Search

In this article, the authors provide a synopsis of the 2014 Children's Literature Assembly (CLA) Workshop. The Workshop explored how fiction and nonfiction children's and young adult's literature create opportunities for in-depth learning in the content areas. Participants had the opportunity to hear the stories of authors and illustrators of fiction and nonfiction children's literature as they talked about creating books that explore science and mathematics concepts. The panel of presenters (Jennifer Brown, Kate Messner, Jon Scieszka, Jason Chin, Susan Stockdale, Melissa Stewart, Leslie Bulion, and Emily Jenkins) led participants on informative and entertaining excursions through their creative, inventive, and ingenious processes. Two master teachers (Kendall Donald and Emily Whitecotton) also shared curricular invitations for bringing these kinds of texts into practice in their fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms. Participants at the 2014 CLA Workshop were inspired by the work of these gifted authors and illustrators. While the audience learned about their unique approaches to creating books, they also came to see persistent themes shared in the writing. By the end of the workshop, audience members were able to walk away knowing more about a number of outstanding fiction and nonfiction K-8 titles. The teachers also introduced the audience to curricular invitations and offered valuable classroom strategies for gathering information and inspiration through these beautifully and thoughtfully crafted books.