This book is a comprehensive and thorough introduction to children's and
young adult literature in English language education. Reading is
promoted as central to language education in order to experience
perspectives from around the world, and the book demonstrates the many
opportunities for teaching with compelling story, encouraging an active
and engaged community of second language readers through challenging
picturebooks, motivating graphic novels, dynamic plays, enchanting verse
novels and compelling young adult fiction. Using many examples of
literary texts that are well suited to the primary or secondary
classroom, the book focuses on the advantages of deep reading and the
vital importance of in-depth learning. In-depth learning is an approach
that involves the students as motivated participants, working
collaboratively and with empathy while preparing for and confronting the
challenges of the 21st century. Illustrating the approach with a Deep
Reading Framework based in research and theory, Janice Bland guides the
reader to discover and learn how to make use of literary texts in a way
that challenges students to become involved in interculturality,
creativity and critical literacy. Throughout the book the emphasis is on
an approach that puts the reader and language learner in the centre -
not a study of literature but a study of how readers learn through
compelling story.