history and criticism

"[This book theorizes] children's nonfiction as nonfictionfrom a literary perspective. [It also] explains how the genre speaks in unique ways to its young readers and how it invites them to the project of understanding. At the same time, it . . . lays out a series of techniques for analysis, which it then applies and nuances through extensive close readings and case studies of books published"--Provided by publisher.

"Reveals the diversity crisis in children's and young adult media as not only a lack of representation, but a lack of imagination"--Amazon.

"Explores every facet of wittiness, from its role in innovation to why puns demonstrate the essence of creativity . . . reasons that wit is both visual and verbal, physical and intellectual: there's the serendipitous wit of scientists, the crafty wit of inventors, the optical wit of artists, and the metaphysical wit of philosophers. Entertaining, illuminating, and entirely unique . . . shows how wit is much more than a sense of humor"--Provided by publisher.

"Presents a history of humor, from fart jokes on clay Sumerian tablets all the way up to the latest Twitter memes, that tells the story of how comedy came to rule the modern world."--OCLC.

Presents a narrative history and development of African-American children's literature from its origin to the present.

A guide to young adult literature that features authentic and teen-relatable information on healthy adolescent sexuality.

A guide to young adult literature dealing with sex and sexuality to assist public and school librarians in developing selection policies in the subject area and sharing the policy with teachers, parents, administrators, and teens. Includes reviews of more than one hundred books with ratings on sexual content, language, and violence, as well as recommended age levels and the usage of words that may spark controversy.

Examines the lack of accurate, nonjudgmental information about homosexuality found in young adult literature and identifies titles that deal with the issues gay and lesbian teens face on a day-to-day basis.