Found this old picture of my son when he was two, reading in the rocker in his room. Couldn't resist posting it here. He still loves books - mostly nonfiction.
I have named this blog, Children's Literature Is For More than Just Reading and was the original title of thebook that a colleague and I are writing. Its premise is that children's and young adult literature should not be used primarily to teach reading, but for much more than that-- enjoyment, appreciation and a focus on the aesthetics of books for young people should be the major purpose for reading children's books.
I am a lover of children's and young adult books, and especially enjoy soaking up the visual qualities of picture books. I am a professor at National-Louis University working with teachers at the Master's level, a writer and a mixed media artist.