This course provides an introduction to children's literature, from pre-school nursery rhymes and picture books that are read to children, to the stories, myths, legends, and other tales that children read on their own in the elementary grades. Among the topics the course addresses are: origins and development of literature for children; major works, writers, and illustrators in its development; distinctive genres and their characteristics; nature and function of illustrations; social issues addressed in children's literature today; problematic aspects of contemporary children's literature; critical approaches to children's literature; and uses of children's literature in the elementary curriculum.