Easy and Early Readers in Children’s Literature and Culture: New Approaches to Theorizing Books for Beginning Readers
Call for Proposals for
Easy and Early Readers in Children’s Literature and Culture: New Approaches to Theorizing Books for Beginning Readers (tentative title)
deadline for submissions:
August 1, 2026
full name / name of organization:
Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University and Annette Wannamaker, Eastern Michigan University
contact email:
We are seeking chapter proposals for a new interdisciplinary volume that continues the scholarly work energized by The Early Reader in Children’s Literature and Culture: Theorizing Books for Beginning Readers (2016), the first volume to consider books written and designed for children who are just beginning to read independently. Our award-winning collection was dedicated to showcasing research being done on beginner chapter books from across disciplines: “Using interdisciplinary approaches that draw upon and synthesize research being done in education, child psychology, sociology, cultural studies, and children’s literature, the volume visits Early Readers from a variety of angles: as teaching tools; as cultural artifacts that shape cultural and individual subjectivity; as mass produced products sold to a niche market of parents, educators, and young children; and as aesthetic objects, works of literature and art with specific conventions.” This is once again our goal but with the added benefit of being able to build off of the scholarly conversation that emerged following the publication of the first book. This new edited collection will work to highlight the growth in quantity, quality, and diversity (domestic and international) of beginner chapter books and associated scholarship over the last decade while also acknowledging the formal ways in which Easy Readers (i.e., Hi Fly Guy, Ty Travels, Elephant and Piggy series) are distinct from Early Readers (i.e., Anna Hibiscus, JoJo Makoons, Dory Fantasmagory series).
We are open to a variety of organizing threads (author, series, subject matter, genre, etc) and theoretical approaches, though we are limiting our selections to literary scholarship in MLA style. Some project suggestions include critical studies of Easy and/or Early Readers and:
*genre
*authors or series
*form (verse and graphic novels in particular)
*nonfiction
*literacy
*crossover series (i.e., The Questioneers) and crossover authors (i.e., Kate DiCamillo)
*non-picturebook Geisel Award winners
*multi-authored series (i.e., The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class)
*contemporary trends
*global trends
*translation and reception
*constructions of Place
*series vs. stand alone books
*updates (i.e., Young Amelia Bedelia) and adaptations (i.e., the Netflix film Ivy and Bean)
*illustrations
*histories of Easy Readers
We’re especially interested in scholarship that engages popular Easy and Early Reader authors such as Katherine Applegate, Uma Krishnaswami, Kate DiCamillo, Nikki Grimes, Lenore Look, Melissa Thompson, J. Dillard, Kelly Starling Lyons, Mo Willems, Lyla Lee, Dawn Quigley, Annie Barrows, Dav Pilkey, Atinuke, Juana Medina, Abby Hanlon, Kwame Alexander, Aaron Reynolds, Shannon Hale, Angela Dominguez, Henry Winkler, Norm Feuti, Herman Parish, Monica Brown, Greg Pizzoli, Debbi Michiko Florence, Alma Flor Ada, Jennifer Torres, Melissa Iwai, Kate Messner, Lauren Child, Zetta Elliott, Cece Bell, Megan McDonald, and Karen English. However, we are also looking for strong work that explores popular beginner chapter books from around the world.
Proposals must be submitted to miskecjm@longwood.edu by August 1, 2026, a single PDF document that includes:
—A 500-800 word abstract outlining the proposed chapter’s focus, key arguments, primary and secondary sources, relevance to the volume, and 5-7 keywords.
—A brief (100–200 words) bio including institutional affiliation (if applicable) and relevant publications or experience.
Completed chapters will be 5000-6000 words and written for a broad academic audience in an accessible style, the due date for which will be in Early 2027.