexity & Criticality through Multimodal Apprenticeships: Picturebook Courses for EducatorsJennifer M. Graff, University of Georgia Chapter 10. Critical Race Theory and the Black Arts Movement as Theoretical Underpinnings for a Course on African American Children’s LiteratureJonda McNair, The Ohio State UniversitySection IV: Education Courses with a Children’s Literature FoundationChapter 11. Processing and Planning: Using Immigrant and Refugee Children’s Literature for Informational and Liberatory Lesson Plan WritingGrace Enriquez and Victoria Gill, Lesley UniversityChapter 12. Engaging Families: Children’s Literature in the CommunityDenise Davila, The University of Texas at AustinChapter 13. Exploring Global Perspectives Through Children's Literature: An ESL Teacher's Journey in ArgentinaAngela Wiseman, North Carolina State University, Mary Michaels Estrada, North Carolina State University, Michael P. Cook, Auburn University, Kevin M. Oliver, North Carolina State University, and Meredith Melragon, Durham County Public SchoolsAbout the EditorsAbout the Author