Beginning with the earliest examples of children’s reading, such as the horn book in the medieval period, and concluding with the manuscript materials of contemporary illustrators including Shaun Tan, this course will traverse the material history of children’s literature.

Major areas of focus will include visually spectacular children’s books, such as pop-up and movable books, and key genres in the development of children’s literature, including fairy tales, school stories, and adventure fiction. In addition, this course will examine the important role of ephemeral types of print culture for young people, such as children’s magazines, annuals, and school papers.

AUD$500 (10% concession rate available for concession card holders)

Prospective attendees will be notified quickly of the outcome of the application, and successful applicants will be provided with a registration and payment link. Payment is required by 12 January 2024 to secure your place.

Michelle Smith is an Associate Professor in Literary Studies at Monash University, where she teaches courses about children’s literature and fairy tales. She is the author of three books, including From Colonial to Modern: Transnational Girlhood in Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand Children’s Literature, 1840-1940 (2018, with Clare Bradford and Kristine Moruzi) and Empire in British Girls’ Literature and Culture: Imperial Girls, 1880–1915 (2011). Michelle has also co-edited eight books about children’s literature and Victorian literature, including Literary Cultures and Nineteenth-Century Childhoods (2024) and The Edinburgh History of Children’s Magazines (2024).

Kristine Moruzi is an associate professor in the School of Communication and Creative Arts at Deakin University, Australia and author of The Charitable Child: Philanthropy in Children’s Periodicals, 1840-1940 (forthcoming 2024). She has written on historical and contemporary children’s literature, with a particular focus on children’s periodicals, annuals, and representations of gender. Her other monographs include Constructing Girlhood through the Periodical Press, 1850-1915 (2012) and From Colonial to Modern: Transnational Girlhood in Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand Children’s Literature (1840-1940) (2018).

This course will appeal to all workers of the GLAM sector, students, artists, practitioners, and academics.