Faculty Member Co-Published Chapter on Picture Books and Literacy Skills Focused on Characters Affected by War

May 19, 2021

Dr. Stephanie Grote-GarciaStephanie Grote-Garcia, PhD, professor of Teacher Education, recently co-published a book chapter titled, "Eight Emerging Themes among Picture Books Featuring Characters Affected by War" with Lopita Nath, PhD, professor of History Asian Studies, and Emily Clark, PhD, professor of English. The book is titled Promoting Educational Success through Culturally Situated Instruction.

“Picture books act as pathways for gaining literacy skills and they play a role in learning to navigate the intellectual, social, and emotional terrains of the world. Analyzed in this study are 47 picture books featuring characters affected by war. Eight common themes related to the human experience are identified among the selected books. These themes function as shared experiences that teachers can use to explore and discuss global diversity with students in the elementary grades.”

The book highlights the power of educational equity, constructivism, and situated literature. Each chapters offer insights for educational opportunities that personalize learning at higher levels and transformative strategies to empower students.

“Our writing team included faculty members across disciplines, Dr. Lopita Nath from the History Department, Dr. Emily Clark from the English Department, and myself from the School of Education. Each of our backgrounds were essential in writing the chapter and our collaboration demonstrates the strength of diverse working groups. We each approached the literature review and the analysis of the picture books from a different angle. I believe this made our chapter a much stronger piece of scholarship.”

Dr. Grote-Garcia is a certified Reading Specialist and Master Reading Teacher. Prior to teaching in higher education, she taught struggling elementary readers in Texas public schools. She has been recognized for exemplary faculty practices by the Center for Research, Evaluation and Advancement for Teacher Education and has received the Provost’s Legacy Teaching Award.