ABOUT THE JOURNAL
The Journal of Children's Literature is a refereed journal devoted to teaching and scholarship for the field of children's literature. It is the product of the Children's Literature Assembly of NCTE and is published twice annually.
To join CLA and subscribe to the Journal of Children's Literature, visit our Membership Page or click on the membership links below. |
Journal MissionThe Journal of Children’s Literature, a refereed publication of the Children’s Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, explores issues of current concern to scholars in the field of children’s literature, librarians, and classroom teachers—preschool through middle school. As a peer-reviewed professional publication, the Journal of Children’s Literature features research-based and scholarly articles that explore contemporary issues that are of interest to elementary and middle grade teachers, scholars and researchers of children’s literature, teacher educators, and librarians. It also recognizes the diversity of methodologies and theories and seeks critical perspectives on issues related to race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, dis/ability, language and other similar topics in children’s literature
We value the unique position JCL occupies in the field, bridging theory and practice by publishing research-based and theoretical manuscripts that have immediate implications for the ways in which children’s literature is shared in elementary and middle grade classrooms, and discussed in communities outside the classroom. With the November 2015 approval of NCTE’s “Resolution on the Need for Diverse Children’s and Young Adult Books, JCL is committed to the recognition of diverse voices, the support of emerging IBPOC scholars and researchers, and to excellence in interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the field of children’s literature. We therefore welcome submissions that center literature studies in relation to issues of social justice, and equity, the representations of populations that have been historically marginalized or under-represented in children’s texts and culture, as well as the intersections between popular culture and identity. Current Editors
We are professors of education, literacy, and children’s and young adult literature whose professional work centers on issues of social justice, the representations of populations that have been historically marginalized or under-represented in children’s texts and culture, and the intersection between popular culture and identity. Our work is grounded in theories of reader response, critical multiculturalism, and culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies, and is informed by research and scholarship in education, literary and cultural studies. 
|
Join or Renew today!
Join/Renew Online CONTACT JCL'S EDITORS JOURNAL METRICS Acceptance Rate: 8-10% Indexed in EBSCO, ERIC ADVERTISING INQUIRIESAdvertising inquiries may be addressed to: JCL Editors at JCL@childrensliteratureassembly.org
Full cover $250 Full page $195 1/2 page. $135 Island 1/2 page $135 SPECIAL CONTENTVertical Divider
|
Incoming Editors
First Issue (Spring 2023)
Dr. Caitlin L. Ryan University of North Carolina Wilmington |
Dr. Jill M. Hermann-Wilmarth Western Michigan University |
Dr. Laura M. Jiménez Boston University |
Dr. Craig A. Young Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania |
We are living in a time when children’s literature is making headlines more than perhaps ever before. To meet this moment, supporters of readers and reading need to be organized, educated, and vocal. That means the field of children’s iterature needs clear, accessible, high quality, published research. Journals that publish such research have the potential to supply accurate, meaningful knowledge and data related to literature for young people for the public, while also illustrating the broader possible questions, perspectives, and conclusions scholars of this literature might come to through their studies, regardless of media headlines. In other words, we envision a theory-into-practice focus where research into and analysis of literature is valued, especially where it’s presented in or alongside connections to reading, readers, and teaching practice to support practitioners.
Spring 2023 (Due August 30, 2022 )
Open Call
We are living in a time when children’s literature is making headlines more than perhaps ever before. To meet this moment, supporters of readers and reading need to be organized, educated, and vocal. That means the field of children’s literature needs clear, accessible, high quality, published research. In this open-themed issue, we invite researchers and educators to submit original, theoretical or empirical research papers and alternatively-formatted submissions on all aspects of children’s literature, including middle grades literature.
We invite authors to consider topics such as the following:
We are especially interested in manuscripts that have the potential to supply accurate, meaningful knowledge related to literature for young people for educators and the public at large in addition to work that helps deepen our understanding of our field. Research into and analysis of literature is valued, particularly where it is presented in or alongside a more direct connection to reading, readers, and teaching to support practitioners. We look forward to curating articles that tackle big ideas, guide practice in strategic and more imaginative ways, and offer cutting-edge direction to the field of children’s literature.
We are living in a time when children’s literature is making headlines more than perhaps ever before. To meet this moment, supporters of readers and reading need to be organized, educated, and vocal. That means the field of children’s literature needs clear, accessible, high quality, published research. In this open-themed issue, we invite researchers and educators to submit original, theoretical or empirical research papers and alternatively-formatted submissions on all aspects of children’s literature, including middle grades literature.
We invite authors to consider topics such as the following:
- How books affect or are affected by the contexts in which they are read, taught, enjoyed, or otherwise used
- Whose voices are privileged or marginalized across genres and formats
- Ways literature influences readers and learners throughout their educational experiences
- How children’s literature is shared in classrooms and the challenges, successes, or new understandings that arise
- How various theoretical lenses inform and expand our understanding of particularly titles, themes, and movements in children’s literature
- Other explorations into children’s literature in and across research, teaching, and publishing
We are especially interested in manuscripts that have the potential to supply accurate, meaningful knowledge related to literature for young people for educators and the public at large in addition to work that helps deepen our understanding of our field. Research into and analysis of literature is valued, particularly where it is presented in or alongside a more direct connection to reading, readers, and teaching to support practitioners. We look forward to curating articles that tackle big ideas, guide practice in strategic and more imaginative ways, and offer cutting-edge direction to the field of children’s literature.
MANUSCRIPT GUIDELINES
Manuscripts should not exceed 20 double-spaced, typed pages (excluding references and tables). Use APA (7th edition) format. Please include an abstract of approximately 50–150 words at the beginning of the manuscript. If the manuscript contains samples of student work, photographs of students working, charts, diagrams, or other visuals, include scans upon submission; originals will be requested upon acceptance. (Permission must be secured for samples of student work and photographs of students.) Author’s name, mailing address, telephone number, fax number, email address, and school/professional affiliation should be on a separate cover page. The author’s name or any reference that would enable a reviewer to know who the author is should not appear on the manuscript.
If the submission is to a themed issue, please indicate in the cover letter the themed issue for which the manuscript is being submitted. Manuscripts will not be sent out for peer review until all information is provided. Each submitted manuscript will be screened by each editor. Any manuscript that is selected for peer review will be reviewed by at least two members of the editorial board.. Decisions will be made within 8–12 weeks of publication of the journal issue for which the submission was made. Only electronic submissions will be accepted.
Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Children’s Literature should not be under review for publication elsewhere. In addition, manuscripts should not have been previously published in another journal.
Please submit all manuscripts to the JCL editors at jcl@childrensliteratureassembly.org
If the submission is to a themed issue, please indicate in the cover letter the themed issue for which the manuscript is being submitted. Manuscripts will not be sent out for peer review until all information is provided. Each submitted manuscript will be screened by each editor. Any manuscript that is selected for peer review will be reviewed by at least two members of the editorial board.. Decisions will be made within 8–12 weeks of publication of the journal issue for which the submission was made. Only electronic submissions will be accepted.
Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Children’s Literature should not be under review for publication elsewhere. In addition, manuscripts should not have been previously published in another journal.
Please submit all manuscripts to the JCL editors at jcl@childrensliteratureassembly.org
Information Coming Soon
Information coming soon
SCHOLAR'S COMMENTARY FROM THE
Spring 2022 Issue
|
CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS FROM THE
SPRING 2022 Issue
|
SAMPLE ARTICLES The gendered portrayal of inanimate characters
in children's books by T. Berry & J. Wilkins 
Journal of Children’s Literature, 43(2), pp. 4–15, 2017
Beyond Sanctioned Activism in Carl Hiaasen's
Flush: Sacrifice zones in realistic fiction by A. Panos 
Journal of Children’s Literature, 43(1), pp. 6–15, 2017
be who you are: Exploring representations of transgender children In Picturebooks
by A. Crawley 
Journal of Children’s Literature, 43(2), pp. 28–41, 2017
|
JCL COLUMNS2017 cla master class: Diverse nonfiction
children's literature in the university classroom by T. Crisp, A. Knezek & R. gardner 
2016 CLA Master class: Diverse children's
literature at the university by L. LianG, L. Parsons & T. Crisp 
2016 cla workshop: Diversity 2.0: Advocating for more than just diverse faces
By M. Koss & D. Johnson 
|