This article focuses on the difficult event of death. The audience for this article is classroom teachers, librarians/media specialists, curriculum developers, and so on. The purpose is to share points to consider when choosing quality picture books focusing on death as well as exemplars to represent these points. These points were concluded as a…

Fans often express their love of authors or books by creating and sharing "fanfiction," a genre wherein fans write new narratives that add to beloved works or take place in existing story worlds. In this article, we describe a kindergarten teacher's efforts to enhance students' foundational literacy skills by combining author studies…

As part of a large study aiming to understand how kindergarten children in Colombia used translanguaging during independent play, Paula (the teacher) along with Dr. Moses (lead researcher) co-designed a 6-week play-based intervention that included a variety of learning experiences such as partner reading, small-group reading, and supported play,…

Homelessness is a prevalent issue in the United States, and students facing homelessness face unique and complex issues. Children's literature, however, can provide a powerful platform for enabling students to more deeply understand diverse living situations. In this paper, we explore how children's literature can be used in classrooms using the…

Activism is a term used frequently within and beyond educational settings, but the term is not always clearly defined. Using content analysis of over 150 picturebooks depicting activism, we strive to provide specificity to what activism is and make it tangible for readers and teachers. Through content analysis, we investigate key themes,…

This study examines the types of interactions and early literacy development that occur when non-verbal 4-year-old children on the autism spectrum engage with family members in read-alouds using authentic children's literature. Findings indicate the importance of quality children's literature for read-alouds. A key implication of the study is that…

A teacher educator shares how a school community engaged family in parent-child interactive reading experiences around big ideas found in diverse literature to deepen inclusion beyond the classroom.

Against a backdrop of legislation aimed at classroom book bannings and efforts to whitewash curriculum, this article draws from interviews with the winners of the 2022 International Literacy Association's Social Justice Literature Award winners to offer hope and inspiration for literacy teachers, researchers, and most importantly, young readers.…

To develop a love of reading in the young, teachers need rich repertoires of children's literature and other texts. However, the significance of this subject knowledge is rarely given the attention it deserves in policy, practice, or training contexts. This article, drawing on survey data from England and Finland, underlines these concerns. It…

Texts are an often-ignored element in studies of interactive read-alouds in early childhood settings. In this article, the author addresses this research gap by examining 60 preschool books for the vocabulary affordances they provide for young children. There were five types of books in the study: narrative, informational, interactive, alphabet,…

Educators who take an inclusive, anti-ableist stance value human variation. Teaching in pursuit of anti-ableism requires open dialogue about aspects of human diversity, complex social identities, and the contributions of people with disabilities. In this column, we build from the rich work exploring ableism via children's literature in order to…

As more challenges occur to erase LGBTQ identities in the classroom, it is essential for educators to learn ways to become more inclusive. Using children's literature is a powerful way to include and center all identities. In this article, we share the journey and work of 1 s-grade teacher on a path to become more LGBTQ-inclusive with read-alouds.

As the number of children who are immigrants or refugees continues to grow due to a variety of issues taking place around the world, i.e., war, political unrest, famine, and persecution, how do schools meet their needs? The article provides advice on working with children who are immigrants or refugees and the importance of viewing them through an…

In informational texts, when the identities of the narrators are inconsistent with the identities of the writers, can such text be classified as nonfiction? In this article, we examine the relationship between the writer and the narrator of informational nonfiction books in alignment with the ELA Common Core State Standards for reading in grades…

In this essay, we discuss how teachers and students can use children's literature and literature-based activities to intentionally foster hope. The previous years have proved to be challenging on many fronts. Teachers of all levels are focusing on ways to support academic development in an oft-shifting context. Drawing on research using…