Episode 91 - Children's and Young Adult Literature: An Introduction

Edu Headline Roundup – 8/17/23

This headline roundup this week covers West Virginia University’s plan to make deep cuts to academic programming, Arkansas’s moves regarding the College Board’s AP African American Studies course, the Biden admin’s new K-12 Cybersecurity efforts, and everything you need to know about KKR’s acquisition of Simon & Schuster.

Children’s and Young Adult Literature: Transforming Young Lives With Timeless Stories

Children’s and young adult literature (YAL) is a thriving industry, with thousands of new titles being published every year. In this episode, we take a look at the history of the industry from the time of its earliest architects (such as Enlightenment philosopher John Locke, if you can believe it) to the present day. We’ll also explore the ways in which modern readers are changing the publishing landscape, including with e-books, audiobooks, graphic novels, manga, and more. Bonus content: learn about the Guggenheim family’s connection to Jackson Pollock and why those web CAPTCHAs are so annoying.

Sources & Resources:

WVU – WVU announces preliminary recommendations, Academic Transformation next steps

Wordsrated – Young Adult Book Sales Statistics by Dimitrije Curcic

The New Yorker – S. E. Hinton and the Y.A. Debate by Jon Michaud

National Women’s History Museum – Louisa May Alcott by Arlisha R. Norwood, NWHM Fellow | 2017

Artnet News – Jackson Pollock Moonlit as the Guggenheim’s Maintenance Man—and 4 Other Unlikely Side Jobs Famous Artists Once Held at New York Museums by Annikka Olsen

Publishers Weekly – A Brief History of Picture Books by Leonard S. Marcus

ABC News – AP African American studies canceled by Arkansas officials just before school begins by Kiara Alfonseca

The New York Times – Judge Blocks a Merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster by Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris

British Library – A Little Pretty Pocket-Book

Britannica – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland novel by Carroll by Cathy Lowne and Pat Bauer

Smithsonian Magazine – Why Louisa May Alcott’s ‘Little Women’ Endures by Alice George

The Atlantic – The Magazine That Helped 1920s Kids Navigate Racism by Anna Holmes

History.com – First Newbery Medal for children’s literature awarded to Hendrik Willem van Loon

The White House – Biden-⁠Harris Administration Launches New Efforts to Strengthen America’s K-12 Schools’ Cybersecurity

The Register – So much for CAPTCHA then – bots can complete them quicker than humans by Richard Currie