Books Received

Catarina the Wise and Other Wondrous Sicilian Folk and Fairy Tales. By Giuseppa Pitrè. Edited and translated by Jack Zipes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017.

Giuseppa Pitrè was a respected European folklorist during his lifetime, but after his death in 1916 his work faded into obscurity. In this compilation of fifty Sicilian folk- and fairy tales that Pitrè had originally collected and published in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Jack Zipes introduces his work to contemporary readers. Zipes also provides a scholarly introduction to Pitrè's life and work.

Over the Hills and Far Away: The Life of Beatrix Potter. By Matthew Dennison. London: Head of Zeus, 2017.

Matthew Dennison's biography of Beatrix Potter focuses on the connections between her life and the picture books that she created. For readers who are interested in how Potter drew on her life experiences when creating her works for children, this biography is especially helpful. The book includes many of Potter's illustrations as well as photographs of some of her favorite people and places.

The Radio Boys and Girls: Radio, Telegraph and Wireless Adventures for Juvenile Readers, 1890–1945. By Mike Adams. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2016.

Mike Adams provides an overview of fifty examples of children's series fiction featuring wireless and radio technology. This book provides insights into how advances in technology can capture the public's imagination and shape children's popular culture.

Teaching Reading with YA Literature: Complex Texts, Complex Lives. By Jennifer Buehler. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 2016.

Writing for middle and high school teachers, Jennifer Buehler argues that young adult literature should be incorporated into English courses. She pays particular attention to how it can be used to transform a class into a community of readers.