Children's Literature in Second Language Education

Abstract

The use of children’s literature in L1 literacy development is a well-accepted practice. The place of children’s literature in second language education, however, still tends to be outshone by carefully structured materials with language as the content of study, a tool for communication, or a means for accomplishing tasks. The affective and intercultural features of language itself as captured in works of literature and the ways they might become an inducement to language learning are often undermined in the curriculum (Shanahan 1997). Children’s Literature in Second Language Education is surely a long-awaited book for teacher educators, ESL/EFL teachers, and student teachers as it puts children’s literature into perspective by providing a theoretical basis, research evidence, and good practice in the use of children’s literature in a diversity of contexts. The term ‘children’s literature’, as rightly pointed out by the editors Bland and Lütge, is very difficult to define because of the heterogeneous nature of its scope and readership. In Chapter 1, ‘Introduction’, Bland does not attempt to define the term but provides the rationale for children’s literature in language education, the obstacles encountered, and outlines how the four parts of the book address the issues concerned. In Chapter 20, ‘Conclusion’, Lütge echoes the richness of the manifold interconnections among various fields and directs readers to future challenges of new forms of literacies in the world of changes.