Children's Literature in a Multiliterate World

"A truly international gem of children's literature scholarship! Its range and depth capture the complexity of children's literature and its role in negotiating hybrid identities, mediating intercultural understanding, and nurturing children's need for literal and literary homes."

Petros Panaou, Bookbird Editor and Associate Professor, University of Georgia

"A stimulating international collection of essays which explore the ways in which story, identity, culture, heritage and language come together in the literary and visual spaces offered by children’s literature, as well as the impact that interaction in and through these spaces can have on readers. Taken together, the concepts, issues and approaches discussed in the chapters create a rich and multi-layered picture which illuminates and confirms the significant role that children’s literature can play in developing intercultural understanding. Examples from a diverse range of contexts show how a thoughtful use of the tools provided by multiliteracies and multilingualism can guide readers towards a more positive view of themselves and others, a view which is perhaps even more essential for the current younger generations of readers than for any generation before them."

Dr Evelyn Arizpe, School of Education, University of Glasgow

"Children's Literature in a Multiliterate World is a timely and valuable resource for librarians, teachers, scholars, and anyone with a serious interest in international children's books. Its 12 chapters testify to the power of books to help children better understand themselves and others in our ever-shrinking world. Authors also explore the roles of home languages and culturally appropriate literature in helping children become fully literate, and vividly illustrate how experiences with global books promote intercultural understanding, and lead to the development of empathy."

Terrell A. Young, President, United States Board on Books for Young People, and Professor of Children's Literature, Brigham Young University

Foreword, by Wally De Doncker
1. Introduction, by Libby Limbrick and Nicola Daly
2. 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Award Address: ‘Literature: Another form of house building’, by Cao Wenxuan
PART 1: The ways in which children’s literature can enhance intercultural understanding
3. Australian picture books: Homes in the world for some or all? by Robin Morrow
4. Within and beyond the blue horizon: Creating local and global identity through reading: A perspective from Samoa in the South Pacific, by Emma Kruse Vaai
5. Complicated identities: A consideration of Allen Say’s picture books, by Patricia Bloem and Rika Hanamitsu
6. Navigation to safety: Exploring a human rights focus in the curriculum as a pedagogical tool for developing empathy and validating refugee children’s experiences, by Trish Brooking
7. ‘I know that you think that I feel …’: Theory of mind, empathy and picture books, by Joanne M. Purcell
PART 2: How is children’s literature being used to enhance intercultural understanding?
8. Emotional literacy through metafictive picture books: A cognitive exploration with emerging bilingual readers reading Emily Gravett, by Soumi Dey
9. Tu ana, tau ana! Maori literacies in the modern age, by Elisa Duder
10. Encouraging intercultural understanding through talk and play: Children’s engagement with global literature, by María V. Acevedo and Kathy G. Short
11. ‘I can read this, Miss! it’s my language!’: Reflections on a multilingual reading programme in Flanders, by Eva Devos
12. Story by story: Nurturing multilingual reading and writing in South Africa, by Carole Bloch
Index

Nicola Daly

Nicola Daly is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education, University of Waikato, New Zealand.

Libby Limbrick

Libby Limbrick is former head of the School of Arts, Languages and Literacy, University of Auckland.

Pam Dix

Pam Dix is chair of the Akili Trust, Kenya, and has been chair of the UK section of IBBY since 2014.