A New Year of New Reading: Teacher-Librarians Recommend Great New Books

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne De Groot
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Children's Literature ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Editorial Team ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Children And Young Adults ◽  
Teacher Librarians

Welcome to the new issue of the Deakin Review of Children’s Literature!  My name is Joanne de Groot and it is my great pleasure to introduce you to the first issue of 2013.  I am an instructor in the Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning (TLDL) program at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada.  The TLDL program is an entirely online Master of Education that prepares teachers across Canada and around the world to become teacher-librarians.  The MEd in Teacher-Librarianship develops school and professional leadership in inquiry, literacies, technology, and resources through meaningful learning experiences. All the courses in this program focus on curriculum, community, consultation, collaboration, coordination, and communication. You might be wondering why I was asked to write this editorial and why I am introducing you to this issue.  Let me explain!  In the fall of 2012, I taught a required course in the TLDL program called ‘Introduction to Resources for Children and Young Adults’ (EDES 546).  This course provides students with an introduction to literature and other print and digital media for children and young adults and provides strategies and resources for selecting and using these resources in library settings.  The major assignment for this course asked small groups of students to work together to develop a proposal to build a focused collection of resources for a school library.  Each group had to select a particular area or topic and then work through a series of tasks to develop their proposal.  Groups in this particular class focused on topics such as Canadian materials, graphic novels, high interest/low vocabulary titles, picture books, reluctant readers, and First Nations resources. Each group had a number of required tasks to complete as part of their project, including: a selection list of resources they would purchase to build their collection; the selection criteria they used to develop this list; and links to professional reviews for some of the items on their list. The complete group projects are also available online to anyone who is interested in viewing them. Please contact me for the links.  In addition, each student had to write their own professional reviews for two items on the selection list.  Many of the reviews written by the students in this course have now been compiled to form the basis of this issue of the Deakin Review of Children’s Literature. When I first approached the editorial team at the Deakin Review about the possibility of having my students contribute to this issue, none of us were sure how, or if, it would work.  I greatly appreciate that the entire team at the Deakin Review was willing to take a leap of faith and put this issue almost entirely into my students’ hands.  The task of writing reviews that were going to be published in a reviewing journal made the assignment that much more relevant and interesting for my students.  I would like to thank everyone at the Deakin Review for their enthusiastic support of the idea and for working with me and my students to make it happen! And now, without further delay, I am very pleased to share with you this new issue of the Deakin Review of Children’s Literature, brought to you by the students in the Fall, 2012 sections of EDES 546.  Happy Reading! Joanne de Groot Adjunct Assistant Professor Department of Elementary Education University of Alberta email: [email protected]

scholarly journals Editorial

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne Wiltse ◽  
Joanne De Groot
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Editorial Team ◽  
Group Project ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Authentic Writing ◽  
The University

It is our pleasure to be contributing to this editorial for The Deakin Review of Children’s Literature:My name is Lynne Wiltse and I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). I teach courses in language and literacy and children’s literature, and have eagerly read each issue of The Deakin since its inception in 2011. I have made sure to introduce my students to this valuable resource. For example, I have the undergraduate students in my children’s literature course undertake an assignment which requires them to explore the site in detail and compare it to its predecessor, the Deakin Newsletter. I was intrigued when I came across the special issue that featured Joanne de Groot’s teacher-librarian students recommending “great new books.” At the time, I was teaching a graduate course, Children's Literature in the Elementary School (EDEL 510). I thought how I would love to have my students involved in such an initiative. The next time I was due to teach the course, I contacted the editorial team to discuss the possibility. As it happened, Joanne had done the same. The editorial team kindly offered for us to share a special double issue; my students would review books that are geared primarily for an elementary audience, while Joanne's class would review books that are intended for a secondary audience.I made space in the course so that my students, all of whom are practicing teachers, could have the invaluable opportunity to review contemporary books for children. I was delighted with the diverse range of books my students selected for review. In our course, we discussed the importance of authentic writing opportunities for children; this certainly proved to be an authentic writing experience for my students, one that they embraced with enthusiasm! We are very excited to see their published reviews in The Deakin, and we are looking forward to reading the reviews of the students in EDEL 546 as well. I thank Kim Frail and the rest of the editorial team of The Deakin Review of Children’s Literature for their support of this special issue.Lynne WiltseAssociate ProfessorDepartment of Elementary EducationUniversity of Albertaemail: [email protected] name is Joanne de Groot and I am an instructor in the Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning (TLDL) program at the University of Alberta.   Students in this class are teachers and teacher-librarians from across Canada, particularly British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nunavut.  We even had a student in EDEL 546 who is currently teaching in Kathmandu!EDEL 546 is an Introduction to Resources for Children and Young Adults and provides students with an introduction to literature and other print and digital media for young people in schools and libraries.  Throughout this course, students are given opportunities to learn how to select and use resources in their classrooms and school libraries.  The major assignment asks small groups of students to develop proposals to build a focused collection of resources for a school library.  This group project required students to select an area or topic and then create a selection list of resources they would purchase to build their collection, identify selection criteria, and provide links to professional reviews.  Students were also asked to write professional reviews of two titles published in 2013 or 2014 that would be suitable for a high school audience. This term’s groups focused on topics such as high interest/low vocabulary titles, graphic novels, pleasure or recreational reading, and Immigrant Voices.   Many of the reviews submitted for this project are now included in this issue of The Deakin.  The task of writing reviews that might be published in a reviewing journal made this assignment more relevant and interesting for the students and I am very pleased to be able to share their work with you now.Joanne de GrootAdjunct Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Elementary EducationUniversity of Albertaemail: [email protected] 

scholarly journals Eleanor & Park by R. Rowell

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne De Groot
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Children's Literature ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Comic Books ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Adult Readers ◽  
Red Hair

Rowell, Rainbow. Eleanor & Park.  New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2013. Print.“Disintegrated. Like something had gone wrong beaming her onto the Starship Enterprise. If you’ve ever wondered what that feels like, it’s a lot like melting, but more violent. Even in a million different pieces, Eleanor could still feel Park holding her hand. Could still feel his thumb exploring her palm. She sat completely still because she didn’t have any other option.  She tried to remember what kind of animals paralyzed their prey before they ate them...Maybe Park had paralyzed her with his ninja magic, his Vulcan handhold, and now he was going to eat her. That would be awesome” (p. 72).Eleanor & Park is a smart, funny young adult romance that takes place over one school year in 1986. Told in alternating voices, this is the story of two teenagers who don’t quite fit in. Eleanor comes from the wrong side of the tracks and has big red hair and wears all the wrong clothes. Park is half Asian, loves comic books and alternative music.  Eleanor has had a rough life, living with her mother, her mother’s new husband, and her four siblings in a rundown house without even a door on the bathroom. Park’s family is much more stable, yet his military veteran father and immigrant mother do not quite know what to make of Park, with his black clothes, eye makeup and love of music. Pushed together on Eleanor’s first day of school when she takes the only seat left on the bus, the one beside Park, they bond over comic books and mixed tapes and help each other survive the tumult that is high school, and life.  The characters, young and old, in Eleanor & Park are far from perfect, and their imperfections and weirdness make them likeable. Young adult readers will identify with these outsiders and will be cheering for them from the beginning. Some of the pop culture references may not be recognized by today’s young adults; however, the specific music and comic book references are less important than what they represent in the story. Rowell has written a nuanced and balanced story that will appeal to young adult fans of realistic and romantic fiction.  The ending is satisfying without being easy and Rowell has created characters that are believable and heartwarming.  Eleanor & Park won the 2013 Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Best Fiction Book.  Rainbow Rowell is the author of Attachments (2011) and the recently released Fangirl (2013).  The book contains some scenes with some mild sexuality, violence, and language. It will make an excellent addition to any school or public library collection for young adult readers ages 14 and up.Highly Recommended:  4 out of 4 starsReviewed by: Joanne de GrootJoanne de Groot is a teacher, librarian and mom who loves to read children's literature (especially with her two kids!).  She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta and teaches primarily in the Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning program.  Joanne teaches courses on resources for children and young adults, children's literature, educational technology and Web 2.0, and contemporary literacies.

Introduction

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica R. McCort
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Children's Literature ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Children And Young Adults

The introduction begins the book’s discussion of why some children and young adults are drawn to horror. It attempts to define the term “horror,” especially in relation to children’s literature and culture, and seeks to consider the ways in which frightening elements emerge in children’s literature and culture. It also provides an overview of the essays included in the volume and how they are in conversation with one another.

scholarly journals Veljka Ruzicka Kenfel (Ed). New Trends in Children’s Literature Research --Twenty-first Century Approaches –200-2012. (2014). Spain: Peter Lang Edition. 239 pages.

InterSedes ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (34) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Vásquez Carranza
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Children's Literature ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
First Century ◽  
Literature Research ◽  
Children And Young Adults ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The University

This text incorporates various studies by researchers who belong to the group Anglo-German Children’s Literature and its Translation at the University of Vigo, first set up in 1992. The main focus is to describe new tendencies within literature for children and young adults, including translation, adaptation, comics, and palindrome.

Reading in the Dark

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Children's Literature ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Horror Genre ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Children And Young Adults

Reading in the Dark: Horror in Children’s Literature and Culture is a collection of essays that seeks to consider gothic horror texts for children with the respect such texts deserve, weighing the multitude of benefits they can provide for young readers and viewers. It refuses to write off the horror genre as campy, trite, or deforming, instead recognizing that many of the children’s books and films categorized as “scary” are among those most widely read/viewed by children and young adults. It also considers how adult horror has been domesticated by children’s literature and culture, with authors and screenwriters turning that which was once utterly horrifying into safe, funny, and delightful books and films, along with the impetus behind such re-envisioning of the adult horror novel or film as something appropriate for the young. Especially today, when dark novels, shows, and films targeted toward children and young adults are proliferating with wild abandon, understanding the methods by which such texts have traditionally operated, as well as how those methods have been challenged, abandoned, and appropriated in recent years, becomes all the more crucial.

scholarly journals Announcing a Special Issue of the Deakin Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne Wiltse
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Picture Books ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Associate Professor ◽  
Editorial Team ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Authentic Writing

It is my pleasure to be contributing this editorial for the Deakin Review of Children’s Literature.My name is Lynne Wiltse and I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta. I teach courses in language and literacy and children’s literature, and have eagerly read each issue of the Deakin Review of Children’s Literature since its inception in 2011. I have made sure to introduce my students to this valuable resource. For example, I have the undergraduate students in my children’s literature course undertake an assignment that requires them to explore the site in detail. With its feature editorial and reviews of contemporary English-language texts for children and young adults, the Deakin Review is an excellent resource for prospective teachers.  This is the second time that the graduate students in my Children's Literature in the Elementary School (EDEL 510) course have participated by writing book reviews for a Special Issue of the Deakin Review (the reviews were published in Vol 4, No 4, 2015). The first time my students took part in this initiative was such a powerful learning experience that the next time I was due to teach the course, I approached the editorial team to see if we could recreate the opportunity. The result is this Special Issue. Once again, I am delighted with the diverse range of books my students selected for review. With the 2015 issue, the book review of The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, introduced me to the amazing author and illustrator team of Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet. I have since read all their other biographies written for children. This year, Ada Twist Scientist, written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts, one of the books selected for review, really caught my attention. I can’t wait to read Beaty’s other books! As most of my students are practicing elementary teachers, we focused on picture books for young children at the K-6 level. These graduate students were able to apply what they were learning about visual literacy and evaluating picture books in our course to the picture books they had selected to review. We also discuss the importance of authentic writing opportunities for children; writing the reviews certainly proved to be an authentic writing experience for my students, one that they took very seriously. We are excited to see the published reviews. I thank Kim Frail and the rest of the editorial team of the Deakin Review of Children’s Literature for their support of this special issue.   

News, Awards, and Announcements

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Sulz
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Summer Reading ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Memorial Award

Probably, you are enjoying the wonderful summer by reading books, books, and more books. We, too, are busy reading and enjoying summer so the news this time around is brief.In June, Barbro Lindgren was awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial award at the Stockholm Concert Hall. This award, founded in 2002 by the Swedish Arts Council, is the world’s largest award for children’s and young adult literature at 5 million SEK (about $700,000 CAD). If it sounds suspicious that a Swedish writer with the same surname as the Swedish award’s Swedish namesake has won, rest assured that it truly is open to the world. In fact, Barbro is the first Swede among the 14 recipients (12 other countries represented). The selection process begins 15 months before the award with nominations coming from very select nominating bodies in various countries.ALMA: http://www.alma.se/en/Nominating bodies: http://www.alma.se/en/Nominations/Nominating-bodies/Did you know about Ireland’s Laureate na nÓg (Children’s Literature Laureate)? Eoin Colfer, best known for his Artemis Fowl books, is the third laureate to hold the 2-year term. He will continue the project’s aims of introducing and raising the profile of high quality children’s literature in Ireland. According to Wikipedia, the only other Children’s Laureate equivalents are in the UK and the USA but it does look like Australia has one as well as Sweden in the non-English world (somebody should update wikipedia entry …).See: http://childrenslaureate.ie/Previous Laureate na nÓg: http://childrenslaureate.ie/laureate-na-nog/We are proud that our very own Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta recently launched their newly renovated Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) collection. It is “one of 5 regional collections of Canadian children’s and young adult materials” with the others in Toronto, Vancouver (UBC), Winnipeg (UManitoba), and Halifax (Mt. Saint Vincent Univ.).Launch Photos and Blog post: http://blogs.library.ualberta.ca/ednews/index.php/2014/07/02/2765/CCBC collections: http://www.bookcentre.ca/library/regional_collections/Also in the Coutts education library’s CCBC, Deakin editor Robert Desmarais had an opportunity to interview Jill Bryant during the 2014 TD Canadian Children’s Book Week. See the  interview here (6:53 duration): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtdX4fj-CB4And yet one more CCBC-related note, the call for submissions for the Spring 2015 edition of “Best Books for Kids & Teens (BBKT) is out. The deadline is October 1, 2014. http://www.bookcentre.ca/news/call_for_submissions_best_books_kids_teens_spring_2015It struck me recently that a main source of summer reading for many Canadians is the biannual Cross Country Checkup Book List episode on CBC radio. So, I wondered if there were suggestions this summer for our readers. While most of the recommendations are for adults, there are a few that recall childhood reads (e.g. “Anne of Green Gables,” and “Who has seen the wind”) and a few suggestions:- "I think every high school student should be given a copy of Chester Brown's Louis Riel" (recommended by guest Craig Taylor)- “Anything by Charles De Lint ...pretty much the creator of Urban fantasy and intertwines stories of street kids with Gaelic and Aboriginal mythology” (from listener D. Price)http://www.cbc.ca/checkup/book-lists/2014/07/03/june-29-2014-summer-book-list/Have a great summer reading in the yard, on the couch, at the beach, in the family car, on a hammock, or wherever your summer reading finds you.David SulzDavid is a Public Services Librarian at University of Alberta and liaison librarian to Economics, Religious Studies, and Social Work. He has university studies in Library Studies, History, Elementary Education, Japanese, and Economics;  he formerly taught in schools and museums. His interests include physical activity, music, home improvements, and above all, things Japanese.

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