No matter how long teachers have been out of school, or how many children's literature classes they have taught, when summer comes, most of them long to "go back to class." It is because of the intriguing, exciting, reinvigorating institutes and conferences their colleagues offer in summer. In this interview, two veteran planners of summer…

Ann Bausum is an award-winning author who has published more than eight books with National Geographic Society. Passionate about the pursuit of social justice, Bausum channels much of her energy into researching and writing books that help educate young readers about injustices and corruptions that have plagued the country. Her book, "Freedom…

In this article, the author shares a current analysis of data that complements findings from earlier, related research that confirms the emotional aspects of reading experiences. The data from the earlier study is based upon comments by graduate students in online discussion groups, where they share their thoughts about the professional readings…

David Wiesner's 2007 Caldecott Medal-winning "Flotsam" blends the events of everyday life with the surreal. As he often does in his picture books, Wiesner plays with size and scale, opening "Flotsam" with a full-page illustration of a sand crab and the enormous eye behind it before pulling back on the second page to reveal the creature's actual…

In this article, the author relates the creative process involved in the way he writes and illustrate picturebooks. His understanding of the analysis and creative processes focusing on picturebooks is informed from two distinct, yet complementary, perspectives. First, the author is an Associate Professor of Literacy Education and Children's…

As a storyteller, the author reminds her readers that she adorns, ornaments, enlarges, engorges, and elevates the truth. However, she relates that there are ten things she no longer enjoys about the world of children's books and publishing but she's still willing to endure. She endures them for the sake of story, and for the sake of her readers.…

With her recent book, "Paint the Wind" (2007), hitting the shelves this fall, author Pam Munoz Ryan delivers a welcome addition to the 25 plus books she has written for young people, including her award-winning novels "Esperanza Rising" (2000) and "Riding Freedom" (1998) and picture books "Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride" (1999) and "When Marian…

The National Council of Teachers of English awarded the coveted nonfiction prize to "Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea." Written by Sy Montgomery, with photographs by Nic Bishop, the book was further honored as a Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor recipient by the Association for Library…

This article presents an interview with South Asian children's book and young adult fiction writer, Uma Krishnaswami. The interviewer states that "in all her creative endeavors Uma's keen sense of detail, narrative voice, and characterization complicate and humanize portrayals of multicultural peoples worldwide." In this interview, Krishnaswami…

How others see the United States will always be influenced by its actions abroad, but through well-written books, children in other countries can gain a more balanced view of America. Translators play a crucial role in transmitting a more realistic and balanced view of the United States to other parts of the world. In Japan, the role of the…

The author of this article, who writes a series of Arthurian books, states that Arthurian retellings for children often fall into one of two extreme categories: (1) they are prim, romantic, reverential tales with soft-focus illustrations and soft-headed heroes; or (2) they are overt spoofs of the literature, a la Mark Twain and Monty Python. He…

The author describes his approach to retelling Arthurian legends, where he wrote two stories in tandem: one a historical novel in which a boy, eager to serve as a squire and to go on crusade, is given a piece of obsidian, the other of stories, the Arthurian legends, that this boy sees in the obsidian. These became a trilogy. He states that while…

The author of this article states that, as a fiction writer, he is reluctant to discuss process, yet, at war with a mystical stance about writing fiction, is the belief he imparts to his students that writing is a craft that can be taught, mastered, and understood. This article describes the seemingly subconscious approach to the writing of "The…

Presents an interview with Janet Hickman. Notes that she is a highly respected scholar in children's literature and a recognized and much lauded author of novels for children. Discusses disparate topics from her earliest encounters with print to mandates surrounding scientifically based reading research (SBRR). (SG)

Describes the author's interactions with prospective teachers' resistances to books in the "Harry Potter" series and how she dealt with these situations. Recognizes that her role as a teacher educator includes honoring her students' beliefs, upholding the integrity of the academic discipline of children's literature, and adhering to the…