Month: March 2023

I have an interest in children’s literature and am aware of popular titles from my own childhood and those I have used in early years classrooms but confess that my knowledge of current releases leaves a lot to be desired. If you had asked me 10-15 years ago the I would have been all over new releases appropriate for the early years of primary school as the school I worked at was just implementing new comprehension focuses for the reading curriculum and I was keen to find picture books that fitted each of the topics of study. However, over the years I have tried to curtail my spending on picture books and so have lost track of new and notable releases. I’m hopeful that this subject will reignite my interest in children’s literature and inspire me to update my knowledge of texts to use in the classroom.

Strategies I could use to increase my professional knowledge of children’s literature would be following blogs and publisher websites that list and talk about new children’s literature, as well as using social media to follow authors, publishers and reviewers. Spending more time taking note of what is on the shelves at my local library and bookstore may help as well.

Children’s literature will continue to be an important aspect in education and a key sector of the publishing industry. What it looks like specifically depends on several factors. One factor is how children are viewed by adults. Theories of childhood and views on children have historically influenced the content children’s literature (Barone, 2011).

Another factor that may influence the future of children’s literature is the increasing visual world in which we live. Children are currently entrenched in a world where visual images are integral to their experiences and understanding of the world which has transferred to the creation of books where the visual aspects are just as, if not more important than the text (Short, 2018). Short (2018) discusses the visual culture that children and young people are part of and links this to a rise in visual forms such as wordless books, graphic novels and illustrated novels. This is endorsed by the Australian Writers’ Centre (2020) who list the increasing popularity of graphic novels as a current trend.

The continual evolution of digital literature may also be a key component and driver of change in the field of children’s literature. Picture book apps are appealing and entertaining but may not have the same value within the classroom as the more engaging elements may distract the reader from the story (Dobler, 2013). The future may not be about digital or print being better that the other but about allowing multiple ways for children to experience and access literature (Short, 2018) with a focus on the visual and, hopefully, an increase in the amount of diverse literature available.

 

References:

Australian Writers’ Centre Team. (2020, July 17). 7 trends in children’s and YA publishing. AWC: Australian Writers’ Centre. https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/7-trends-in-childrens-and-ya-publishing/

Barone, D.M. (2011), Children’s literature in the classroom: Engaging lifelong readers. Guilford Press.

Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.

Short, K. (2018). What’s trending in children’s literature and why it matters. Language Arts, 95(5), 287-298.