Children as Readers In Children’s Literature: The Power of Texts And The Importance of Reading ed. by Evelyn Arizpe and Vivienne Smith (review)

The collective volume Children as Readers in Children’s Literature: The Power of Texts and the Importance of Reading is the result of a series of workshops and conferences held at the University of Glasgow on eighteenth-century to contemporary texts for children and young adults in which the motifs of reading and of the reader play a central role. In the introduction, editors Evelyn Arizpe and Vivienne Smith point out that text is omnipresent in our society and that printed texts are read on paper alongside digital ones on screen. Literacy skills, thus, have become essential for almost every aspect of everyday life. In the digital age, technologies such as e-readers have raised awareness of the physicality of reading, calling for a critical reflection of forms and functions of reading. What is the role of literature in the context of new literacies? This is but one of the many questions addressed. Rather than presenting definitive analyses of one specific aspect, most contributions have workshop character, sharing preliminary results and opening up new perspectives for debate.

The essays approach the topic of reading from two different vantage points. Some look at the real-world readers and their perception; most, however, focus on the reader within the text. The function of books within books or of readers within books thus predominates. The difference between the two is not always apparent, and it takes careful reading to critically follow the argumentation. The individual contributions describe how books and reading protagonists are shown in children’s literature. They do so by exploring different genres, periods, or themes, such as love or intertextuality.

In the introduction, the editors observe that digital media (such as computers, mobile phones, or e-readers) hardly appear in contemporary children’s literature at all and that they are portrayed as threatening the romantic ideal of childhood.

The first contribution, “Everybody knew that books were dangerous” by Maria Nikolajeva, focuses on the cognitive and affective responses of child readers to specific representations of books, reading, and literature. Nikolajeva identifies different ways of presenting the motif of reading in books (e.g., negative connotations, avid readers as outsiders, absorption in fictional world). Like most other contributors, she shies away from drawing a conclusion or using her examples as a case in point but formulates stimulating questions to further research, in this case, about the difference in responses to literature in print or digital format. Nikolajeva’s essay convincingly demonstrates that it is well worth paying close attention to the motif of reading in children’s iterature.

Maureen A. Farell explores the function of books within stories: How does the fictional book influence the plot? Do characters draw knowledge or practical advice from books? In Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart trilogy, for example, the book plays a central role in the narrative and functions as a transitory border between two worlds. Kimberley Reynolds traces the image of the intellectual and reading protagonist, showing that it has changed over the years and is no longer bound to age, class, or gender. Mary Anne Wolpert and Morag Styles observe how diversifying reading practices nfluence readers’ expectations and underline the importance of taking into consideration the multi-moda and cross-generic nature of much of contemporary literature.

The volume shows different critical approaches to the topic of reading in children’s literature. The authors draw on various methods, ranging from close reading to empirical studies. While some add a historical dimension, others focus on one work or period, but all agree that the image of reading and the reader is constantly shifting. Interest in the possible effects of media change is a hallmark of the digital age. Do traditional models still apply? And how does the meaning of reading change? Peter Hunt concludes...