ABSTRACT
Children’s literature is ubiquitous across elementary school curricula, especially within language arts and literacy education. Its educational advantages are taken as axiomatic, with children’s reading practice framed by default in didactic terms. Perhaps this focus explains why until now, there has not been a comprehensive critique of the politics and social dynamics surrounding the role of children’s literature in schools. Aiming to fill this gap, this chapter offers a consideration of some factors, networks, and power relations that affect the many uses, misuses, and abuses of children’s literature within the school context.
