A Literature of Questions: Nonfiction for the Critical Child

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Description

The first book to theorize children's nonfiction from a literary perspective,A Literature of Questionsexplains how the genre speaks in unique ways to its young readers, inviting them to the project of understanding. It lays out a series of techniques for analysis, then applies and nuances through extensive close readings and case studies of books from the past half century.

Reviews

"A Literature of Questions is a groundbreaking work of criticism not only because it covers an area of children's literature that is largely unexamined but also because it provides the field with new language and a new set of critical lenses, which scholars, educators, and writers can use in the future to analyze, evaluate, teach, and create works of nonfiction for younger readers."Annette Wannamaker, Eastern Michigan University

"Not many courses about childrens literature that are offered in English departments include nonfiction titles on the reading lists. A Literature of Questions will irrevocably change this situation. In the wake of Joe Sutliff Sanderss book, it will no longer be possible to teach an undergraduate or graduate course about literature for young readers without including a section on childrens nonfiction. Every individual working in the field will want to add a copy of A Literature of Questions to their campus library and even to their personal book collection. Additionally, they will want to assign this text their students. Sanderss work is a new classic."Michelle Ann Abate, author of Bloody Murder: The Homicide Tradition in Childrens Literature

"A welcome addition for school librarians eager to provide upper elementary, middle, or high school students with tools for evaluating the intricacies of nonfiction."Library Journal

"Sanders offers a literary analysis of informational childrens books. The well-researched and insightful book is required reading for those interested in childrens literature." CHOICE

Author Bio

Joe Sutliff Sanders is professor of English at Kansas State University. He is author of Disciplining Girls: Understanding the Origins of the Classic Orphan Girl Story and editor of The Comics of Herg: When the Lines Are Not So Clear.