Literary Praxis

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. -- Kathy G. Short * Regents Professor, College of Education, University of Arizona *
This edited volume provides a comprehensive view of how children’s literature is taught to both pre-and in-service teachers across the United States. With chapters written by well-respected scholars in the field, the book serves as a valuable resource for those teaching children’s literature. It includes theoretical frameworks as well as specific learning experiences and instructional strategies. A special feature of the book highlights the perspectives and reflections of students in the courses that are described. -- Evelyn B. Freeman * professor emerita, The Ohio State University *
Reading Literary Praxis made me not only want to experience each of the children's literature classes so vividly described but to immediately apply their theoretical frameworks and pedagogical strategies to my own teaching of pre-service and in-service teachers. In the current landscape where literacy instruction is heavily regimented and scrutinized, book bans and censorship are increasing, and children's literature courses are being eliminated from teacher preparation programs, this text offers compelling arguments for the value of preparing early childhood and elementary teachers to prioritize the inclusion of high-quality, diverse children's books in their classrooms. Each chapter, written by renowned children's literature scholars and educators, provides a blueprint for approaching the teaching of children's literature in fresh, innovative, and engaging ways. -- April Whatley Bedford * Ph.D., professor, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Brooklyn College *
Teaching children’s literature at the university level today is a balancing act between appreciating the “magic” of stories and meeting the rigorous, often rigid, demands of modern educational mandates and standards. Whether in a physical classroom or a digital space, the goal remains the same—equip future and current educators with the critical knowledge and tools to experience the transformative power of story. This engaging text, with chapters from well-known scholars in the field, provides book titles, instructional strategies, reader response prompts, and student generated projects that will guide the design, teaching, or revision of children’s literature courses. -- Cyndi Giorgis * Ph.D., author, Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation, Division for Advancing Education Policy, Practice, and Leadership, Arizona State University *
This engaging collection includes extensive, detailed activities for educators to foster critical responses to and teaching about children’s literature, with detailed references to descriptions of a wide range of specific children’s literature texts. The book also provides readers with methods for designing curriculum and instruction aligned with reader-response instruction and social/critical race theories to foster connections between students’ lives and children’s and young adult literary texts. Chapters also provide detailed, engaging activities for responding to and teaching nonfiction, picture books, graphic novels, and texts on immigration, as well as strategies for coping with censorship challenges, working with ESL students, and providing preservice education instruction on teaching children’s literature in teacher education programs. -- Richard Beach * professor emeritus of Literacy Education, University of Minnesota *