Reviews
This thoughtfully organized, wide-ranging, and innovative book draws from cultural studies, literary studies, and child development studies in its consideration of diverse forms and genres ... Throughout the book, Karen cracks jokes, shares personal anecdotes, acknowledges questions she continues to with, and urges readers to disagree with and complicate the points that she makes. In short, she displays how pleasure, uncertainty, and exchange of knowledge are part and parcel of the practice of scholarship., "Imagine sitting down with a brilliant friend whose scholarly expertise makes her an ideal guide through the history and context of children's and YA literature. She is thorough, reflective, and humorous. She steps into complex or troubled waters and never muddies issues or sounds churlish or superior. In short, she is a born teacher who also happens to be a terrific writer. Coats's readable The Bloomsbury Introduction to Children's and Young Adult Literature provides such an experience. In 12 accessible chapters, Coats (Illinois State Univ.) covers genres from folktale to novel to drama and forms such as graphic novels and picture books. She also takes on children's media and informational texts and provides new theoretical frameworks for examining the "in-betweens" of children's and YA lit. Coats demonstrates that everyone seeks patterns as part of learning, and she provides techniques and patterns of analysis for students new to the field. All these qualities--when joined by resources, chapter "talk backs," discussions of canon, multiculturalism, and sound advice for writing about literature (from close readings to conference papers)--make this book truly one of a kind. Summing Up: Highly recommended." - CHOICE, This important book authoritatively addresses readers who take the study of youth literature seriously and offers guidance to enhance their understanding of that literature. Its sweep is impressive, its positive attitude is encouraging, and its dedication to the importance of its subject matter is striking. Comprehensive in scope, contemporary in content, and accessible in tone, it sheds welcome light on theoretical literary perspectives while simultaneously focusing on what child and adolescent readers need from their literature, both in print and in other media. This book combines a broad exploration of the place of such literature for young people in the wider world with an invitation to investigate the detailed pleasures and demands of close readings of particular texts. Coats's personal voice provides a friendly guide to her readers from the early stages of encountering children's books to their first entry into the academic world of children's literature scholarship, Imagine sitting down with a brilliant friend whose scholarly expertise makes her an ideal guide through the history and context of children's and YA literature. She is thorough, reflective, and humorous. She steps into complex or troubled waters and never muddies issues or sounds churlish or superior. In short, she is a born teacher who also happens to be a terrific writer. Coats's readable The Bloomsbury Introduction to Children's and Young Adult Literature provides such an experience. In 12 accessible chapters, Coats (Illinois State Univ.) covers genres from folktale to novel to drama and forms such as graphic novels and picture books. She also takes on children's media and informational texts and provides new theoretical frameworks for examining the "in-betweens" of children's and YA lit. Coats demonstrates that everyone seeks patterns as part of learning, and she provides techniques and patterns of analysis for students new to the field. All these qualities--when joined by resources, chapter "talk backs," discussions of canon, multiculturalism, and sound advice for writing about literature (from close readings to conference papers)--make this book truly one of a kind. Summing Up: Highly recommended.
