At the commencement of this subject, my vision for the future of children’s literature was simple – for children’s literature to continue to entertain children of all ages, and to stimulate the imagination (Maloy, 2023a).  This was prompted by my own love of children’s literature, inspired by past classroom teachers and teacher librarians.  My greatest fears were that time for reading for enjoyment would be greatly reduced, and that children’s literature would end up being filled with subliminal messaging.

Upon completing a personal stocktake of my knowledge of children’s literature, it became apparent that my once in-depth knowledge began to dwindle around the time of school completion (Maloy, 2023b).  Was this because I was no longer forced to read?  Was it that I had moved on from children’s literature to adult fiction? Or was it simply that I no longer had time to read for pleasure?  Throughout this subject, two main notions became apparent – the availability of children’s literature (particularly the formats) has changed since I was a child; and my purpose for using the literature has changed from enjoyment to learning through literature.

As Hateley (2013, p. 1) describes, reading is rapidly changing from the page to the screen.  Growing up in a time where children’s literature fundamentally took the form of picture books, I find it increasingly difficult to maintain momentum (and indeed sometimes interest!) in the vast array of digital options now available.  Throughout this subject, I have been provided the opportunity to explore some of these options and take time to add digital texts of interest to my repertoire for use in the classroom.

Building on this knowledge, I have further developed my understanding of the term ‘literary learning’.  As a teacher librarian, it is vital that I have a clear understanding of ‘literary learning’ as learning through literature.  In my teaching, I have always endeavoured to plan for the use of literature (particularly picture books) to introduce or reinforce topics across key learning areas; however, time constraints often mean that this teaching strategy is left out of the lesson.  Reading about multiliteracies has served as a reminder of the importance of finding the time to teach the associated skills for navigating the various types of literatures thus enabling students to learn through literature effectively (Anstey & Bull, 2006, p.19).  Learning through literature can be valuable for students of all abilities.

In conclusion, it is clear that literature is rapidly evolving in form and format.  It is essential that we, as teacher librarians keep up with the changes – using literature in the classrooms not only for enjoyment (as was always the case), but for teaching key concepts.  Skills for adapting to changing literary forms also need to be taught to ensure that we develop multi-literate students.

Reference List

Anstey, M., & Bull, G. (2006). Teaching and learning multiliteracies: Changing times, changing literacies. International Reading Association.

Hateley, E. (2013). Reading: From turning the page to touching the screen. In Wu, Y., Mallan, K. & McGillis, R. (Eds.) (Re)imagining the world: Children’s literature response to the changing times (pp. 1-13). New Frontiers of Educational Research.