ABSTRACT
The authors explore how the field of children’s literature is currently experiencing a justice-oriented turn centered on the promises and possibilities of making a better world through children’s literature (Bomer & Bomer, 2001; Rodríguez & Swalwell, 2022). This chapter provides a closer look at this next-generation scholarship and highlights the relationship between children’s literature research focused on content analyses, classroom practice, and teacher preparation. The authors focus on three distinct areas of inquiry shaping the field: (a) content analysis of children’s literature; (b) classroom instruction of children’s literature, and (c) children’s literature teacher preparation and development.
