Written for Children


Book Description

"This is a brief, readable account of English prose fiction for children from its beginning main streams of development and includes the 'Courtesy Books' of a later age, and the work of the remarkable John Newbery in the eighteenth century. The nineteenth century which began with Mrs. Sherwood's The Fairchild Family - 'designed to strike the fear of hellfire into every child's soul' - later saw the works of Lewis Carroll, Stevenson, Henty and the development of the school story from 'Tom Brown' to 'Stalky.'"--Book Jacket.




First Light


Book Description

Described by Philip Pullman as 'the most important British writer of fantasy since Tolkein', Alan Garner has been enrapturing readers with works like The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Owl Service, Red Shift and The Stone Book Quartet for more than half a century. Now, a group of the writers and artists he has inspired over the years have come together to celebrate his life and work in First Light. This anthology includes original contributions from David Almond, Margaret Atwood, John Burnside, Susan Cooper, Helen Dunmore, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Garner, Paul Kingsnorth, Katherine Langrish, Helen Macdonald, Robert Macfarlane, Gregory Maguire, Neel Mukherjee, Philip Pullman, Ali Smith, Elizabeth Wein, Michael Wood and many, many more. Whether a literary essay, a personal response to Garner's writing or a story about the man himself, each piece is a tribute to his remarkable impact. Edited by the acclaimed journalist and novelist Erica Wagner, First Light will touch the heart of anyone who grew up reading Alan Garner.




Four British Fantasists


Book Description

Four British Fantasists explores the work of four of the most successful and influential of the generation of fantasy writes who rose to prominence in the "second Golden Age" of children's literature in Britain: Susan Cooper, Alan Garner, Diana Wynne Jones, and Penelope Lively.




Handbook of Research on the Education of Young Children


Book Description

The Handbook of Research on the Education of Young Children is the essential reference on research on early childhood education throughout the world. This singular resource provides a comprehensive overview of important contemporary issues as well as the information necessary to make informed judgments about these issues. The field has changed significantly since the publication of the second edition, and this third edition of the handbook takes care to address the entirety of vital new developments. A valuable tool for all those who work and study in the field of early childhood education, this volume addresses critical, cutting edge research on child development, curriculum, policy, and research and evaluation strategies. With a multitude of new and updated chapters, The Handbook of Research on the Education of Young Children, 3rd Edition makes the expanding knowledge base related to early childhood education readily available and accessible.




Writers Directory


Book Description




Children's Literature


Book Description

This critical guide provides a concise yet comprehensive history of British and North American children's literature from its seventeenth-century origins to the present day. Each chapter focuses on one of the main genres of children's literature: fables, fantasy, adventure stories, moral tales, family stories, the school story, and poetry. M. O. Grenby shows how these forms have evolved over three hundred years as well as asking why most children's books, even today, continue to fall into one or other of these generic categories. Why, for instance, has fantasy been so appealing to both Victorian and twenty-first-century children? Are the religious and moral stories written in the eighteenth century really so different from the teenage problem novels of today? The book answers questions like these with a combination of detailed analysis of particular key texts and a broad survey of hundreds of children's books, both famous and forgotten.




Narrator's Voice


Book Description




A Sounding of Storytellers


Book Description

Essays on Nina Bawden, Vera and Bill Cleaver, Peter Dickinson, Paula Fox, Leon Garfield, Alan Garner, Virginia Hamilton, E.L. Konigsburg, Penelope Lively, William Mayne, Jill Paton Walsh, K.M. Peyton, Ivan Southall and Patricia Wrightson.




The Case of Peter Pan


Book Description

What does Peter Pan have to say about our conception of childhood, about how we understand the child's and our own relationship to language, sexuality, and death? What can Peter Pan tell us about the theatrical, literary, and educational institutions of which it is a part? In a new preface written especially for this edition, Rose accounts for some of the new developments since her book's first publication in 1984. She discusses some of Peter Pan's new guises and their implications. From Spielberg's Hook, to the lesbian production of the play at the London Drill Hall in 1991, to debates in the English House of Lords, to a newly claimed status as the icon of a transvestite culture, Peter Pan continues to demonstrate its bizarre renewability as a cultural fetish of our times.




Read for Your Life


Book Description

Most teens already know what wealth and just-plain-fun books contain. What is sometimes missing is the encouragement to make time for reading in the middle of a busy life. Getting excited about books is contagious, and so is the reading habit. The whole family needs all the encouragement it can get, especially teenagers. Read for Your Life is more than inspiration to read. Gladys Hunt discusses how to read a book, what makes a good book, what questions to ask, and how to discern between good, better, and best. She has a way of making you want to read, while helping you to make the most of the opportunity. To help you choose what to read, Barbara Hampton has reviewed more than 300 books. Her recommendations run the gamut from classics like A Tale of Two Cities to contemporary fiction like A Ring of Endless Light; from literary greats like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Alan Paton to moderns like Katherine Paterson and Chaim Potok. The book contains - Pointers on becoming a more perceptive reader - Tips on how to enjoy poetry, fantasy, and fiction - An annotated list of over 300 book recommendations - Hundreds of plot synopses - A complete index to authors and titles.