The Allure of Authors: Author Studies in the Elementary Classroom

Readers of all ages seek out favorite authors. They do so because they are uplifted by an author's words, images, sounds, and stories. They do so because they are emotionally and intellectually nourished by these authors. They do so because they are intrigued by the life-literature connections that mark the works. According to Carol Jenkins, when we bring author studies into the classroom, we not only honor all of these fascinations, but also extend children's literary and literacy understandings.

In many classrooms, teachers approach author studies from one of three perspectives. Some teachers ask children to examine an author's work through the lens of his or her life. Others ask readers to explore the themes, the characters, the symbolism of an author's work. Still others invite children to respond in personal ways. In The Allure of Authors, Jenkins offers a model based on the best theoretical thinking that merges these three perspectives and encourages readers to respond aesthetically, biographically, and critically to an author's literature.

At the heart of this book are four author studies that Jenkins implemented with children at various grade levels, which span the genres of picture storybooks, chapter books, and nonfiction. Featured authors include Avi, Joanna Cole, Carolyn Coman, and Mem Fox. Suggested author studies are also included for Kathryn Lasky, Patricia Polacco, and Mildred Taylor. Each study illustrates the interconnect-edness of aesthetic, critical, and biographical response on the part of young readers and writers, and showcases the breadth and depth of their response. Based on the belief that the best author studies are those that unfold as children and teachers collaborate, each study finds its compass in constructive powers of the young mind rather than in preplanned units.

Illuminating the book are also the voices of the authors themselves. Avi, Joanna Cole, Carolyn Coman, and Kathryn Lasky share their probing insight about author studies.