A New Literature Companion for Teachers (3rd Edition) by Lorraine McDonald

WINNER! — Educational Publishing Awards Australia 2023 Primary: Reference Resource

Children’s literature is in a golden age, with a never-before seen range of forms, modes and styles. This is exciting for teachers, who understand the power of literature to inspire readers and writers in the classroom. This brand-new, third edition of PETAA’s landmark text, A New Literature Companion, has been written to support and build teachers’ knowledge of how literature may be responded to, examined, interpreted, analysed, evaluated and created. Written in alignment with the latest version of the Australian Curriculum: English (v9) and including more than 80 mentor texts, this is a must-have for any initial teacher education (ITE) student or practising teacher library.

The book presents literary writing as both an art and a craft and explores aspects of the craft of writers’ artistry. Throughout the chapters, this text highlights the reciprocity of the reading-writing relationship, highlighting close reading and developed writing teaching and learning opportunities for teachers and students. There is a consistent focus on how language constructs meaning in texts.

This third edition includes a new chapter, Teaching mentor texts, which has been written in response to current teaching needs. The book expands its discussion of literary genres and now includes sections on Spiritual Realism, Magical Realism and Climate Sci-fi (or Cli-fi). The book now also examines Postmodern texts, Graphic, Verse novels, Manga, and renews its focus on Non-fiction. Figurative language and Poetry are now examined as a natural pair, and the book considers additional relevant examples for teachers from fiction and non-fiction prose. Chapter 6, Reading and viewing picturebooks, makes stronger links between verbal and visual texts to teach inferencing, interpretative and analytic reading skills.

Intended for pre-service teachers, early career educators, teacher librarians, classroom teachers, and literacy leaders.

Chapters

• Part 1: Introducing mentor texts
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Teaching mentor texts
• Part 2: Selecting mentor texts
  • 3. Literary genres: realism and fantasy
  • 4. Literary genres: innovation, alternative and non-fiction
  • 5. Figurative language and poetry
  • 6. Reading and viewing picturebooks
• Part 3: Engaging with mentor texts
  • 7. Literature and context
  • 8. Examining literature
  • 9. Responding to literature
  • 10. Evaluating literary texts Part 1 – How authors express attitudes
  • 11. Evaluating literary texts Part 2 – How authors engage readers
• Part 4: Crafting with mentor texts
  • 12. Building meaning through vocabulary
  • 13. Composing dialogue
  • 14. Composing description