What are your kids reading in the new year? What kids read has a strong impact on their perceptions of reality.
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Articles on Children's literature
Displaying 61 - 80 of 90 articles
Traditional African stories often tackle big, occasionally scary and serious themes. This is even true in children’s stories – though there’s plenty of room for silly fun, too.
Alice has always trail-blazed through new and uncharted territory, and this is no less true of her ventures into the 21st century.
New adult Ladybird books on The Hipster and The Husband fall flat.
It’s 150 years since an Oxford mathematics don published the most important work of children’s literature and one of the most influential books of all time. The origins of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland…
Family meals – with lively conversation, storytelling and discussions of books and the tales they contain – feed children’s literacy skills.
Debate about the lack of diversity in young adult literature isn’t new, but thanks to recent campaigns such as We Need Diverse Books, there’s renewed focus on why diversity in literature is crucial.
The very idea of the happy ending as appropriate literary fare for children is an illusion. Most fairy tales are full of darkness and violence, and as often as not do not end happily.
Adult and child fans of Dr Seuss are set for a treat in July with the publication of a lost manuscript, What Pet Should I Get? Why is it that the works of the American author have such broad appeal?
Roald Dahl hated adaptations of his work, and often I agree with him. The original books have such a place in so many people’s hearts and open up the imagination so much that once on screen they can feel…
In 1937 a fairy tale about a reluctant hero with hairy feet was published by a tweedy English academic called JRR Tolkien. The Hobbit was an instant success – and its mighty sequel The Lord of the Rings…
Not unlike the bear himself, the film Paddington has had a long and bumpy ride to the big screen. Paddington’s movie, like the character, unwittingly left a marmalade smeared paw print on the delicate…
In his 2005 book The Economy of Prestige, James F. English influentially argued that prizes thrive on scandal. Just last week, scholar Kathleen Horning claimed this year’s National Book Awards could change…
Fairy tales have a tumultuous and fragile history. They originated as tales told by “folk”. They were passed down over generations to while away long winter nights, to provide entertainment at special…
There’s a lot of attention right now on diversity in children’s books – or, more accurately, the lack of it. It’s not a new problem. White people have been talking about this issue since Nancy Larrick…
Children’s fantasy has become a lucrative global industry, and duly producers are plumbing all kinds of magical authors. Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree is only the latest children’s classic destined…
As a bookseller, I frequently find myself in conversations with customers about “appropriateness” when choosing literature for young readers – and these often conflict with research I have encountered…
The discount supermarket chain Aldi has come under fire in recent days for removing Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes (1982) from its shelves following a complaint from a customer on its Facebook page. The…
Many professional authors are also parents, but recently, there have been a number of success stories of parents simply writing for their own children and becoming very successful. And this recent surge…
While facts and figures are useful to understand the scale of the refugee problem, for most people it’s the personal angle that they best relate to. But this personal angle, and the sympathy and understanding…
Top contributors
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Senior Lecturer — Writing, Editing, Publishing, University of Southern Queensland
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Professor, University of Stavanger
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Associate Professor in Literary Studies, Monash University
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Assistant Professor, University of The Fraser Valley
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Professor of Writing and Liberal Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design
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Lecturer in English Literature, Binghamton University, State University of New York
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Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies, University of East London
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Associate professor, Deakin University
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Senior Lecturer in Children's and Adolescent Literature, Queensland University of Technology
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Senior Lecturer in the School of Communication & Creative Arts, Deakin University
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Deakin University
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Lecturer in Film and Television Studies, University of Hull
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Professor and Director of the Children and Youth Research Centre, QUT, Queensland University of Technology
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Senior Lecturer, Programme Lead for English Literature and English Literature with Drama Studies, University of Liverpool
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Senior Lecturer in International Politics, Newcastle University
