Distinguished by its multidisciplinary approach, this landmark Handbook is the first to bring together leading scholarship on children's and young adult literature from three intersecting disciplines: Education, English, and Library and Information Science.

This landmark volume is the first to bring together leading scholarship on children's and young adult literature from three intersecting disciplines: Education, English, and Library and Information Science. Distinguished by its multidisciplinary approach, it describes and analyzes the different aspects of literary reading, texts, and contexts to illuminate how the book is transformed within and across different academic figurations of reading and interpreting children's literature. Part one considers perspectives on readers and reading literature in home, school, library, and community settings. Part two introduces analytic frames for studying young adult novels, picturebooks, indigenous literature, graphic novels, and other genres. Chapters include commentary on literary experiences and creative production from renowned authors and illustrators. Part three focuses on the social contexts of literary study, with chapters on censorship, awards, marketing, and literary museums. The singular contribution of this Handbook is to lay the groundwork for colleagues across disciplines to redraw the map of their separately figured worlds, thus to enlarge the scope of scholarship and dialogue as well as push ahead into uncharted territory.

"Overall, this is an indispensible collection for any educator, scholar, librarian, reader, or writer who is looking to expand her understanding of the varied perspectives of children's and young adult literature."-Children's Literature in Education "The editors of this useful volume successfully bridge the disciplinary divisions that run through much of the scholarship on children's literature. The volume includes essays by scholars in education, English, and library and information science; these diverse contributors stress the value of taking an interdisciplinary approach to the study of children's literature."-Children's Literature Association Quarterly "There is absolutely no valid reason not to own this book or have ready access to it at your institution."--The Learning Assistance Review "Wolf and her fellow editors present a great deal of excellent material that will prove helpful to those embarking on their own study of the subject. Highly recommended." -- Choice