Current Issues and Trends in Children's Literature
In
order to dig a little deeper into current issues and trends in children’s
literature I thought it would be best to ask someone that deals with these
issues and trends on a daily basis. The children’s librarian that works at my
son’s elementary school has been with the district for many years, and I
thought this would be a great place to start my investigation into what experts
believe are the current trends for young readers. I decided to come up with a
set of interview questions I thought gave me the proper insight into not only
the librarian’s perspective on children’s literature today, but also her own
personal experience dealing with young readers and teachers alike.
Over the course of the interview I gained some important insight into her experiences in dealing with child readers and the current trends in the types of books students are interested in. In the 13 years that she had been in charge of the library at the school, and in the 10 years prior as the children's librarian in the public library system, she says very little has changed in the tastes of young readers. In her experience, her students usually tend to gravitate toward stories and subjects they are interested in. Whether fiction or non-fiction, students choose stories that they are familiar with or want to learn about further. Many choose stories with characters they have seen on tv, movies or video games. Comic books, graphic novels and books with interesting illustrations or photos are incredibly popular among young people of all ages. This tends to coincide with what experts say are the current and predicted trends in children's literature. Porter Anderson, the Editor-In-Chief of Scholastic Books states that children tend to gravitate toward books that make them laugh (1017). This includes books such as the Dog Man and Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey, the latter was made into a major motion picture in 2018. However, non-fiction trends seem to point toward more "kid friendly" view of history and social issues, especially in the way of strong women characters and leaders. These books will let children read about different times or key historical figures through the eyes of the subject of the story, helping them to better understand the material being presented (Anderson, 2017)
With that in mind, the librarian stated she tries to work together with teachers to make sure the interests of students are met and by purchasing titles that will supplement and enhance curriculum being taught in classrooms. Accelerated Reading (AR) programs are a big part of the curriculum in the grade school. Selected books are chosen for this program and students are able to choose stories to read within their age/reading level to test on and get credit for in the classroom. These AR titles include both fiction and non-fiction titles alike and students are then asked to take online tests to gauge reading comprehension of the student.
For more information on current trends in Children's literature and for more popular children's titles, please visit https://clubs.scholastic.com/
For the full teacher interview visit https://childrensliteratureinsandouts.blogspot.com/2019/04/school-librarian-interview-on-current.html
Anderson, Porter, (2017). Trends in children’s books: Five 2018 predictions from Scholastic. Retrieved from: https://publishingperspectives.com/2017/12/trends-childrens-books-2018-predictions-scholastic/
Over the course of the interview I gained some important insight into her experiences in dealing with child readers and the current trends in the types of books students are interested in. In the 13 years that she had been in charge of the library at the school, and in the 10 years prior as the children's librarian in the public library system, she says very little has changed in the tastes of young readers. In her experience, her students usually tend to gravitate toward stories and subjects they are interested in. Whether fiction or non-fiction, students choose stories that they are familiar with or want to learn about further. Many choose stories with characters they have seen on tv, movies or video games. Comic books, graphic novels and books with interesting illustrations or photos are incredibly popular among young people of all ages. This tends to coincide with what experts say are the current and predicted trends in children's literature. Porter Anderson, the Editor-In-Chief of Scholastic Books states that children tend to gravitate toward books that make them laugh (1017). This includes books such as the Dog Man and Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey, the latter was made into a major motion picture in 2018. However, non-fiction trends seem to point toward more "kid friendly" view of history and social issues, especially in the way of strong women characters and leaders. These books will let children read about different times or key historical figures through the eyes of the subject of the story, helping them to better understand the material being presented (Anderson, 2017)
With that in mind, the librarian stated she tries to work together with teachers to make sure the interests of students are met and by purchasing titles that will supplement and enhance curriculum being taught in classrooms. Accelerated Reading (AR) programs are a big part of the curriculum in the grade school. Selected books are chosen for this program and students are able to choose stories to read within their age/reading level to test on and get credit for in the classroom. These AR titles include both fiction and non-fiction titles alike and students are then asked to take online tests to gauge reading comprehension of the student.
For more information on current trends in Children's literature and for more popular children's titles, please visit https://clubs.scholastic.com/
For the full teacher interview visit https://childrensliteratureinsandouts.blogspot.com/2019/04/school-librarian-interview-on-current.html
Anderson, Porter, (2017). Trends in children’s books: Five 2018 predictions from Scholastic. Retrieved from: https://publishingperspectives.com/2017/12/trends-childrens-books-2018-predictions-scholastic/
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