Organised to show development in children's literature over time and across genres, this attractively illustrated intorductory guide looks at key British, American and Australian works, from picture books and texts for younger children, through to graphic novels and young adult fiction.

Modern children's literature is currently receiving much public and critical attention. Organized to show developments in children's literature over time and across genres, this attractively illustrated introductory guide looks at key British, American and Australian works, from picture books and texts for younger children, through to graphic novels and young adult fiction. Each chapter applies specific critical approaches, supported by explanatory boxed material and suggestions for further reading.

List of Contributors
List of Figures
Introduction
K. Reynolds
'Mother May I?' Jungian Readings of Classic Fantasy Fiction
S. Hancock
School Days: Change and Continuity in the School Story
P. Pinsent
Children and Families in Anglo-American Children's Literature from the 1920s to the 1960s
K.Reynolds
Happy Homes: Houses in Post-War Fantasy
S.Godek
Historical Fictions: Not Just a Thing of the Past
P.Bramwell
Literature of War
G.Lathey
Personal History and Collective Memory
G.Lathey
Intempeste Nocte: Uncanny Nights in Contemporary Adolescent Fiction
L.Sainsbury
Magic and Maturation in Fantasy
P.Bramwell
Telling the Time in Contemporary Children's Literature
L.Sainsbury
New Histories
P.Pinsent
The Socially Committed Novel
P. Pinsent
Reading Contemporary Picture Books
J.Graham
Stinking Fish and Bogies: Politics and Philosophy in the Work of Raymond Briggs
L.Sainsbury
Computers and the Internet in Contemporary Children's Literature
N.Applebaum
Bibliography
Index