Books Received

Abstract

Books Received Mark I. West Behind the Veil of Familiarity: C. S. Lewis (1898-1998). Eds. Margarita Carretero González and Encarnación Hidalgo Tenorio. New York: Lang, 2001. Apparently C. S. Lewis has attracted a considerable following in Spain, for this book's editors, as well as most of the contributors, are Spaniards. Although this collection of original essays covers the full range of Lewis' writings, there are several essays that focus on Lewis' books for children. Demon or Doll: Images of the Child in Contemporary Writing and Culture. By Ellen Pifer. Charlottesville, VA: U P of Virginia, 2000. Pifer examines the various portrayals of children in several novels, including The Turn of the Screw, Beloved, and Lolita. She argues that these novels reveal a deep ambivalence in Americans' responses to children. She does not cover any children's books, but her central argument would likely be of interest to children's literature specialists. Evil Children in Religion, Literature, and Art. By Eric Ziolkowski. New York: Palgrave, 2001. In his career as a professor of religion, Ziolkowski has taken a particular interest in the role that children play in Christian theology. This book focuses on the portrayal of "evil" children in various stories and works of art. Ziolkowski thoughtfully explores the theological implications that such children present to Christians. In his final two chapters, he touches on several children's books, such as Pinocchio and Peter Pan. Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking about Difficult Stories. By Loren Niemi and Elizabeth Ellis. Little Rock, AR: August House, 2001. Like most books published by August House, Inviting the Wolf In is intended for storytellers, but this book should be of interest to a much broader audience. Niemi and Ellis argue that children should not be sheltered from stories that deal with difficult subjects, such as evil, loss, sorrow, and grief. Literary Pathways: Selecting Books to Support New Readers. By Barbara Peterson. Westport, CT: Heinemann, 2001. Peterson provides lots of practical suggestions on how to select books that would appeal to emergent readers. She also recommends numerous titles that she has used when teaching reading to young children. Literature for Children: A Short Introduction, 4th ed. By David Russell. New York: Longman, 2001. Russell's textbook, which first came out in 1991, is now in its fourth edition. In this new edition, Russell has significantly expanded the chapter that deals with the history of children's literature. He has also updated his booklists and added new suggestions on how to use children's literature in the classroom. A Rainbow in the Desert: An Anthology of Early Twentieth-Century Japanese Children's Literature. Ed. and trans. by Yukie Ohta. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 2001. In this book, Ohta provides North American readers with a taste of Japanese children's literature from the first half of the twentieth century. The eleven stories and five poems in this book appear in English for the first time. [End Page 151] Copyright © 2001 Children's Literature Association