Call for Submissions: How Do Books For Our Youngest Readers Inspire Action Towards Equity?

Folks, I don’t know how many of you enjoy submitting to peer-reviewed journals, but it seems to me that the topic of this particular one is too important to ignore. I also know that a bunch of you out there have valuable information in your craniums that needs to be shared with the wider world. And, it’s possible, you may have some time on your hands in the coming weeks. If so, I urge you to consider the following:

The Illinois Reading Council is excited to announce a call for manuscripts for a special issue of our double-blind, peer-reviewed journal. The theme is:

How do Books for our Youngest Readers Inspire Action Towards Equity?

The goal of this special issue is to explore the impact and influence of early reader (6 mo. -6 years) children’s books written and selected with the intent to promote greater empathy, awareness and equity in our society by presenting the perspectives of marginalized populations, challenging problematic social norms, and communicating complex social issues at the earliest stages of development. Questions we would like to explore in this issue include but are not limited to:

• What programs and efforts have been undertaken to encourage the acceptance and dissemination of such books in the public and educational spheres of society, how effective have they been and what factors have played significant roles in their efficacy?
• How have changes in the options and availability of books for young readers affected the decision-making of the adults who select books for young children?
• In what ways have the reading libraries in homes and schools changed in recent years?
• How have these books influenced teaching practices among childcare workers, preschool and grade-school teachers?
• What effects, if any, have been observed among children who have been provided these books?
• To what degree have adults’ perspectives been influenced by reading these books with children and how might their behaviors and engagement with society been effected?

We are especially interested in manuscripts which:
• Explore the extent literature with a critical eye.
• Provide context and commentary for parents and educators seeking to understand how they can promote equity in their interactions with young children.
• Report on the findings of recent related studies.

Deadline for submission: September 1st 2020

Submission Guidelines

Format your manuscript according to the guidelines below, download and
complete the cover letter from https://tinyurl.com/IRCJSPECIALISSUE then
upload your files using the form at this address:
https://forms.gle/vLy5EzgaqJF9vL8g9

Manuscript Formatting Guidelines

• Anonymize the Manuscript Text: Remove any names or references to the
author(s)and affiliated institutions (clearly marked placeholders may be
employed, e.g., [Author Name]; [Name of Institution])
• Text Formatting: In general, apply APA style (7th ed.) guidelines to your text
(e.g., Times New Roman 12 point or a similar serif font, double spaced, 1-
inch margins, etc.).
• File Type: Save the manuscript as a MS Word document .doc or docx. (MS
Word is used to provide in-text comments and revisions, so please do not
submit pdf., .pages or .rtf. )
• File Name: This should conform to the following format:
Special Issue_article v1_{title of article}mm-dd-yy Example: Special Issue_article v1_The Best Diverse Board Books_06-01-20 • Download the cover letter template using this link and fill it out. • Rename the cover letter file name as follows: Special Issue_cover (Title of Article)_mm-dd-yy
Example: Special Issue_Cover_Diverse Board Books_06-01-20

A sample issue of the Illinois Reading Council Journal can be found here:
http://illinoisreadingcouncil.org/images/Journal_Sum19.pdf

Additional questions or requests for clarification can be sent to
IRCJournal@illinoisreadingcouncil.org

Filed under: Press Release Fun