Children's Literature, Briefly

by Terrell A. Young, Gregory Bryan, James S. Jacobs

A concise, engaging, practical overview of children’s literature that keeps the focus on the books children read. This brief introduction to children’s literature genres leaves time to actually read children’s books. Written on the assumption that the focus of a children’s literature course should be on the actual books that children read, the authors first wrote this book in 1996 as a “textbook for people who don’t like children’s literature textbooks.” Today it serves as an overview to shed light on the essentials of children’s literature and how to use it effectively with young readers, from PreK to 8 th grade. The authors use an enjoyable, conversational style to achieve their goal of providing a practical overview of children’s books that offers a framework and background information, while keeping the spotlight on the books themselves.

Genres: Nonfiction, Library Science, Books About Books

368 pages, Paperback

Published August 29, 2019

About the author

Terrell received a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and began his career by teaching elementary school in Wyoming. He then taught for two years in Venezuela. He received a master’s degree from Utah State University and an EdD from Brigham Young University. After that, he taught at the University of Texas-Arlington for a short time. He then taught Literacy at Washington State University for 21 years.

Terrell is currently a professor of Children's Literature at Brigham Young University's David O. McKay School of Education.

Reviews

[Rebecca Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the few textbooks that I have ever enjoyed reading. Everything was applicable and easy to understand. I would definitely buy this book in the future to help me as I build my career.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is written from a secular perspective, I gleaned a lot of valuable lessons that I hope to apply in my classroom.

Here are some of my takeaways:
- “The more children read, the better they become” (p. 8). “The more students derive pleasure from reading, the more likely they are to continue to read and to practice, which will in turn help them develop into better, more proficient readers” (p. 14).
- “Schools need to do a better job in connecting reading to students’ interests and experiences, making reading more authentic and purposeful…” (p. 8)
- “Students who are self-motivated readers continue their education throughout their lives” (p. 238).
- “Choice is an important reading motivator” (p. 244).
- “In helping children to develop intellectually, we make the greatest strides when we concentrate on helping them become curious. Curious people are observant and aware. They ask questions and try to find answers. Being curious is a mind-set that is common among people who make new discoveries and solve problems…” (p. 251).

[drl · Rating 4 out of 5]

for school 🤝🏾 reading challenge — yet i throughly enjoyed reading it ngl

[Kieraanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written, doesn't read like a textbook at all.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great resource with TONS of information. It goes over a lot of the history of children's literature, as well as various genres and their appeals to children and young adults. I had to read this for one of my graduate courses, and it was definitely one of the better textbooks I've had to buy for school.

[Nicole Guerrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book for a graduate course and it was such a great book! It did not read like a typical informational textbook for a course and was a book that you wanted to continue to read. I liked how the book gave great information on different genres of children's books to use in different grade levels and the background information and history of the books. I thought the chapters relating to how children's books have originated in history and over time was interesting and had me thinking about the books I read when I was in elementary school. This book gives great book recommendations to use in elementary grade level classes and I highly recommend to read it.

[Brandi Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

was a bit shocked at how fun this reads for a textbook. genuinely informative and the class i read this for (INFO 5421 at UNT) was made better by the use of this textbook. well written & well informed, with a distinct voice and care for heavier topics (like controversial books). i was a little surprised to see how wholly this book embraces, discusses, and emphasizes diverse stories but that's on me for assuming anything about these three white (mormon?) men (they all seem to be connected to BYU, so i'm making yet another assumption).

[Sarah Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for one of my master's classes. It was definitely my favorite textbook. Very interesting for a textbook format. I liked Ch. 5 in particular that talked about the history of children's literature. I read that even though it wasn't assigned. Overall, very informative read.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very compelling textbook.

[Emily Rink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for grad school. Great chapters, images, and bibliography.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing textbook! If you want a crash course in teaching children’s lit, here you go.

[Lourdes Evangelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative. Interesting to learn all the benefits of reading and enjoying it.