Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
here is nothing quite like children’s literature,
and it doesn’t matter what age you teach—or,
for that matter, whether you’re even a teacher.
For nearly everyone, the thought of these books
conjures up memories of childhood and the
moments we “got it”—when our eyes were
opened to the power of printed words to inspire
us, transport us, make us laugh, or make us cry.
We pass these books down to our
students and children, and we eagerly
anticipate new awards and lists each year so
our classroom libraries and personal canons
can continue to grow. If that ritual sounds
familiar, then surely this special Children’s
Literature Issue will resonate with you.
If it’s new books you’re looking for,
you’ll want to read about our annual Notable
Books for a Global Society (page 22) list
and our Children’s and Young Adults’ Book
Awards (page 34). If you’re interested in using
children’s literature for a family engagement
initiative, then One Book, One Community
(page 30) is one you won’t want to miss.
Digging deeper, our cover story on page
18, “What Needs to Happen?”, examines why
diverse representation alone in books isn’t
enough—and what we need to do to keep the
momentum going in the call for more diverse
books.
It’s something we can’t ignore if we want
the power of children’s literature to reach its
full potential. So let’s work together to ensure
all children see themselves on the page and
have those joyful moments when they truly
“get it”—when they see their place in the world,
both now and where it can be in the future.
Warmly,
JOYFUL
MOMENTS
WHAT’S NEW IN
LITERACY TEACHING?
Weaving Together Time-Honored
Practices With New Research
KAREN WOOD
BRIAN KISSEL
JEANNE PARATORE
RACHEL McCORMACK
Edited by
© 2015
ISBN 978-0-87207-166-7
Nonmembers: $19.95
Members: $15.95
What’s New in Literacy Teaching?
Weaving Together Time-Honored
Practices With New Research
KAREN WOOD, JEANNE PARATORE,
BRIAN KISSEL, & RACHEL McCORMACK
Editors
Learn the latest literacy teaching strategies with this collection of articles from
the What’s New in Literacy Teaching? ILA E-ssentials series—with the addition
of two exclusive new chapters on classroom discourse and reading assessment—
that will pump up your practice AND meet your PD needs.
ORDER NOW! literacyworldwide.org/ebookwnlt
800.336.7323 (U.S. and Canada) | 302.731.1600 (all other countries)
EDITOR’S
NOTE
2
May/June 2015 | READING TODAY