Catherine Butler

Tommy Halsdorf

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is a worldwide classic of modern literature for both children and adults. Challenging in its intellectual scope, ambitious scale and range of literary reference, it is also hugely controversial due to its critique of organised religion. This collection of original essays by an international team of distinguished scholars assesses Pullman's achievement and introduces readers to some of the key debates surrounding His Dark Materials. Covering topics such as religion, gender, childhood and scientific enquiry, the volume also discusses the Hollywood film of the first book and features a new interview with Pullman himself.

Philip Pullman

Whether watching Studio Ghibli adaptations of British children's books, visiting Harry Potter sites in Britain or eating at Alice in Wonderland-themed restaurants in Tokyo, the Japanese have a close and multifaceted relationship with British children's literature. In this, the first comprehensive study to explore this engagement, Catherine Butler considers its many manifestations in print, on the screen, in tourist locations and throughout Japanese popular culture. Taking stock of the influence of literary works such as Gulliver's Travels, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Tom's Midnight Garden, and the Harry Potter series, this lively account draws on literary criticism, translation, film and tourist studies to explore how British children's books have been selected, translated, understood, adapted and reworked into Japanese commercial, touristic and imaginative culture. Using theoretically informed case studies this book will consider both individual texts and their wider cultural contexts, translations and adaptations (such as the numerous adaptations of British children's books by Studio Ghibli and others), the dissemination of distinctive tropes such as magical schools into Japanese children's literature and popular culture, and the ways in which British children's books and their settings have become part of way that Japanese people understand Britain itself.

Wonderlands and Looking-Glasses

British Children's Literature in Japanese Culture

Roshan das Nair

This book explores the diversity in lesbian, gay, and bisexual lives, with the aim of opening up therapists' understanding of this diversity so that they can work in an ethical, supportive and non-discriminatory way with these individuals. Offers a comprehensive look at diversity within LGB populations, including the interactions between different areas of social difference using contemporary approaches Focuses on the practitioner, illustrating concepts with vignettes and case studies for implementing practical applications Emphasizes gender balance, fully exploring both male and female perspectives on each topic Encompasses different perspectives, including critical health psychology, discursive psychology, intersectionality, critical and cultural theory, and post-colonial discourse, while remaining accessible to all

Working with Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Diversity

Intersectionality, Sexuality and Psychological Therapies

Ann Alston

Roald Dahl is one of the most enduringly popular children's authors of the last fifty years; and one of the most controversial. This timely collection of new essays, from an international team of leading scholars, provides both an overview and a contemporary assessment of Dahl's reputation and his achievement as a writer for children.

Roald Dahl

Literary Studies Deconstructed critiques the state of Literary Studies in the modern university and argues for its comprehensive reconstruction. It argues that Literary Studies as currently practised avoids engaging with much of literary experience and prioritises instead the needs of critics as a professional community: to teach and assess students, to demonstrate the creation of knowledge, and to meet the demands of governments, funders and other bodies. The result is that many areas centrally important to lay readers are largely omitted from critical discussion. Moreover, critical writing and its conventions are framed so as to mask and repress the subject’s contradictions. This lively and provocative book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students with an interest in the critical profession or literary theory, as well as to Literary Studies academics.

A Polemic

Literary Studies Deconstructed

Hallie O'Donovan

This book offers a critical account of historical books about Britain written for children, including realist novels, non-fiction, fantasy and alternative histories. It also investigates the literary, ideological and philosophical challenges involved in writing about the past, especially for an audience whose knowledge of history is often limited.

Reading History in Children's Books

A chilling collection of terrifying winter tales for the darkest nights. This sinister collection of short stories encapsulates everything human beings fear about the dark half of the year. A Halloween costume party attracts uninvited guests; the long evenings bring out creatures from the deepest darkness; a perfect snowfall brings pure terror. Spine tingling, eye opening and genuinely horrifying - prepare to be scared! By a stunning line-up of authors: Susan Cooper, Katherine Langrish, Liz Williams, Frances Hardinge, Frances Thomas, Rhiannon Lassiter and Catherine Butler.

Twisted Winter

Elizabeth Shaw

Amanda O'Donovan

This evidence based manual examines issues of sexuality in a positive and affirming light and considers how sexuality-related issues can be introduced into therapy and training. It will support the practicing therapist as well as those in training.

A Manual for Therapists and Trainers

Sex, Sexuality and Therapeutic Practice

Roald Dahl is one of the world's best-loved authors. More than twenty years after his death, his books are still highly popular with children and have inspired numerous feature films – yet he remains a controversial figure. This volume, the first collection of academic essays ever to be devoted to Dahl's work, brings together a team of well-known scholars of children's literature to explore the man, his books for children, and his complex attitudes towards various key subjects. Including essays on education, crime, Dahl's humour, his long-term collaboration with the artist Quentin Blake, and film adaptations, this fascinating collection offers a unique insight into the writer and his world.

James Kittleberger, a corporate executive and notorious womanizer, is obsessed with having a son. His wife Nancy, a tall, dark-haired beauty and former successful real estate broker, is infertile and becomes the unfortunate victim of James' animosity. Believing that she has failed James, she turns to alcohol for comfort. He vows to make Nancy's life a living hell by having multiple affairs--including an intimate relationship that, in the end, may cause him to pay the ultimate price. But James has another secret he's been keeping from Nancy--a shocking fact that could change everything. Meanwhile, Laura, the eldest of James' and Nancy's two adopted daughters, is trapped in her own loveless marriage. Her younger sister Jessica, abandoned by the family as a pregnant teenager, reenters their lives, along with her son Drew, to grant her mother the comfort and companionship she so desperately needs. Will the Kittlebergers destroy their seemingly picture-perfect life in the suburbs? In Shattered Dreams, author Catherine Butler leads the reader through a compelling tale of family love and betrayal.

Shattered Dreams

Kimberley Reynolds

First published in 2005, Modern Children's Literature has established itself as an indispensable introduction to the academic study of children's literature. This collection of stimulating essays combines accessible close readings of children's texts with informed descriptions of genres, issues and critical contexts, making it an ideal practical textbook for students. The second edition of this classic work has been thoroughly revised, updated and expanded to reflect current critical debates, recent books for children and young adults, and the latest scholarship. It includes new chapters by leading names on key topics such as canon formation, psychoanalytic approaches, fantasy and technology, and features an essay on poetry by the former Children's Laureate, Michael Rosen. Supported by explanatory boxed material and suggestions for further reading, Modern Children's Literature remains the essential guide to this popular area of writing.

Catherine Butler

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