Camille Webb ENG252 Article Analysis

Bookbird is an academic journal that focuses on international childrens literature. It has

been in publication since 1963 and is published quarterly. Bookbird is published by John

Hopkins University on behalf of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).

The journal contains articles that cover a wide range of topics relating to international childrens

literature, but focuses on specific authors and illustrators of childrens literature, as well as what

constitutes childrens literature.

Many of the articles found in Bookbird highlight the work of specific authors and

illustrators. One such article is Suzy Lees Adventures in Picture book Land by Sungyup Lee.

Suzy Lee is a Korean artist who creates picture books that do not use any words. She combines

her illustrations and the physical elements of her books to create an impact and blur the

borders between reality and fantasy (Lee). The way that readers are changed after reading a

book is demonstrated by the characters in Lees books. The article tells us that the small

heroinesmature and their world becomes enriched. (Lee). Similarly, childrens perspectives

change and their interior world is stretched and expanded (Lee) after reading books.

In the world of childrens literature, there are many authors and illustrators that have an

impact on children and the way that they perceive literature. Just as Suzy Lees Adventures in

Picture book Land highlights how Suzy Lee uses her talents to present childrens literature in a

different form, Bookbird is full of articles that tell about such people. It is a journal that

recognizes that childrens literature is a different medium and there are people who are changing

that medium to better fit childrens needs.

Another topic discussed in Bookbird is how childrens literature, meaning writing that is

by children and for children, can be an important part of the learning process. In Writing Opens

Many Doors, by Andreja Blazic Klemenc, we learn about how one person was able to use
Camille Webb ENG252 Article Analysis

creative writing as a way to teach students how to develop and strengthen skills. Because writing

is an important part of the language learning process for children, (Klemenc) Slovenian

students were able to enter writing competitions in their native language as well as English. The

children developed their skills and grew more confident in their ability to use English. Bookbird

is a journal that focuses on international childrens writing, and so has articles that show the

relation between literature and childrens ability to learn.

At the very beginning of Writing Opens Many Doors, Klemenc states the purpose of

the article: to report on my experiences teaching creative writing She then goes on to

establish the importance of this topic by telling how creative writing impacts childrens learning

and enables learning and creativity in children. While the research is not presented in the way

that one might expect, the article shows qualitative research through the experiences of one

teacher. At the conclusion of her article, Klemenc reestablishes the importance of her topic by

saying that writing is the vehicle which enables [students] to open up and express themselves

more freely, (Klemenc).

The third most common topic of Bookbird articles is the under-representation of

childrens voices in a division of literature that is meant for them. Mary Branley describes her

experiences helping children to write in Writing with Children: From Teacher to Writer. At the

very beginning of the article, Branley establishes her authority by telling of her experience both

with publishing and teaching children. Branley noticed the lack of books written, illustrated, and

designed by children in the field of childrens literature. And so, she began a project with a class

of children to write and publish a book. She wanted to have a story that was written without

censorship; the children conducted all of the necessary research, developed the characters, and

revised their work.

Camille Webb ENG252 Article Analysis

Just as Klemenc did, Branley presents evidence of research in the form of a retelling of a

personal experience. Research about childrens literature was not done in a lab, but in a

classroom. The students interacted with their teacher to produce true childrens literature.

Branley concludes the article by saying that, It is time for childrens literature to include writers

and artists who are children themselves. (Branley). That sentence perfectly sums up one of the

focuses of Bookbird to give children more of a voice in a medium that is directed at them.

Bookbird values research questions about the different types of childrens literature and

how it impacts childrens learning. The research is done informally and evidence is framed as the

retelling of an experience from a specific person. The authors of articles typically frame their

evidence more as qualitative than any quantitative research. It is not research in the way that is

expected it is research that is done while in the middle of an experience. They might not set out

with a specific goal in mind, but the authors of Bookbird articles recognize their findings and

write personal accounts. Most of it is not explicitly stated, but can be inferred while reading the

articles.

In addressing the work of other scholars, authors of Bookbird articles are respectful and

supportive. Most of the evidence comes from personal experience, but the authors recognize and

give credit to other scholars when addressing certain subjects. There are few citations throughout

the articles, but they are present when it makes sense for them to be so.

Overall, Bookbird is an academic journal that uses personal experiences to research what

childrens literature is and the impact that it can have. The articles cover topics ranging all over

the field of international childrens literature; specific authors and illustrators, how writing

impacts the learning process, and how childrens voices can be better represented. It is not a

research journal with charts and graphs, but it shows real-life application of ideas.
Camille Webb ENG252 Article Analysis

Sources

Lee, Sungyup. "Suzy Lee's Adventures in Picture Book Land." Bookbird: A Journal of
International Children's Literature 54.4 (2016): 17-21. ProQuest. Web. 18 May 2017.

Klemenc, Andreja Blazic. "Writing Opens Many Doors." Bookbird: A Journal of International
Children's Literature 55.2 (2017): 56-59. ProQuest. Web. 17 May 2017.

Branley, Mary. "Writing with Children: From Teacher to Writer." Bookbird: A Journal of
International Children's Literature 55.2 (2017): 64-67. ProQuest. Web. 17 May 2017.