Discussions of classic children's stories and contemporary works appear more frequently in literary journals not exclusively devoted to teacher education. For example, the 2000 Modern Language Association Conference included five panels devoted to children's literature, featuring papers addressing such issues as multiculturalism and ethnic identity in children's literature, childhood and material culture, ethnography in children's literature, reflections of history in literature written for children, and abridging adult novels for younger audiences. More and more, teachers are using literature written specifically for younger audiences as a means for examining moral and ethical issues at the primary and secondary level. The study of literature designed for students in the primary and secondary classrooms also draws attention to the connection between reading and writing. Educators at all levels continue to promote the integration of reading and writing in literature and language arts classrooms.
Literature provides students with a powerful context in which to write and to learn about writing.
The study of literature written for children and young adults provides themes that interact and intersect with the goals, desires, visions, moral, and values of children and young adults. Writing unites literature and the student's immediate world. Our special issue addresses the breadth of the CEA mission. This issue of CEA Critic will consider, from multiple perspectives, texts written specifically for children and adolescents. We will examine more than merely those aspects of literature written for children and adolescents that have already emerged as an important field for literary scholars. and adolescents.