The Children’s Book Review | April 24, 2017
I recently paid a visit to the Worrisome Words Blog, a site where children’s literature specialist Dr. Jen Harrison (also a TCBR contributor) collects all of the wonderful and disparate ideas about children’s literature floating around in the heads of the academics and professionals she works with. For my guest article, I put together my thoughts on the current trends in children’s books and young adult novels. Here’s a teaser to get you started:
The trends in kids and teen literature ebb and flow, telling the story of current and past reading fashions. Occasionally it can get really exciting when there is a total plot twist that makes a distinct shift to the trajectory of the “reading trends” story—such as the uptake of graphic novels when Scholastic introduced the Graphix imprint in 2005.
Thanks to the grassroots organization We Need Diverse Books™, one of the latest and greatest progressions to be seen is the inclusion of literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people—this is certainly an onward and upward trend that must stay the course. Campaigns like “The Reading without Walls Challenge” from the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Gene Leun Yang, and Simon & Schuster’s new imprint Salaam Reads, are helping solidify this as more than just a trend—inclusion and diversity are a necessity that should become a fundamental part of any publishing groups’ line-up of work.
To read the complete article and learn more about my thoughts on the latest book trends for all ages (picture books, middle grade books, and young adult books), pop on over to the Worrisome Words Blog.
If you’re a children’s book enthusiast too, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the trends you’ve noticed hitting the shelves.