Children's Literature: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends - by Heather Montgomery & Nicola J Watson (Paperback)

About the Book

Provides students and teachers of Children's Literature with access to high quality critical material on the most widely studied classic and contemporary children's books.

Book Synopsis

Children's Literature: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends provides students with high quality critical material on a selection of important classic and contemporary children's books. From Louisa May Alcott's Little Women to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to Melvin Burgess's Junk, each has been selected because they still find a favoured place on the bookshelves of today's children and because they are widely studied on university courses. These case studies explore children's literature across a variety of genres and ages, bringing together lively and accessible scholarly essays by leading scholars, some reprinted and others newly commissioned. The collection is supported by detailed introductory material, suggestions for further reading and a colour plate section reproducing covers and illustrations.

From the Back Cover

Children's Literature: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends provides students with high quality critical material on a selection of important classic and contemporary children's books. From Louisa May Alcott's Little Women to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to Melvin Burgess's Junk, each has been selected because they still find a favoured place on the bookshelves of today's children and because they are widely studied on university courses. These case studies explore children's literature across a variety of genres and ages, bringing together lively and accessible scholarly essays by leading scholars, some reprinted and others newly commissioned. The collection is supported by detailed introductory material, suggestions for further reading and a colour plate section reproducing covers and illustrations.

Review Quotes

"Provides a solid basis for those who are interested in the field of children's literature." --CHOICE

About the Author

NICOLA J. WATSON is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at The Open University. Her research over the last fifteen years has focussed upon the reception, adaptation, transformation, and consumption of historical and literary narratives. Her publications include Revolution and the Form of the British Novel, 1790-1825, England's Elizabeth: An Afterlife in Fame and Fantasy (with Michael Dobson) and The Literary Tourist.

HEATHER MONTGOMERY is Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies at The Open University. Her research interests are in the anthropology of childhood, children's rights and gender and sexuality. She is the author of Modern Babylon: Prostituting Children in Thailand and An Introduction to Childhood: Anthropological Perspectives on Children's Lives.
NICOLA J. WATSON is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at The Open University. Her research over the last fifteen years has focussed upon the reception, adaptation, transformation, and consumption of historical and literary narratives. Her publications include Revolution and the Form of the British Novel, 1790-1825, England's Elizabeth: An Afterlife in Fame and Fantasy (with Michael Dobson) and The Literary Tourist.

HEATHER MONTGOMERY is Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies at The Open University. Her research interests are in the anthropology of childhood, children's rights and gender and sexuality. She is the author of Modern Babylon: Prostituting Children in Thailand and An Introduction to Childhood: Anthropological Perspectives on Children's Lives.