Overview

Global Children's Literature in the College Classroom explores the importance of children's literature as a pedagogical resource in any college course. It can be used to introduce a complex topic, give students a glimpse into a specific culture, or expand the way students think about education and teaching. Global children's literature is particularly useful in language classrooms, education programs, and classes that discuss globalism and colonialism. This book includes fifteen essays (representing fifteen countries and eight languages) divided into four sections. The first section of essays, ""Across the University,"" looks at children's literature in non-traditional settings including British literature and multicultural studies, which considers what children's literature specifically brings to these courses. The second section, ""Borders and Crossings,"" examines how children's literature defines or defies political and cultural separations. The third section, ""Childhood Studies and Education,"" considers the importance of global children's literature in education classrooms as a way of promoting diversity and inclusion. The fourth section, ""Non-English Texts and Texts in Translation,"" focuses on the use of children's literature to teach language and folklore traditions in France, Russia, and Italy. The essay that closes this section discusses using children's literature to teach translation skills at the University of Taipei.

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9781666924626

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Reviews

Children's Literature scholars have always known the secret: children's literature is a cultural artifact. But that children's literature is valuable across the curriculum is still not widely held to be true. This collection offers concrete ways to integrate children's literature across the curriculum, showcasing the value of children's literature in the college classroom and giving due respect to the authors and illustrators from around the world who create smart, artful children's literature.--Jennifer M. Miskec, Longwood University Drawing from a variety of perspectives, Global Children's Literature in the College Classroom offers creative strategies for including and engaging with children's literature in college courses. What is particularly significant about this volume is that it disrupts the Euro- and US-centrism of Children's Literature Studies by showcasing the diversity of and intersections between childhoods and children's narratives around the world.--Lara Saguisag, New York University This book makes the case for using an often overlooked and underestimated genre of literature - global children's literature - in college level classrooms around the world to engage students in dialogue about difficult but important topics including (but not restricted to) race and culture, borders and boundaries, disability studies, nationhood and nationality, language, and translations. Specifically, the essays in this collection call attention to effective classroom practices that educators can employ to develop students' critical thinking skills. They also serve to provide instructors with working models, discussion questions, and hands-on activities so that they, too, can integrate similar pedagogical practices into their own classrooms. After all, it is imperative that students be able to make connections between the texts that they read and the larger world around them. Timely and relevant, this volume would make a great addition to any educator's collection.--Tharini Viswanath, University of South Carolina

Author Information

Sara Austin is assistant professor of English at Kentucky Wesleyan College. Tanja Nathanael is lecturer at San Jose State University where she teaches children’s literature and fantasy & science fiction.

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