CfP for anthology chapters on
Insects in children’s and young adult (YA) literature
The most iconic bug in children’s literature must be Eric Carles’ The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969), a book that has been translated into more than 60 languages and published in a wide range of forms and formats. Reading the story with a child, one of the editors of this proposed volume gained a startling new perspective on this classic tale: Expressing his love for the larva but flatly rejecting its metamorphosis into a butterfly, his interest was reserved for the gluttonous caterpillar. This call focusses on the roles of insects in texts for children and young adults, and on interpretations of these creatures by children, young adults, and adults alike. In a series of historical examples, Simon Leather (2018) argues that whereas insects in books for adults tend to be pests, “books for children that feature insects do tend to cast them in a favourable light, what is at fault tends to be the representation of insect anatomy and biology” (on the part of the illustrator). Does this general observation hold up to more sustained scrutiny?
CfP & International Conference: Childhood and the Female Pen
Women Writers and Translators for Children and Young Adults in Britain and Europe from the 18th to the 21st Centuries
Children’s literature, which has been marginalised since its emergence in Britain in the mid-18th century, remained largely the preserve of female authors as long as it stayed on the margins, with the exception of authors of canonical works such as Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, J.M. Barrie, A.A. Milne, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Edith Nesbit for instance, who published most of her work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — the same period during which Rudyard Kipling, J.M. Barrie and Kenneth Grahame published their now-canonised masterpieces, respectively The Jungle Books (1894-95), Peter Pan (1904/1911) and The Wind in the Willows (1908). Nesbit, one of many authors of children’s literature whose pen name (E. Nesbit) concealed her female identity, was the subject of several biographies and monographs in the 1950s and 60s, significantly written by women – Noel Streatfeild, Anthea Bell, Doris Moore, and Julia Briggs, has almost fallen into oblivion today, even though her influence on contemporary children’s fiction has proved decisive.
More than a century after the success of The Railway Children (1905), and now that children’s literature has eventually reached ‘maturity’1 and legitimacy, it is on the verge of being dominated quantitatively by men. Among Young Adult novels from the late 20th and early 21st centuries, for example, male authors tend to outnumber female authors. Yet, among British novelists, there have always been some talented women writers who deserve more critical attention than they have received, from Sarah Fielding (sister of Henry Fielding) with The Governess; The Little Female Academy (1749) to authors of recent decades, such as Diana Wynne Jones, Geraldine McCaughrean, Frances Hardinge, Meg Rosoff or Kiran Millwood Hargrave. To a certain extent, the genre of children’s literature, whose theory has been “bound up with sex”, according to Peter Hunt, might be repositioning itself in the twenty-first century, as the female “is redefined, rewritten, reasserted” and the “hierarchical male structure [is] replaced by the holistic female structure”2.
This conference on the place of women in children’s writing in Britain and Europe will also explore the case of women who have translated for the young. Translation is a highly gendered activity, as is writing for children. Often considered the ancillary activity par excellence despite its intrinsic creativity3, it has in many cases served as a catalyst for the affirmation of the female voice through writing for young people.4 Gillian Lathey has forcefully shown that the woman translator of children’s books has either been one of Venuti’s “invisible translators” (1995) – indeed, “the most transparent of all” (2010, 5)5 – or, in the words of the translator of Grimm’s fairy tales into English and prolific Victorian author for children, Mary Howitt, a “traveller, keen language learner, and assertive professional” (97).
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CfP: Two Decades of Innovation and Influence
Polish Picturebooks
Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature is seeking contributions for aspecial issue highlighting Polish picturebooks published in the years 2008-2026.
In anticipation of the 2027 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which will spotlight Polish literature, this special issue will explore the vibrant landscape of Polish picturebooks published between 2008 and 2026. The year 2008 marked a significant moment in theinternational recognition of Polish children’s literature, when Tuwim. Poems for Children, illustrated by Marta Ignerska, Monika Hanulak, Anna Niemierko and others, received theBologna Ragazzi Award (Poetry category).
Over the past two decades, Poland has witnessed a remarkable surge in picturebook artistry, marked by visual experimentation, innovative narrative strategies, and engagement with diverse social and cultural themes. Polish authors, illustrators, and publishers have gained growing international visibility and recognition, establishing their works as significant contributions to contemporary children’s literature. This special issue aims to provide critical perspectives on these developments, highlighting selected titles, illustrators, and authors, and situate Polish picturebooks within broader comparative frameworks, examining their dialogue with European and global picturebook traditions.
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CfP: Tremate, tremate le streghe son tornate!
Hexen in der Populärkultur – Figuren und Narrative
Im Herbst 1996 startete die TV-Serie Sabrina, the Teenage Witch auf ABC Dieses kleine Jubiläum wollen wir nutzen, um uns in einer interdisziplinär ausgerichteten Tagung mit den vielfältigen, stetig changierenden Hexenbildern in der Populärkultur zu befassen. Sabrina bietet sich als Ausgangspunkt an, weil sie einerseits Teil des von Rachel Moseley 2002 als «glamourous witchcraft» (vgl. Moseley 2003) bezeichneten Phänomens ist, das anhand der Figur der jungen Hexe Magie, Feminismus und Weiblichkeit zusammenzuführen versucht. Diese Art der Hexendarstellung ist für die späten 1990er Jahre prägend und wird in der TV-Serie Charmed (1998) oder in den Filmen The Craft (1996) und Practical Magic (1998) verbreitet.
Andererseits, weil die Hexe Sabrina schon ab den 1960er Jahren in den Archie-Comics und einer Animationsserie auftritt und ab 2018 auch mit The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ein Remake erfährt (vgl. Mathis, Graves und Tyndall 2023). Der letzte Titel verweist auf eine Tendenz, die sich ab den 2010er Jahren wieder deutlicher manifestiert, indem die dunkle, gefährliche Seite der Hexe, die lange prägend war, wieder in den Vordergrund rückt. Ein Trend, der sich auch in den TV-Serien Salem (2014), American Horror Story mit der Staffel Coven (2013) oder im Film The VVitch. A New England Folktale (2015) niederschlägt (vgl. Corcoran 2022; Ho 2021; Johnston und Aloi 2007; Heller-Nicholas 2024; Greene 2018). Diese Beispiele zeigen, dass die Hexenbilder untereinander im Austausch stehen, auf kulturelle Deutungsmuster rekurrieren, auf soziale, religiöse und wirtschaftliche Veränderungen der Gesellschaft reagieren (vgl. Blécourt 2017; Stephens 2020). Das nehmen wir als Gelegenheit, die vielfältigen Metamorphosen der Gestalt der Hexe in den letzten 250 Jahren seit dem Ende der gerichtlich sanktionierten Hexenverfolgungen zu betrachteten. Dabei sind wir uns bewusst, dass viele der heute verbreiteten Elemente des Hexenimaginationen eine zeitlich wesentlich weiter zurückreichende Geschichte aufweisen als die eingangs erwähnte Sabrina. Erinnert sei an die sexualisierten Hexendarstellungen bei Hans Baldung Grien oder Albrecht Dürer, oder an Quellen aus der Zeit der Hexenverfolgung wie der Wickiana oder dämonologische Schriften aus dem 15. und 16. Jahrhundert (vgl. Hinz und Brinkmann 2007; Hults 2005). In den Märchen – nicht nur bei den Brüdern Grimm – nehmen Hexen eine wichtige Rolle als hässliche, dämonische Antagonistinnen ein. Vorgezeichnet im 19. Jahrhundert (Michelet 1862), findet die Vorstellung der Hexe als Anhänger:in eines heidnischen (Fruchtbarkeits-)Kultes im 20. Jahrhundert durch die Entstehung von Wicca und verwandten neureligiösen Gruppen Aufschwung (vgl. z.B. Hutton 1999; Magliocco 2004; Hegner 2019). Diese unterschiedlichen Elemente formieren in sich stetig ändernder Zusammensetzung das Bild der Hexe. Daraus lässt sich schliessen, dass DIE Hexe nicht existiert – vielmehrwerden je nach Zeit- oder Sprachraum, literarischem Genre und Alter der intendierten Adressat:innen unterschiedliche Hexendarstellungen favorisiert. Ob als dämonisierte Aussenseiterin, naturverbundene Heilerin oder Symbol weiblicher (menschlicher) Selbstermächtigung, fungiert die Hexe stets als Projektionsfläche.Die geplante, interdisziplinär ausgerichtete Tagung nimmt Hexenbilder und Hexennarrative in ihrer historischen, sozialen und kulturellen Gewachsenheit in den Blick und fragt nach deren medialer, ästhetischer und/oder ideologischer Konstruktion.
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CfP for Seminar
Energy perspectives on children’s and YA literature
Time & place: 26-27 November 2026, in Bergen (Norway)
You are invited to submit an abstract for a paper to a conference / works in progress seminar on “energy perspectives on children’s and YA literature” in Bergen, Norway, hosted by the research group NaChiLitCul, at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL).
Have you ever paused to consider the energy infrastructure supporting the adventures of Anne in Lucy Mongomery’s Anne of Green Gables (1908)? As an avid walker, Anne probably has a relatively low carbon footprint. Over a century later, in Maja Lunde’s The End of the Ocean (2017), struggles over energy development has become a central literary topic, underscoring the message of the UN Secretary General António Guterres, who at COP 30 urged that “The fossil fuel age is ending. Clean energy is rising. Let us make the transition fair, fast, and final" (United Nations, 2025).
In its broadest sense, energy is “that which can make something happen” (Bøe, 2025, our translation) and “energy” is here understood both as the energy infrastructure used to power modern societies and as what Synne Movik and Jeremy Alloche (2020) has termed “energy imaginaries”, which include “the set of institutions, logics, values, and visions that spur ideas around what sources of energy and forms of energy governance best foster development” (p. 1). This definition includes energy in the form of thoughts, ideas, and the actions of humans or other living beings.
Drawing on perspectives from the energy humanities, and, like Heidi C. M. Scott in Fuel: An Ecocritical History (2018), this CfP takes a broad view of energy cultures, and invites mapping and discussion of the energy imaginaries in children’s and young adult literature that surround not just petrocultures but also energy sources like hydro-, wind-, nuclear and solar power, asking: How are energy imaginaries present and presented in fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults?
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Call for Abstracts: Transporting Childhood through Play
The Making of the World in Board Games, 19th-21st centuries
“By transporting us to these tropical and transoceanic regions that we were so often already imagining, the beautiful images in this game allow us to see, so to speak, the beautiful sights of these countries brought to life.”
With these words, the game Dans les colonies (1900) invites young players to a vicarious experience of colonialism. The cards inside the box bear witness to the circulation of games and the ideas they conveyed throughout Western Europe and North America: the name of each region is written in German, while the rules are translated into approximate French. From versions of 'Around the World in 80 Days' to board games featuring explorers, tourists, cyclists or motorists setting out to discover the wonders of the globe, games offering playful versions of geographical exploration became increasingly popular from the 19th century onwards.
These games illustrate the convergence of several major trends that developed in 19th-century Europe and continue to influence the 20th and 21st centuries: the massification of school education, with a particular emphasis, in France, on the teaching of geography after the defeat of 1870, and a growing interest in innovative teaching methods; the massive development of visual culture, with important technical advances such as lithography and chromolithography; the development of means of transport that transformed the relationship to global space; strong political investment in imperialist and colonial enterprises; and the mobilization of children in international conflicts, from the First World War to the Cold War. From the rise of colonization in the 19th century to contemporary globalisation, this issue will examine how games (board games, lotto, card games, puzzles, paper cut-out figures, and miniature theaters) bring the world within reach of players through illustrated material media. Although numerous studies have already analysed video games from postcolonial perspectives, analog games remain relatively understudied in this regard. Taking a long-term historical perspective, this issue will pay particular attention to recent games such as Settlers of Catan (1996), renamed Catan in 2015, in light of older examples. This broad chronolgy will allow us to assess the critical positioning that has developed in board games since the 1990s.
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(Quelle: Aussendung)
CFP: Digital Childhoods – New Online Magazine From the Society for the History of Children and Youth
The Society for the History of Children and Youth is excited to introduce its new online magazine Digital Childhoods. A companion to the society’s peer-reviewed Journal for the History of Childhood and Youth (JHCY), Digital Childhoods offers a more informal and free-form space for sharing ideas and discoveries in the field. They hope this online space will grow to be a lively and accessible place that you will return to regularly.
There are currently three sections to the magazine:
Childish Things is an online gallery of objects that tell us something about childhood and youth around the world, from all periods of history. Each object or image has been chosen by a historian, curator or artist – sometimes from public museums and archives, and sometimes from their own lives and personal collections.
The Interview feature is an opportunity to hear more about the people and process behind articles in the JHCY. They discuss how authors discovered their topics, their frustrations and joys in writing, and hear their tips for researchers.
The Reviews section casts a considered eye onto works of contemporary public history, art, literature, podcasts, and more that deal with themes of youth and childhood.
Please do share the link to Digital Childhoods with others and consider contributing.
The Society for the History of Children and Youth cannot wait to hear your ideas!
Contact Information: Alice Sage and Hannah Stamler digitalchildhoods@shcy.org)
https://shcydigitalchildhoods.org/dir/
(Quelle: Homepage kinderundjugendmedien)
CfP: Encyclopedia Entries – Canonical Children's Texts and Authors
The Children’s Literature Group is currently interested in proposals for entries on texts, authors, illustrators, editors, and librarians often considered canonical, crucial to historical study of children’s literature, and taught in college courses.
Possible Topics:
- Beverly Cleary
- Arnold Lobel
- Augusta Baker
- Beatrix Potter
- Dr. Seuss
- Eric Carle
- Mildred D. Taylor
- Eric Kimmel
- Robert Munsch
- Margaret Wise Brown
- Ezra Jack Keats
- Jon Scieszka
- Jane Yolen
For more information or to propose an entry, email Dainy Bernstein at dainybernstein@gmail.com.
Include: person or text of proposed entry, your CV a writing sample.
The Literary Encyclopedia publishes biographies of writers, illustrators, editors, librarians, etc.; scholarly descriptions of significant texts; and essays on literary, cultural, historical, and social contexts in which this writing was produced.
(Quelle: kinderundjugendmedien.de)