Reading Children’s Literature: A Critical Introduction – Second Edition
  • Publication Date: March 28, 2019
  • ISBN: 9781554814435 / 155481443X
  • 624 pages; 6½" x 9"

Broadview eBooks are available on a variety of platforms. To learn more, please visit our eBook information page.

Note on pricing.

Request Exam Copy

Examination copy policy

Availability: Worldwide

Reading Children’s Literature: A Critical Introduction – Second Edition

  • Publication Date: March 28, 2019
  • ISBN: 9781554814435 / 155481443X
  • 624 pages; 6½" x 9"

Reading Children’s Literature offers insights into the major discussions and debates currently animating the field of children’s literature. Informed by recent scholarship and interest in cultural studies and critical theory, it is a compact core text that introduces students to the historical contexts, genres, and issues of children’s literature. A beautifully designed and illustrated supplement to individual literary works assigned, it also provides apparatus that makes it a complete resource for working with children’s literature during and after the course.

The second edition includes a new chapter on children’s literature and popular culture (including film, television, and merchandising) and has been updated throughout to reflect recent scholarship and new offerings in children’s media.

Comments

“I am not a fan of textbooks. I make an exception, however, for Reading Children’s Literature, which I assign every time I teach a children’s literature course. More importantly, my students are also fans: the book allows them to join important conversations in the field from the very beginning. The introduction addresses common dismissive attitudes about children’s literature, provides tools for becoming a careful critical reader, and sets up key terms. I highly recommend this book to any instructor of children’s literature.” — Meghan Sweeney, University of North Carolina Wilmington

“My deep dismay when Reading Children’s Literature went out of print increases my delight at what the new edition of the textbook has to offer. This second edition includes new material on popular culture and children’s literature, racism and racialization in children’s literature, and sustained attention to dis/ability in children’s literature. I cannot wait to dive into this text with students!” — Mary Juzwik, Michigan State University

“There’s much to like about this book. Throughout, there is an awareness of difficult issues unique to children’s literature, such as audience and selection, as well as issues like race, ability, and gender. The writing is accessible and informed by theory, but not mired in it. The new edition includes a new chapter on children’s literature and popular culture that provides language for analyzing film and television.” — Rhonda Brock-Servais, Longwood University

“Carrie Hintz and Eric Tribunella have updated this text by adding brand new content and by building on compelling existing material from the first edition. With new features like review questions and a brand new glossary of the whole book, this new edition will be sure to please those who are already familiar with the first edition as well as those who are reading this textbook for the very first time.” — Lance Weldy, Francis Marion University

PREFACE

  • What Distinguishes this Book?
  • How this Book Is Organized
  • What’s New

INTRODUCTION FOR STUDENTS

  • Common Assumptions about Children’s Literature
  • What It Means to Read Critically
    • Reading Closely
    • Considering Literary History and Forms
    • Examining Historical and Cultural Contexts
    • Using Critical and Theoretical Concepts and Approaches
  • Why Read Children’s Literature Critically?
    • Dual Address and Complexity
    • Linguistic and Narrative Complexity
    • Didacticism and the Lessons of Children’s Literature
    • The Transmission of Cultural Values
    • Subversive or Hegemonic?
    • Pleasure and Unpleasure

CHAPTER 1: HISTORICIZING CHILDHOOD

  • Historical Models of Childhood
    • The Romantic Child
    • The Sinful Child
    • The Working Child
    • The Sacred Child
    • The Child as Radically Other
    • The Developing Child
    • The Child as Miniature Adult
    • Using Models of Childhood to Read Critically
  • The Uncertain Boundaries of Childhood
    • Child Crime
    • Child Sex
    • Child Soldiers
    • Child Embodiment and Disability
    • Child Privilege and Race
  • Children’s Literature and the History of Childhood
  • Reading Critically: The History of Childhood
    • Anne of Green Gables
  • Explorations
    • Review
    • Reflect
    • Investigate
  • Suggested Readings
  • Approaches to Teaching Anne of Green Gables

CHAPTER 2: THE EARLY HISTORY OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

  • Questions of Definition
    • Defining Literature
    • Defining Children’s Literature
    • Children’s Literature as Genre
  • The “Birth” of Children’s Literature?
    • John Newbery
    • Newbery’s Contemporaries: Thomas Boreman and Mary Cooper
    • Sarah Fielding and the First Children’s Novel?
  • General-Audience and Crossover Works
    • Aesop’s Fables
    • Chapbooks
    • Folk and Fairy Tales
    • Mixed-Age Works as Children’s Classics
  • Instructional Works and Didactic Literature
    • Textbooks
    • Religious Works
    • The Sunday School and Evangelical Movements
    • The Rational Moralists
    • Didactic Poetry and Fiction
  • The Golden Age
    • The Growth of the Children’s Literature Industry
    • The Crossover Appeal of Golden Age Books
    • The Tensions that Define Children’s Literature
    • The Second Golden Age
  • Reading Critically: The History of Children’s Literature
    • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
  • Explorations
    • Review
    • Reflect
    • Investigate
  • Suggested Readings
  • Approaches to Teaching Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

CHAPTER 3: POETRY

  • Nursery Rhymes, Verse, and Poetry
  • A History of Poetry for Children
    • Bunyan and Watts
    • Mother Goose
    • The Romantic Poets and Nineteenth-Century Children’s Poetry
    • Forgotten Children’s Poets of the Nineteenth Century
    • Nineteenth-Century Humorous and Nonsense Poetry
    • Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Poetry
  • Contemporary Poetry as a Reflection on Self and Other
  • An Expanded Canon
  • Poetry Picturebooks, Concrete Poetry, and Verse Novels
  • Children’s Popular Culture and Poetry
  • Poetry Written by Children
  • The Separate Tradition of Poetry for Children
  • Questions to Ask When Approaching a Poem for Children
    • Common Figures of Speech
    • Typical Patterned Poetry for Children
    • Typical Metrical Forms for Poetry in English
  • Reading Critically: Poetry
    • “Escape at Bedtime” from A Child’s Garden of Verses
  • Explorations
    • Review
    • Reflect
    • Investigate
  • Suggested Readings
  • Approaches to Teaching “Escape at Bedtime”

CHAPTER 4: FAIRY TALES

  • Definition of the Fairy Tale
    • Fairy Tales and Revision
  • Fairy Tales Worldwide
  • Fairy Tales and Ancient Myth
  • A History of the Literary Fairy Tale in the Western World
    • The Early Modern Roots of the Literary Fairy Tale
    • Fairy Tales in the Nineteenth Century
    • Oral Tales versus Literary Fairy Tales
    • Fairy Tales: Mass Media and Film
  • The Social Function of Fairy Tales
  • Fairy Tales and Unhappy Endings
  • Interpreting Fairy Tales
    • Psychoanalytical Approaches
    • Sociohistorical Approaches
    • Feminist Responses to Fairy Tales
    • Fairy-Tale Revision as Critical Practice
  • Queer Fairy Tales
  • Fairy Tales and Disability
  • Race in Disney’s Fairy Tale Films and Television
  • Race in Fairy Tales and Folk Tales
  • Reading Critically: Fairy Tales
    • Trina Schart Hyman’s Retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood”
  • Explorations
    • Review
    • Reflect
    • Investigate
  • Suggested Readings
  • Approaches to Teaching “Little Red Riding Hood”

CHAPTER 5: PICTUREBOOKS, GRAPHIC NOVELS, AND DIGITAL TEXTS

  • Defining the Picturebook
  • A History of Picturebooks
    • Precursors to Picturebooks
    • The Picturebook as a Commercial Form
    • Twentieth-Century Picturebooks
  • How Words and Images Relate
    • Wordless Picturebooks
    • The Relationship of Authors and Illustrators
  • Artistic Choices in the Production of Picturebooks
    • The Size of the Book
    • The Size of the Picture against the Page
    • The Composition of Objects on the Page
    • The Use, Amount, and Quality of Color
    • The Strength of Line
    • The Medium Used
    • Some Media Used in the Production of Picturebooks
    • Mixed Media
    • Setting
    • Text within the Pictures
  • Concerns about Picturebooks
    • Availability and Cost of Picturebooks
    • Books as Toys
  • New Frontiers for Visual Texts
    • Reinventing the Concept Book
  • Graphic Novels
    • A Brief History of the Graphic Novel
    • Graphic Narratives and the Child and YA Reader
    • Reading Graphic Novels Critically
    • Terms for the Analysis of Graphic Novels
  • Digital Media for Children
    • Forking Path Storylines
    • Print and Online Combinations and Relationships
  • Reading Critically: Picturebooks
    • There Is a Bird on Your Head!
  • Explorations
    • Review
    • Reflect
    • Investigate
  • Suggested Readings
  • Approaches to Teaching There Is a Bird on Your Head!

CHAPTER 6: DOMESTICITY AND ADVENTURE

  • Defining Domesticity and Adventure
  • Domestic Fiction for Children
    • Realism and Everyday Life
    • The Home as a Dangerous Place
    • Illness and Disease
    • Power Relations
    • Social Class
    • Psychological Complexity
  • Adventure Fiction for Children
    • Power Relations and Superheroics
    • Escaping Civilization or Home
    • Colonialism and Imperialism
  • Hybridity: Domestic Adventures and Adventurous Domesticity
  • Questions of Audience: Boy and Girl Readers of Domestic Fiction and Adventure
  • Contemporary Domestic and Adventure Stories
    • Contemporary Examples
    • Reimagining Adventure and Domestic Fiction
    • Adventure and Domesticity in Picturebooks
  • Reading Critically: Domesticity and Adventure
    • Holes
  • Explorations
    • Review
    • Reflect
    • Investigate
  • Suggested Readings
  • Approaches to Teaching Holes

CHAPTER 7: HISTORICAL FICTION

  • Defining the Historical Novel
  • Common Moments or Events in Historical Fiction for Children
    • The Use of Historical Settings in Children’s Literature
    • Trauma and Historical Children’s Fiction
    • Nostalgia and Nationalism
    • Popular Culture and Series Books
    • Awards for Historical Children’s Literature
  • Fiction versus History
    • Rethinking the Writing of History
    • The Strengths of Historical Fiction
  • Problems with Representing the Past
    • Accuracy
    • Authenticity
    • Presentism
    • Artistic Freedom and Historical Responsibility
    • Controversy and Historical Fiction
  • The Use of Afterwords, Authors’ Notes, and Epilogues
  • Time-Travel and Time-Slip Narratives
  • Reading Critically: Historical Fiction
    • Johnny Tremain and My Brother Sam Is Dead
  • Explorations
    • Review
    • Reflect
    • Investigate
  • Suggested Readings
  • Approaches to Teaching Johnny Tremain

CHAPTER 8: NONFICTION—HISTORY, SCIENCE, LIFE WRITING

  • Nonfiction and Informational Books: Some Distinctions
  • Conduct Literature
    • Nineteenth-Century Conduct Books
    • Reinventing the Boy’s Own Book and Girl’s Own Book Tradition
    • Contemporary Health and Sexual Education Books
  • Life Writing: Biography, Autobiography, Memoir, Diaries
    • Life Writing for Children
    • Autobiographies, Memoirs, and Diaries
    • Picturebook and Graphic Autobiographies, Biographies, and Memoirs
  • History Writing
    • Exploring the Past in Nonfiction
    • Innovative Approaches to Historical Nonfiction
  • Science and Discovery
    • Early Science Books: A Sense of Wonder
    • Contemporary Science Books
    • Experimentation in Science Writing for Children
  • Critical Issues in Nonfiction
    • Fictional Stories in Nonfiction
    • Simplification and Complexity
    • Accuracy and New Research
  • Reading Critically: Nonfiction
    • We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
  • Explorations
    • Review
    • Reflect
    • Investigate
  • Suggested Readings
  • Approaches to Teaching We Are the Ship
  • Approaches to Teaching We Are the Ship
  • Some Fiction–Nonfiction Pairs and Group
    • Historical Fiction and Nonfiction
    • World War II Books
    • Science, the Natural World, and Technology Books
    • Additional Resources

CHAPTER 9: FANTASY AND REALISM

  • Genre
    • Genre as a Guide for Readers
  • Fantasy
    • Early Roots of Fantasy
    • Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Fantasy
    • Postwar Twentieth-Century Fantasy
    • Recent Children’s and YA Fantasy
  • Types of the Fantastic
    • Anthropomorphic Fantasy
    • Secondary Worlds and High Fantasy
    • Fantasy that Inhabits Our World
  • Experiencing the Fantastic
    • Fantasy as a Reversal of Expectations
    • Fantasy Literature and Responsibility
    • The Fantastic and the Natural World
  • Realism
    • Defining Realism and the “New Realism”
    • Early New Realism and the Problem Novel
    • Contemporary New Realism
    • Diversity in New Realist Fiction
    • New Realism and Series Books
    • New Realism and Trauma
  • Fantasy and Realism in Picturebooks
  • Authors Working in Both Fantasy and Realism
  • Literary Genres as a Response to Children’s Needs
  • Fantasy Elements in Realistic Texts, Realistic Elements in Fantasy Texts
    • Magical Realism
  • Reading Critically: Fantasy and Realism
    • Shadowshaper
  • Explorations
    • Review
    • Reflect
    • Investigate
  • Suggested Readings
  • Approaches to Teaching Shadowshaper

CHAPTER 10: RACE, ETHNICITY, AND CULTURE

  • The History of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Children’s Literature
    • The Early History of Racial Representation in Children’s Literature
    • African American Children’s Literature
    • Jewish Children’s Literature
    • Latinx Children’s Literature
    • Asian American Children’s Literature
    • Native Americans and First Nations in Children’s Literature
  • A Word about Ethnicity and Culture
  • The Need for Diverse Books
  • Awards
  • Key Terms and Controversies
    • Authorship and Ownership
    • Audience
    • Perspective
    • Reclamation
    • Authenticity and Accuracy
    • Artistic Freedom and Ethical Responsibility
  • Reading Critically: Race in Children’s Literature
    • The Snowy Day
  • Explorations
    • Review
    • Reflect
    • Investigate
  • Suggested Readings
  • Approaches to Teaching The Snowy Day

CHAPTER 11: GENDERS AND SEXUALITIES

  • The Significance of Gender and Sexuality in Children’s Culture
    • Gender and Sexuality in Childhood
    • Toys, Clothes, and Bathrooms
    • Disney
  • Gender and Sexuality in Children’s Literature
  • Defining Sex/Gender
    • Sex and Gender
    • Gender as Performance
    • Gender as Identity
    • Gender and Class
  • Childhood Gender
    • Boys and Girls
    • Tomboys and Sissies
  • Boys and Boyhood in Children’s Literature
    • The Boys’ School Story
    • Boys’ Adventure Fiction
    • The Bad-Boy Book
    • The Feral Tale
    • The Unconventional Boy in Children’s Literature
    • Boys and Popular Literature
  • Girls and Girlhood in Children’s Literature
    • The Girls’ School Story
    • Domestic and Family Stories
    • Girls’ Adventure Fiction
    • Orphans and Good Girls
    • Realist Fiction and Problem Novels for and about Girls
    • Girls’ Contemporary Series Fiction
    • The Diverse Girlhoods of Children’s Literature
  • Sexuality in Children’s Literature
    • Defining Sexuality
    • The Sexuality of Children
    • Queering the Classics of Children’s Literature
    • LGBT Representation in Picturebooks and Fiction for Younger Readers
    • LGBT Representation in Young Adult Literature
    • Awards for LGBT Children’s and Young Adult Literature
  • Reading Critically: Gender and Sexuality in Children’s Literature
    • A Little Princess
  • Explorations
    • Review
    • Reflect
    • Investigate
  • Suggested Readings
  • Approaches to Teaching A Little Princess

CHAPTER 12: CENSORSHIP AND SELECTION

  • Censorship: Definitions and Key Terms
    • Censorship
    • Challenges
    • Selection
  • Prizing and Censorship
  • The First Amendment and Freedom of Speech
  • Children’s Vulnerability versus Children’s Resilience
  • Key Moments in the Censorship of Children’s Literature
  • Specific Reasons for Censorship
  • Self-Censorship/Subtle Censorship
  • Individuals versus Groups
  • Selection and a Parent’s Rights
    • Critical Reading as Anti-Censorship Activity
    • Reading Critically: Censorship and Selection
      • The Harry Potter Series
    • Explorations
      • Review
      • Reflect
      • Investigate
    • Suggested Readings
    • Approaches to Teaching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

    CHAPTER 13: CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AND POPULAR CULTURE

    • Popular Culture
      • Defining Popular Culture
      • Popular Culture, Ideology, and the Culture Industry
    • Popular Genres and Genre Fiction
      • Science Fiction
      • Utopian and Dystopian Fiction
      • Detective and Mystery Fiction
      • Horror Fiction
      • Romance Fiction
    • Formula Fiction
    • Adaptations of Children’s Literature as Popular Culture
      • Children’s Literature as Inspiration
      • Stage Adaptations
      • Film Adaptations
      • Race in Children’s Adaptations
      • Children’s Television Adaptations
    • Theorizing Adaptation and Transformation
      • Defining Adaptation
      • Transformation and Intertextuality
      • Fanfiction: The Pleasures and Possibilities of Adaptation and Subversive Repetition
    • Analyzing Children’s Film
      • The Gaze
      • The Semiotics of Film
      • Common Terms for Film Analysis
    • Reading Critically: Children’s Literature and Popular Culture
      • The Fault in Our Stars
    • Explorations
      • Review
      • Reflect
      • Investigate
    • Suggested Readings
    • Approaches to Teaching The Fault in Our Stars

    Glossary

    Works Cited

    Children’s Book Awards

    • The Caldecott Medal (since 1970)
    • The Newbery Medal (since 1970)
    • Phoenix Award
    • Phoenix Picture Book Award

    Acknowledgments

    Permissions Acknowledgments

    Index

    Carrie Hintz is Associate Professor of English and teaches children’s and young adult literature at Queens College of the City of New York and the Graduate Center at CUNY. Eric L. Tribunella is Professor of English at the University of Southern Mississippi.

    • — New chapter on children’s literature and popular culture
    • 85 images, including a section of color illustrations
    • — Unique Reading Critically sections for each chapter model in-depth analysis of a particular issue in a classic text
    • End-of-chapter questions help students understand, respond, and explore further
    • — Includes practical lesson plans for future teachers