Teaching Equity through Children’s Literature in Undergraduate Classrooms

Book excerpt: Children's literature has been taught in undergraduate classrooms since the mid-1960s and has grown to become a staple of English literature, library science, and education programs. Children's literature classes are typically among the most popular course offerings at any institution. It is easy to understand why; children's literature classes promise students the opportunity to revisit familiar works with fresh eyes. With the growth of the children’s publishing industry and the celebration of recent scholarly interventions in the field, the popularity of the discipline is unlikely to abate. A central question of current children’s literature scholarship and practice is how to effectively address contemporary questions of social justice. This collection offers a series of interventions for the practice of teaching equity through children's literature in undergraduate classrooms. It is intended for individuals who teach, or who are interested in teaching, children’s literature to undergraduates. It includes contributions from practitioners from a range of institutional affiliations, disciplinary backgrounds, nationalities, and career stages. Furthermore, this volume includes contributions from scholars who belong to groups which are often underrepresented within academia, due to race, nationality, ethnicity, gender identity, disability, or other protected characteristics.