Product Review
For survey courses in children’s literature. Also suitable as a companion text in an integrated reading/language arts course.
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From a well-known, well-respected author team–a comprehensive, yet concise resource about children's literature and engaging children as readers.
This widely popular text focuses on engaging pre-service teachers and librarians in experiencing the joy of reading, selecting, and sharing excellent children's books with students and engaging them as readers. Clear, concise, and direct, the book uses recommended book lists, examples, figures, and tables in combination with narrative and prose, freeing class time for involvement with literature. Through newly added connections to classrooms and libraries, in addition to expanded content related to standards and trends in literacy, Essentials of Children's Literature is an indispensable guide for future teachers and librarians.
From reviews of this book:
“The overall strengths of this textbook are the empirical research cited, the charts and diagrams used, the variety of books covered, and the pragmatic approach to selecting and enjoying literature for children. I think students would find it accessible, interesting, and practical. The authors’ passion for children’s literacy and education is clearly expressed in the text.â€
- Erika J. Travis, California Baptist University
“Understanding how to select books for and with children is a key component of success as a teacher–so I was happy to see in-depth coverage of that, including the Age Level information as well as the Reading Interest questions [Chapter 2]. . . . The use of the color illustrations and then the chart with the “Guide to Illustrationsâ€â€“very helpful [Chapter 4].â€
- Roxanne Owens, DePaul University
“. . .[S]trengths in each of the chapters [include] notable authors, recommended books, read alouds, investigation for further study, and the references. . . . I also use the award winners for our literature circles in class.â€
- Judith Ann Stechly, West Liberty University
- NEW! Multicultural and global literature are integrated throughout the genre chapters and book lists.
- NEW! Connections for librarians features have been added throughout all chapters.
- UPDATED! All special features (Recommended Book Lists, Milestones, Excellent Books to Read Aloud, Notable Authors and Illustrators, and Invitations for Further Investigation) have been updated to include the newest titles, creators, and trends and issues related to the field.
- NEW! Includes expanded coverage of graphic novels. (Chapter 5)
- NEW! A separate chapter on Illustration and Visual Elements highlights the increasingly significant role of these elements across all genres and formats.
- Features strategies to engage readers in close reading, and astronger focus on reader response (for example, see Reader Connections sections at the end of each genre chapter.)
- UPDATED! Stronger connections and alignment with Common Core Standards appear throughout the book, including:
- An updated discussion on the influence of standards on the use of literature in classrooms and libraries (Chapter 13);
- Updated research on reading interests and evaluation of text complexity (Chapter 2); and
- Stronger focus on the features of expository texts as it relates to informational literature (Chapter 11).
- NEW! A new section on book-related apps shows the great expansion of apps available to children.
- UPDATED! Historical Fiction (Chapter 10) is now organized around major themes that cut across the genre, while still including the time period information.
- UPDATED! The discussion of censorship has moved to Literature in the Curriculum (Chapter 13).
- UPDATED! Charts of landmark studies, and studies related to children’s literature, reading, and writing, help support the use of literature with readers in classrooms and libraries. In addition, instructors can use the charts to involve students in professional reading (Chapters 1 & 13).
- Multicultural and global literature are integrated throughout the genre chapters and book lists.
- Connections for librarians have been added throughout all chapters.
- All special features (Recommended Book Lists, Milestones, Excellent Books to Read Aloud, Notable Authors and Illustrators, and Invitations for Further Investigation) have been updated to include the newest titles, creators, and trends and issues related to the field.
- Features expanded coverage of graphic novels (Chapter 5).
- Stronger connections and alignment with Common Core Standards appear throughout the book, including:
- Updated discussion on the influence of standards on the use of literature in classrooms and libraries (Chapter 13);
- Updated research on reading interests and evaluation of text complexity (Chapter 2); and
- Stronger focus on the features of expository texts as it relates to informational literature (Chapter 11).
- A separate chapter on Illustration and Visual Elements highlights the increasingly significant role of these elements across all genres and formats (Chapter 4).
- The chapter on Historical Fiction (Chapter 10) has been reorganized according to major themes that cut across historical fiction.
- A new section on book-related apps shows the great expansion in apps available to children.
- The discussion of censorship has moved to Chapter 13–Literature in the Curriculum.
- Charts of landmark studies and studies related to children’s literature and reading and writing help support the use of literature with readers in classrooms and libraries. In addition, instructors can use the charts to involve students in professional reading (Chapters 1 & 13).
