Simmons College at The Carle
Simmons College and The Carle are delighted to announce the expansion of our partnership offering graduate programs in children's literature at The Carle. We operate on a rolling admissions schedule and are currently recruiting students to begin their coursework in the spring or fall of 2011. Program offerings include:

MFA in Writing for Children
A 32-credit MFA program taught at The Carle
This program consists of four academic courses and four writing courses, including a two-course sequence in which a student develops a manuscript from conception to submission.

MA in Children's Literature
A 36-credit MA program taught at The Carle
This program consists of four electives and the following five required courses: Criticism of Literature for Children, The Picture Book, Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Fantasy and Science Fiction, and a historical literature course.

MFA/MA in Children's Literature
Students who wish to pursue both degrees may combine both masters' programs in a 56-credit course of study that includes core requirements for both programs.

Spring 2012 Course Descriptions
CHL 401-18 Criticism of Literature for Children
4 sem. hrs.
Develops the individual critical voices of students and acquaints them with the literary canon and a variety of literacy perspectives through exposure to many influential schools of literacy criticism. Applies critical skills in the examination of a range of novels (realism and fantasy), short stories, biographies, nonfiction, and translated works published for children. (Lambert)

CHL 421-18 History of Children’s Book Publishing
4 sem. hrs.
Surveys the history of children’s book publishing in the U.S. and then focuses on the various stages of the contemporary children’s book publishing process – editing, art direction and design, and marketing. Practitioners from each of these areas will share their expertise and involvement in the evolution of a book’s creation. The final assignment requires that each student will develop a publishing project and show how such a book would be published. (Smith)

CHL 431-18 Writing for Children II
4 sem. hrs. Prereq: CHl 430
Investigates the process of writing fiction for children through written assignments and class discussion of assignments, published books, and theoretical applications. Examines different narrative forms and techniques and the elements and development of a story. Includes individual conferences. (Staff)

CHL 434-18 The Child and the Book
4 sem. hrs.
Explores accounts of childhood reading through a variety of perspectives: critical analysis and primary reading of fictional and artistic depictions of the child as a reader; reader response theoretical accounts of children’s responses to literature; adult memoirs of childhood reading; parental accounts of reading with children; writings about children’s reading in school and library contexts; an exploration of children’s choice book awards and reception in the united states and abroad. (Lambert)

Spring 2011 Instructor bios
Megan Lambert is a full-time faculty member with the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons College and has worked in the Education Department of The Carle since 2001.

Vicky Smith was a youth services librarian and staff reviewer at The Horn Book before becoming the Editor of Children’s Book Reviews at Kirkus Reviews.