Rebecca J. Lukens, Professor Emerita, Miami University at Oxford, OH

Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
Copyright: 2007
Format: Paper; 400 pp

ISBN-10:	0205492185
ISBN-13:	9780205492183

Our Price: £34.99
This title is ordered on demand which may result in extended delivery times.

Designed to facilitate the use of children's books from all genres, this exceptional text helps teachers, librarians, and media specialists select the best children’s literature for the classroom, library, or home.

Unlike an anthology of children's literature, which includes selected chapters or text summaries, the Eighth Edition of this highly regarded text teaches how to select quality children's literature. Using the critical standards for all literature, examples of children’s books provide the basis for an explanation of critical principles and special issues in judging books for children.

Taking readers through the definitions of literary terms such as plot, character, theme, setting, point of view, style, and tone, Lukens provides sound criteria for assessing the merit of children's books. The text also includes chapters on rhymes, poetry, biography, and informational books. A new and enlarged section addresses censorship and a new chapter addresses the benefits of reading, its significance for children, and its growth in popularity among adults.  

• Discusses the kinds of critical methods used in examining literature to teach readers how to select appropriate children’s books.

• Includes extensive coverage of literature written by authors from a variety of cultures and shows how multicultural literature demonstrates the universality of human experience, human motivations, and emotions.

• Contains material on reading aloud to children, emphasizing its importance as a key element in children's reading. Questions at the beginning of each chapter encourage readers to think critically about material they are about to read, requiring students to analyze terms or ideas they may think they understand well.

• Chapter 1 defines and describes literature and its effects upon readers and Chapter 2 describes the many genres of literature for children.

• References to the “touchstone” of children's literature, Charlotte's Web, throughout the text helps students understand critical distinctions by using the context of a familiar, much-loved book.

• New and updated examples from all genres of children's literature are included throughout the text.

• An enlarged section on censorship, citing American Library Association materials, in the Introduction to the text gives both teachers and students a thorough overview of this important topic and suggests ways to deal with censorship so that we can maintain our right to be “free to read.”

• A discussion of special concerns and problems that may arise when evaluating any piece of literature are addressed at the end of each chapter in the context of elements of imaginative narrative literature.

• A new section to the student in the introduction to the text helps students understand the text's approach and is a perfect assignment as an introduction to the course. Again, there is extensive focus on the merits of reading aloud to children.

• Updated appendices include lists of award-winning titles, children's magazines, and publications that review children's literature.
• Mentions reading levels in Appendix C, “Selected Reviewing Media for Children's Books” to help students match texts to students’ reading levels.

• Provides a new Appendix D with an enlarged list of suggested Web sites about children's literature for further student learning.