Mondragon University publishes the ‘2021 Guide to Children’s and Young People’s Literature’
Mondragon University publishes the ‘2021 Guide to Children’s and Young People’s Literature’
Mondragon University publishes the ‘2021 Guide to Children’s and Young People’s Literature’
A total of 14 professionals from libraries and educational centers participated in this edition. This project is promoted by the Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences.
The Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences of Mondragon University has just published the guide, which includes 227 books aimed at children and young people and published in Basque in 2021: 2021 Reading Guide to Children’s and Young People’s Literature.
Work group of 14 professionals
A total of 14 people associated with children’s and young people’s literature and belonging to nine different organizations participated in the creation of the 2021 guide. They included librarians, school teachers and experts from Mondragon University. Specifically, the group of readers for the current edition included Olga Jauregi (Aramaio Municipal Library), Ane Leturia (Aretxabaleta Municipal Library), Laida Zubia (Bergara Municipal Library), Oskar Loiti (Eskoriatza Municipal Library), Jasone Erostarbe (Legazpi Municipal Library), Marina Etxegoien and Arantzazu Ibarrondo (Oñati Municipal Library), Gurutze Urrutia, Edurne Urbiztondo and Aitziber Arrese (Kurtzeberri School in Aretxabaleta), Itziar Murua (former teacher at the Kurtzeberri School in Aretxabaleta), Ana Etxeberria (Luis Eceiza Public School in Eskoriatza), and Nerea Alzola and Marikarmen Apraiz (Mondragon University).
As they state in the preface to the 2021 guide, "this guide is the fruit of constant group work and of the reading of many books. With this guide, we hope to help parents, teachers and library professionals.” In the words of the authors of the current edition, “the guide is not intended to be a substitute for reading itself, nor for the pleasure of reading. This guide is simply the result of the reading that this group carries out.”
Recommended books, highly recommended books and a special list
In the preface to the guide, the authors explain their work method and the criteria they followed to classify the books: “the group’s work technique was based on reading what was published in Basque about children’s and young people’s literature in 2021, comparing our readings, and evaluating the use of language, the literary quality, the treatment of the subject matter, etc.” Once all the books had been read, the authors classified them into three groups: “recommended books, highly recommended books and a special list. The last group includes a review.”
Regarding the recommended age that they have added for each book, the authors would like to point out that the number is “merely an estimate” since, according to them, “the rhythms, enthusiasms, etc. of children are unclassifiable. We believe that the free choice of books by children is fundamental and is essential to create a love of reading.”
It should be noted that the Reading Guide to Children’s and Young People’s Literature is eagerly awaited every year, as evidenced by the fact that this guide is one of the most downloaded publications of all those published by Mondragon University.
Since 1990, the Children’s Book Seminar of the Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences of Mondragon University, together with representatives from municipal libraries and teachers from different educational centers, has been promoting the creation of these children’s reading guides. The volumes published since 2001 are available online.
- Download the 2021 Guide (PDF): 2021 Reading Guide to Children’s and Young People’s Literature.
- View the full collection: Reading Guide to Children’s and Young People’s Literature: from 2001 to 2021.