Ciência e literatura infantil: uma análise das narrativas criadas pela GenIA

Reviewed by: Gender(ed) Identities: Critical Rereadings of Gender in Children's and Young Adult Literature ed. by Tricia Clasen and Holly Hassel Sara K. Day (bio) Gender(ed) Identities: Critical Rereadings of Gender in Children's and Young Adult Literature, edited by Tricia Clasen and Holly Hassel. Routledge 2017. Twenty-two years ago, Roberta Seelinger Trites's Waking Sleeping Beauty: Feminist Voices in Children's Novels (1997) actively reframed the manner in which scholars approached both traditional and contemporary texts for young audiences, encouraging readers to consider the possibilities of inclusivity. While Trites's book was certainly not the first scholarly work to engage with gender and sexuality in children's literature, it signaled a growing interest in these topics. Last year, Trites's Twenty-First-Century Feminisms in Children's and Adolescent Literature (2018) revisited the earlier volume's claims in order to more fully engage with questions of intersectionality, ecocriticism, and other concerns relating to the study of gender and sexuality in young people's literature and media. In the years that passed between Trites's two texts, these topics have been the subjects of a number of other monographs, essay collections, and special [End Page 210] issues, indicating a widespread and varied investment in exploring representations of gender and sexuality, especially with an eye to how they evolve and intersect with other identity markers. Contributions such as Christine Wilkie-Stibbs's The Feminine Subject in Children's Literature (2002), Annette Wannamaker's Boys in Children's Literature and Popular Culture: Masculinity, Abjection, and the Fictional Child (2008), and Lance Weldy and Thomas Crisp's 2012 special issue of the Children's Literature Association Quarterly on sexualities in children's literature, to offer only a very small sampling, have all centered gender and sexuality in their approaches to literature and media for young audiences. Tricia Clasen and Holly Hassel's collection Gender(ed) Identities: Critical Rereadings of Gender in Children's and Young Adult Literature thus enters a lively, frequently evolving conversation, offering nineteen essays about a number of mostly recent texts that are read through a variety of disciplinary and theoretical lenses. It's surprising, then, that the editors introduce the collection with little recognition of the existing scholarship; aside from a fairly extensive discussion of Michelle Ann Abate and Kenneth B. Kidd's Over the Rainbow: Queer Children's and Young Adult Literature, the editors mention other key works of children's and young adult literature scholarship in passing only or not at all. It's unfortunate that the collection's introduction and the brief overviews that precede each section don't do more to locate this collection within the current critical conversation on gender and sexuality in children's and young adult literature; the editors have missed an opportunity to more effectively articulate what is fresh and needed about the essays they have gathered. The collection is organized into five sections, beginning with "Gender(ing) Communities." This grouping of four essays focuses primarily on representations of adolescent womanhood, beginning with Terry Suico's "History Repeating Itself: The Portrayal of Female Characters in Young Adult Literature at the Beginning of the Millennium," which focuses on the portrayals of teen girls in three popular series from the early 2000s: Ann Brashares's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants; Cecily von Ziegesar's Gossip Girls; and Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. This opening chapter does the useful work of establishing the growing popularity of young adult literature more generally, though its interrogations of the novels themselves are relatively unsurprising. The following two essays, Victoria Flanagan's "Girls Online: Representations of Adolescent Female Sexuality in the Digital Age" and Amy Cummins's "Academic Agency in YA Novels by Mexican American Women Authors," likewise [End Page 211] investigate representations of adolescent womanhood, each offering a clear focus and useful insights. The final chapter in this section, Angel Daniel Matos's standout "Queer Consciousness/Community in David Levithan's Two Boys Kissing: 'One the Other Never Leaving,'" focuses on representations of young men, who receive notably less attention than young women in the volume as a whole. Section 2, "Developing Gender(ed) Identities," loosely organizes its four essays around "the relationship between...

Celebrating Vibrant and Diverse Work Around Global Children's Literature Petros Panaou (bio) and Janelle Mathis (bio) With five peer-reviewed articles, two Children and Their Books contributions, an author interview, four Letters, an International Youth Library Report, eight Postcards, six Books on Books reviews, and Focus IBBY, this is one of the most content-rich issues we have edited so far. Only now, looking at it in its completed form, do we marvel in its riches and admire the vibrant and diverse scholarly, educational, and creative work around global children's literature it captures. The peer-reviewed articles in this open-theme issue are indicative of the diverse richness mentioned above. They explore such diverse topics such as play and adventure in Holocaust children's literature, Ecocriticism and the representation of forests by a beloved Swedish author, authenticity and Colonialism in graphic memoirs, rainbow families in global picturebooks, and a Lebanese illustrator's depiction of Arab youth and societies. In "The Holocaust as Adventure in Uri Orlev's Children's Books," Daniel Feldman argues that, by portraying war as an audacious game and survival as a thrilling adventure, Orlev's juvenile texts about the Holocaust forge a powerful connection between the child victim of the Holocaust and the contemporary reader of children's literature, who unite in imagining the rich, vivid, and sometimes terrifying world of the book as real. In "The Giving Trees," Rachel Sakrisson analyzes three picturebooks by Elsa Beskow, which present an alternative form of environmental activism. Sakrisson argues that Beskow's picturebooks, written prior to the rise of modern conservationism, promote a more accessible forest space than is typically encountered in children's literature. Mark D. McCarthy, in "Othering Authors in the Name of Authenticity," argues that the genre of graphic memoir troublingly lends itself to an affirmation of the West while audiences make this affirmation invisible by naming the authors Other. He asserts that when authors are "inside" another culture and their text aligns with Western values, the West and its worldview are affirmed from outside. And in "Global Rainbow Families," Jamie Campbell Naidoo and Kaitlyn Lynch provide insight into how children's books from specific countries depict physical contact between same-sex couples in picturebook illustrations and how this may influence understanding of LGBTQ families. [End Page 1] Finally, in "Picturing Arab Youth and Societies," Tina Sleiman highlights visual characteristics and elements observed in Ali Chamseddine's work, as well as how the illustrator's upbringing and social context influenced his depiction of Arabic youth and societies. The remaining texts in this issue complete the beautiful mosaic of global children's literature and its important place in the world in the current moment. We hope you enjoy reading all of them and share the marvel, admiration, and inspiration they have instilled in us. [End Page 2] Petros Panaou Petros Panaou is a clinical associate professor at the University of Georgia, Department of Language and Literacy Education, where he teaches children's literature and literacy courses. He chairs the annual Georgia Conference on Children's Literature and has also chaired the academic committee for the 36th IBBY Congress. Petros currently serves on the Newbery Awards committee and has served on USBBY's Outstanding International Books committee. He has authored a book and several articles and book chapters on international children's literature. He has translated two academic volumes and led multiple international grants. His unpublished novel for children and teens To Kinito (The Cellphone) was awarded a CYBBY honor in 2017. Janelle Mathis Janelle Mathis is a professor of literacy and children's literature at the University of North Texas, where she teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses centered on international children's literature and its applications in research and instruction. She presents regularly at international children's literature conferences, including IBBY Congresses and IRSCL, and has served on award committees, including the Outstanding International Books Award of USBBY. Janelle publishes on children's literature studies, and recently co-edited with Holly Johnson and Kathy Short a book titled Critical Content Analysis of Children's and Young Adult Literature (2017). Copyright © 2020 Bookbird, Inc.

Several content analyses in recent years conclude that children's literature contains sexist, racist and ageist stereotypes. Such studies analyze illustrations, characterization, themes, plots and wording. In addition, content analyses of elementary social studies and language arts/reading tests can be found frequently in the literature of the last decade. To date there are no systematic content analyses of children's picture books, literature, textbooks, or basal readers that examine democratic or participatory role models. The major purposes of this study are to develop and test out in a pilot study a method for analyzing the “content” of children's books to determine the extent to which main and secondary characters demonstrate active participation in politics and make realistic decisions. In this way potential sources of political socialization and citizenship education could be identified and future research could focus on specific role models and their potential and actual effects.

The purpose of the article is to study the influence of modern strategies for the popularisation of children’s literature through the prism of the influence of digital transformations on reading experiences. The research methodology are based on the use of general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, content analysis of modern literature. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the coexistence of modern digital technologies and the development of the children’s book market has been traced, the possibilities of Ukrainian and world publishing houses in addressing the possibilities of augmented reality technologies, working with the Internet, virtual reality have been highlighted. Conclusions. Monomedia, multimedia, and polymedia publications play an important role in the modern space of children's electronic literature. They contribute to the development of children's attention through the use of a number of interactive and digital technologies. Therefore, the strategic directions of popularisation of children's literature in the context of digital changes should be the development of electronic literature, the use of augmented and virtual reality technologies, the creation of educational applications and special programmes for reading books. It is important to create new, high-quality library environments with free access to information and serving readers in a comfortable space. This should be based on the use of information and communication technologies. Consequently, this study demonstrates that the use of digital technologies can be a productive and positive factor in the popularisation of children's literature. They complement the traditional reading experience, empower, offer new ways to engage with content, foster diverse skills and motivate children and young people to read. Keywords: digitalisation; children’s literature; augmented reality; publishing houses; strategic directions.

Boys are Reading, but their Choices are not Valued by Teachers and Librarians

Children’s literature is potentially a starting point to present critical multicultural concepts to young learners. It may also be a medium through which historical and contemporary ideologies of society are encouraged in the young learners. This process may be viewed as a form of cultural hegemony when the choices of literature and reading materials for children are deliberately selective for content and themes. The study is based on a critical content and thematic analysis of 15 multicultural children’s literature picturebooks. It aims to examine the social construction of culture, characters, and literary genres through the process of critical multicultural analysis. Code categories through content analysis of selected children’s literature picturebooks were formed by both directed and conventional content analysis. These code categories include content with a social justice/equity issue, themes involving inclusivity, discovering new worlds/other cultures, language/ethnicity/religion diversity, and multidimensional characters from minority or marginalised groups. This process provides insight into counter-cultural hegemonic elements in many forms of multicultural literature. Implications are discussed in terms of culturally responsive practice and multicultural education. These multicultural and picturebook narratives provide windows to society, informing readers and learners about diverse cultural experiences.

This study explores how different family structures have been represented in children's literature, aiming to identify and discuss the various forms of family presented in five literary works, as well as to investigate how these representations might influence children's perceptions of family plurality. Methodologically, we conducted a descriptive-exploratory literature review, with an emphasis on content and semiotic analysis. The study discussed how these representations could contribute to literacy and empathy from early childhood, contrasting with the resistance faced in incorporating these themes into the school environment. Based on these analyses, a proposal for an educational product emerged to fill gaps in pedagogical practice and promote a more sensitive education connected to the contemporary realities of children. In this way, children's literature has offered a valuable and inclusive perspective on the multiple family formats, playing a crucial role in children's socio-emotional education.

Reviewed by: The Nation and the Child: Nation Building in Hebrew Children's Literature, 1930–1970 by Yael Darr Barbara Thiede (bio) The Nation and the Child: Nation Building in Hebrew Children's Literature, 1930–1970. By Yael Darr. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2018. It is an old but important question: How does children's literature provide a location to teach, form, even indoctrinate children in the values of their culture and nation? Yael Darr's [End Page 236] The Nation and the Child surveys the ways in which leading Israeli children's writers and the editors and publishing houses that supported them did just that. Darr brings considerable expertise to her project. Her first and second books treated aspects of this question, focusing first on children's literature produced in the Yishuv (pre-state Jewish settlement) and second on the political institutions that created a canon for children based on the Labor movement's ideals. The present volume extends Darr's research into the 1950s and 1960s; as she points out, the process of nation building—and the critical importance of children's literature in that project—did not end after the State of Israel was established. Darr's work covers a wide-ranging set of topics. These include the role of educational systems and newly formed state institutions in the production of children's literature, finding political platforms for its dissemination, and designating a "national poet" specifically for children. The Nation and the Child also explores how children's literature served to provide explanatory models for establishing national rituals, traditions, and celebrations. We read about the influence of the Second World War and the Holocaust in the construction of both war narratives for children and models for how survivors could or should be integrated into Israeli culture. Darr addresses all of these questions and more, neatly weaving essential historical data into her narrative. Darr's book details the emergence of Hebrew children's literature well before the creation of the State of Israel. Late in the nineteenth century, Zionist leaders worked to establish Hebrew not simply as the language of sacred texts, but also as a living language of a new nation. Early Hebrew literature was meant to create a "new Jewish child," modern, open to other cultures, but in possession of a national spirit. Once ensconced in the kibbutz movement, Hebrew children's literature became critical to the socialist project: the young heroes whom the books and poems portrayed cast off their parents' diasporic inheritance—including the Yiddish language—and became the agents, emissaries, even missionaries for Zionism. While the kibbutz and the collective are presented in early Hebrew children's literature as the antithesis to presumably thoroughly depressing conditions for children in the Diaspora, "apolitical literature" also emerged for Yishuv children, including nonsense literature, humorous rhyming tales, and lyric poetry. The selection as national poet for children of Hayim Nahman Bialik, a writer who offered children positive portrayals of Jewish life in Europe, proved that hard and fast boundaries between socialist agendas and the larger European Jewish past would be difficult to maintain. The Labor movement eventually claimed Bialik for its own, even when its publications for children distorted his words in order to present him as especially and particularly close to the movement's schools. Darr's book documents the efforts of specific "taste setters" such as modernist and children's author and editor Lea Goldberg, who promoted [End Page 237] and wrote children's literature that could be aesthetically pleasing while simultaneously depicting and challenging kibbutz life. But Darr continues to note the compelling ties that Hebrew children's literature must have to the nation-building project. A centuries-old Jewish holiday such as Shavuot could—with the help of children's authors—be transformed into a secular harvest celebration celebrating the Zionist collective. Folksongs could be created by authors who self-consciously never signed their names to their work, thus creating the illusion of a literary tradition namelessly handed down to the present generation. And so on. As Darr points, out, Hebrew children's literature would eventually have to "make amends" to Yiddish after the Holocaust and abandon the dismissal of the Diaspora that...

Representation of Youth in the Young Adult Fiction of Farhad Hasanzadeh Farzaneh Aghapour (bio) and Farideh Pourgiv (bio) Farhad Hasanzadeh1 is a renowned Iranian writer of children's and young adult (YA) literature who has published more than eighty books in the past thirty years. He has been awarded many prizes in Iran and was a shortlist candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2020 and a candidate for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2017 and 2018. Hasanzadeh has introduced a variety of innovative forms and challenging themes in children's and YA literature. Young adults and their concerns play a prominent role in his work; hence, in this article, we analyze his portrayal of adolescence, youth, and adolescentadult confrontations within different social and political contexts. Click for larger view View full resolution Hasanzadeh presents young adults in the contexts of abnormal situations and digs deep into their interactions with gender constructs, society, war, revolution, and peers. His young characters are usually exposed to and affected by different familial, social, and economic hardships and trauma, as they go through their adolescence during unusual circumstances. In all of Hasanzadeh's works for young adults, the focus is on the youth, their feelings and actions; psychological, behavioral, and physical characteristics are represented in his narration, which is sometimes intertwined with irony (Khodabin, Mirhosseini, and Abazari). His narrative techniques and use of irony have been discussed by critics of children's literature in Iran (Parsaee). His ability to engage with difficult subjects is also admired: "Hasanzadeh courageously presents challenging topics, addresses taboos, and moves beyond boundaries to artistically show the conditions of Iranian children and young adults. He manages to be creative rather than didactic, bold rather than meek, yet never loses hope" (Pourgiv 18). [End Page 48] Multilayered Characteristics of Adolescents The implied reader of Hasanzadeh's young adult fiction is brave, inquisitive, and exploring. The author focuses on dialogic relationships between teens and adults, and hence his fiction has two types of audience. The different layers of his text communicate with the adolescent but also attract the adult, especially when he places adolescent characters in the 1970s and '80s. He has portrayed various types of adolescents living in three distinct periods (the Islamic revolution in Iran; the eight-year war between Iraq and Iran; and the postwar, present period), exploring the place and development of young adults in Iranian society. Most of these realistically portrayed characters are from the lower classes and are exposed to harm. They do not have any grand aspirations other than to be accepted and to enjoy ordinary life; in most of Hasanzadeh's narratives, poverty, parental divorce, revolution, and war hinder these modest desires. His characters are ordinary young adults who are divested of basic rights and lack safety, education, life within a family, and proper food and clothing. Sometimes they are sexually and physically abused. This article discusses some aspects of Hasanzadeh's concerns about young adults in Iran. Click for larger view View full resolution Rebels and Victims Hasti, the female character in a novel of the same name by Hasanzadeh, is one of the most norm-breaking characters in Iranian YA literature. She is living in a traditional family in Khorramshahr and is in constant conflict with her father. Her family is forced to move to another city because of the war, and Hasti plays an important role in this move as she helps her father, riding a motorbike she borrows from her uncle. They move to a camp in south Iran and live in dire poverty. Hasti insists on returning the motorbike to her uncle, but her father ignores her, so she dresses in men's clothes and rides the bike back to Khorramshahr. Her father retreats from his previous harsh actions. He goes after her to Khorramshahr, accepting his daughter's identity and taking her back to the camp. Hasti is one of the most colorful and carnivalesque characters ever created in Iranian YA literature. She challenges a restricting traditional society, her father being the hand of unwritten cultural laws. At the same instance, war, migration, and settling in a camp lead her to identity crisis with regard...

The study sought to critically analyze how gender stereotype has been portrayed in Meja Mwangi children’s books; Little White Man, The Boy Gift and Striving for the Wind. Children’s literature has focused on children’s social and moral development in the children’s books. However, the issue of gender stereotype is present in many children’s books. This is likely to affect children’s social life from the way they view children’s books with gender stereotype. Objectives of this study analyzed how gender roles, character’s personalities and socialization portray gender stereotype in children’s books. The study analyzed children’s books, specifically for ages 10 and 14. The study hoped to create awareness of how children get exposed to gender stereotype in children’s books. In addition, the study anticipated in drawing the attention of the parents, to gender stereotyped children’s books. This research study is therefore a useful material for reference to other researchers and readers. The study was guided by Lawrence Kohlberg's Cognitive Development Theory: The concept of Gender Constancy. The study was conducted through qualitative research design. The three story books were selected from the target population using purposive sampling technique. Then researcher used content analysis, as a method of qualitative analysis in order to analyze the selected sample. From research findings, gender stereotype is evident in the children’s books by Meja Mwangi. The author portrays roles according to the genders. There are those roles that are only meant for male characters and female characters. The personality traits that are portrayed for the women and girls are weak and they depend on the male characters. While the men do not depend on the women and instead, they are brave and tough. The society highly regards the male characters as opposed to the female characters. From the conclusions made from the analysis of the research data, there are situations where the author challenges gender stereotype. In a particular illustration, the female character is portrayed having strong and courageous personalities. Also, the male character is portrayed performing chores associated with the women. However, much needs to be done, in curbing gender stereotype in children’s books. Both genders should be portrayed with equal roles, having some personalities. Social set-up should accommodate both female and male characters, in order to avoid gender stereotype portrayed in children’s books. In conclusion, the study suggested recommendations to parents and teachers in using gender neutral children’s books, which promote gender equality among girls and boys. Hence, the study provided sufficient and effective information in order to improve the quality of children’s books and a positive impact in children’s social life and moral development. Keywords: Gender Stereotype, Children's Literature, Socialization, Literary Criticism, Meja Mwangi

Dissertations of Note Rachel Fordyce (bio) Abookire, Noerena. "Children's Theatre Activities at Karamu House in Cleveland, Ohio 1915-1975." Ph.D. diss. New York University, 1982. 375 pp. DAI 43:306A. Karamu Children's Theatre has been active since 1915 when it was founded by Rowena and Russell Jeliffe as a neighborhood settlement house. Abookire's study shows the variety of activities at Karamu, analyzes the numerous directors, and assesses its impact on children's theatre in the United States. Included are reproductions of many original photographs, programs, posters, press releases as well as the results of extensive interviews. Adamson, Lynda Gossett. "A Content Analysis of Values in Rosemary Sutcliff's Historical Fiction for Children." Ph.D. diss. University of Maryland, 1981. 176 pp. DAI 42.3475A. Realizing that what most parents and teachers look for in a "good" children's book are values that reflect their own, Adamson analyzes The Eagle of the Ninth, The Shield Ring, the Witch's Brat, and Carnegie-medal winner The Lantern Bearers to see if they reflect "positive values of Western contemporary society." While comparing types of protagonists, settings, conflict, tone, point of view, and theme in the five novels, Adamson concludes that Sutcliff s novels, despite their Roman setting, and probably because of the complexity of their characters, do reflect value systems of western civilizations. Amandes, Joanne Beran. "A Study of Adaptations for Young People of the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid." Ed.D. diss. Texas Tech University, 1982. 194 pp. DAI 43:1024A. Analyzing the treatment of plot, narration, characterization, and theme in thirteen adaptations of Greek and Roman mythic literature, Amandes attempts to show teachers how to discriminate as well as how to approach the use of myth in class. Anderson, Dorothy Jean. "Mildred L. Batchelder: A Study in Leadership." Ph.D. diss. Texas Woman's University, 1981. 404 pp. DAI 42:3332-33A. "Based on voluminous existing records, interviews with Batchelder's contemporaries, and with Batchelder herself," this dissertation in library science traces Batchelder's career with the American Library Association from 1936 through 1966 and highlights her impressive influence on the improvement of library services for children and young people. Antczak, Janice. "The Mythos of a New Romance: A Critical Analysis of Science Fiction for Children as Informed by the Literary Theory of Northrop Frye." D.L.S. diss. Columbia University, 1979. 376 pp. DAI 42:208-09A. Extrapolating from Frye's list of basic literary images, Antczak "explores the role of the genre [of science fiction] as a contemporary romance form" implicit in the mythology of the modern world. She is concerned with models of heroes, quest forms, whether or not settings conform to typical romance styles, and archetypal images in modern romance as well as older mythologies. Barron, Pamela Patrick. "The Characterization of Native Americans in Children's and Young Adults' Fiction, with a Contemporary Setting, by Native American and [End Page 217] Non-Native American Authors." Ph.D. diss. Florida State University, 1981. 191 pp. DAI 42:234-43A. Barron includes 114 books in her study of stereotyping of North American Indians in contemporary children's and young adults' literature. She is particularly concerned with "story setting, attitudes of author in relation to Native Americans, use of dialect, author's portrayal of the values and ethics of Native Americans, author's portrayal of contributions of Native Americans, author's portrayal of contemporary Native American life, characterization of the Native American character, stereotype with regard to characterization, and stereotype with regard to storyline." She concludes that while the most blatant of the stereotypes of Indians have generally disappeared, they have been replaced by more subtle stereotyping and a portrayal of Native Americans as totally devoid of humor. Barros, Maria Dirce do Val. "Monteiro Lobato and the Renewal of Children's Literature in Brazil." Ph.D. diss. Tulane University, 1982. 142 pp. DAI 43:704A. Barros analyzes Monteiro Lobato's substantial contribution to children's literature and, most important, shows how he has contributed to the overall revitalization of children's literature in Brazil. Her thesis is that "Monteiro Lobato's works were a direct response to a need to lead the development and writing...

Humane Ideology Perry Nodelman (bio) Language and Ideology in Children's Fiction, by John Stephens. London and New York: Longman, 1992. Ideology is what those who disagree with us believe; what we believe ourselves is the way things are. So it is claimed by those who object to what they derisively call politically correct approaches to literature—the wide variety of feminist, Marxist, and New Historicist analyses of the ideological content of literary texts. These objectors are convinced that reality as they view it themselves—in almost every case, as it has been traditionally understood and described by white upper-class and middle-class males of European extraction and their female companions—is all the reality there is. Worthwhile literary texts, particularly those in the canon of great literature, do nothing more than reflect the essence of that one true and truly universal reality. These texts are, therefore, above the transience and silliness of ideology—they are not political at all. And any texts that do have ideology in them are just ephemeral trash—propaganda for bad ideas. But as John Stephens points out in this important and persuasive book: "Ideologies . . . are not necessarily undesirable, and in the sense of a system of beliefs by which we make sense of the world, social life would be impossible without them" (8). No living human being is or ever was separate from the ideology of a specific time and place and culture, and that includes Shakespeare and Milton—and Beatrix Potter and Lloyd Alexander: "a narrative without an ideology is unthinkable" (8). Indeed, Stephens insists that "if you read a book and discover that it is utterly free of ideological presuppositions, what that really means is that you have just read a book which precisely reflects those societal presuppositions which you yourself have learned to subscribe to, and which are therefore invisible" (50). Stephens's major purpose in Language and Ideology in Children's Fiction is to render that invisibility visible, to reveal the extent to which the children's [End Page 173] books of our time confirm and sustain specific societal and cultural presuppositions. His enterprise is timely; despite the impressive progress that critics of adult literature have made in recent years in uncovering and understanding the ideological implications of literary texts, far too many commentators on children's literature prefer to remain blind to its societal and cultural presuppositions. Most reviews in such popular organs as the Horn Book and even a surprising proportion of the articles in professional journals devoted to children's literature (including this one) work from the unstated assumption that children's literature—or, at any rate, worthwhile children's literature—exists outside ideology. Stephens offers a powerful corrective to the unconsidered, somewhat egocentric, and far too common habit of believing that the children's books that most accurately reflect an adult commentator's own unacknowledged vision of reality are the good ones. I expected a book with the word ideology in its title to concentrate on issues of gender, race, and class. But Stephens has surprisingly little to say about any of them; instead, he focuses on the assumptions that underlie those matters—on the essential vision of reality that so many children's books and so many commentators on children's literature (including, I have to admit, myself) take for granted. As scholars, educators, and librarians, as believers in the power of ideas to change lives, we tend to assume the liberal humanist view that reality is a place in which individuals have the power to define and control their lives. We love children's books in which characters must make choices that define their existence and its meaning. We particularly admire those in which the choices have to do with the rejection of socially conformist values or pressures and the assertion of individual self-governance, especially in the face of political repression or bleak economic conditions. When poor black or oppressed Jewish characters find the courage within themselves to believe in their individual integrity despite massive attempts to undermine and destroy it, we cheer like crazy and throw handfuls of Newberys and Carnegies and Governor-General Awards at the books describing them. But...

This content analysis study examined 36 plant-centered children’s science picture books that have a plot and characters published from 1950 to present. Botanical subject matter and learning opportunities offered by these books were analyzed, along with the range and frequency of the National Science Education Standards-consistent and age-appropriate plant science concepts and principles. The science graphics, artistic innovations, and story plot of these books were also examined. Rubrics and research-based recommendations were developed to offer parents, teachers, and librarians assistance in identifying, evaluating, and using such books to help children of ages 4-8 learn about plants and enjoy plant science. This genre of children’s literature was identified and selected primarily through extensive research at four major, nationally recognized children’s literature collections: The Kerlan Collection, The de Grummond Collection, The Center for Children’s Books, and The Central Children’s Room at the Donnell Library. This study determined that there was a substantial increase in the number of books written in this genre of children’s literature from 1990 to 2000. Botanical subject-matter knowledge and learning opportunities offered by these books include biodiversity of plants; characteristics of plants; life cycles of plants; economic botany, ecology, and ethnobotany. The range and frequency of National Standards-consistent and age-appropriate plant science concepts and principles identified within these books, in part, though not exclusively, included the emergent categories of the process of photosynthesis; basic needs of plants; plant structures; external signals affecting plant growth; environmental stress to plants; biodiversity of plants; plants as animal habitats; and common uses of plants. With regard to plant science graphics, 13 books were identified as presenting some type of science graphic, beyond simple illustrations. The most frequently used graphics were cutaways, sequence diagrams, and zoom graphics. The findings relative to story plot and characters revealed that the majority of story plots involved a problem followed by a solution, rather than merely a series of events. The main character(s) of these stories were most often Caucasians (44%), followed by plants (28%), Hispanics (11%), animals personified (8%), African Americans (6%), and indigenous peoples (3%). Most often the stories took place in rural settings.

This study examines cultural resistance in children's literature through a postcolonial analysis of "Tenas Effendy, Punggawa Melayu" by Dessy Wahyuni. Utilizing a qualitative approach with content analysis, this research explores how this biographical work for children functions as a form of cultural resistance in the context of postcolonial Indonesian literature. The findings reveal that the book effectively represents Malay identity as dynamic and evolving, employs various strategies of cultural resistance including the use of Malay language and emphasis on local wisdom, and positions Malay culture within the broader Indonesian national context. It successfully engages child readers with complex cultural concepts through accessible language, demonstrating the potential of children's literature in preserving and revitalizing local culture. The book also portrays a negotiation between tradition and modernity, highlighting the relevance of Malay culture in contemporary settings. This research underscores the significant role of children's literature in cultural preservation and in fostering multicultural understanding among young generations in Indonesia, while also contributing to the broader discourse on postcolonial children's literature.

This study aims to investigate and evaluate the national and international graduate theses on “children's literature” according to their graduate levels, publication years, research topics, research questions, purposes, methods and data collection tools. The National Thesis Center database of Council of Higher Education was used to access national theses, and the ProQuest database to access international theses. Scanning of theses was limited to those made between 2010-2019. Document analysis was used utilizing the concepts related to children's literature, and then content analysis was used to analyze the data obtained by means of the form developed by the researchers. It was revealed that female researchers had more studies, national and international theses differed in terms of graduate-level and year, qualitative design was more preferred in both national and international theses. Prevalent research topics were the function of children’s literature in national theses and the ideology in children’s literature in international theses.