top of page
This site was designed with the
.com
website builder. Create your website today.Start Now
“There are many little ways to enlarge your world.  Love of books is the best of all.” – Jacqueline Kennedy
​

About Me

  • My name is Bethanie A. Finger and I am currently a student of the Library and Information Sciences Graduate Program at The University of Southern Mississippi.  I am minoring in a Youth and Children’s Certificate program and a School Licensure program. 

  • I have an associate degree in Early Childhood Education and Development from Richland Community College and a bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Southern Mississippi. 

  • I worked as a pre-school teacher for over three years at the Offutt Children’s Development Center in Nebraska and have a passion for Children’s and Young Adult Education and Development through Literature. 

  • In the spring of 2021, I won a student symposium with my presentation on the importance of graphic novel literature.

  • I can be contacted at bethanieafinger@usm.edu and bethaniefinger@gmail.com; I also have an online portfolio https://bethaniefinger.wixsite.com/website  

193946902_1699029253614187_5562956313884944514_n.jpg

“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” — C.S. Lewis

About This Page

  • Introduction to Topic:

    • Children’s and young adult literature are categorized as age groups and levels but the topics and themes tackled in these works have a wide range of subjects.  This website will serve as a guide to finding more resource information on the works of literature intended for children and young adult readers and how this literature will help their cognitive growth and development.  This website will also assist in finding book suggestions and reading lists to help accommodate different reading levels and genre preferences.
       

  • Target Audience

    • The intended audience for this literature ranges from the age of eighteen and below and the intended audience of the resources available is for pre-teens and older.  The resources can be used by younger ages and a grade level of ninth or higher, but are intended for parental, educator, and librarian use.  Students can use these resources for personal reading preferences; parents and educators can use these resources to gain a better understanding of reading and development, and librarians can use this information for all of the above.
       

  • Summary

    • As a former preschool teacher, I fell in love with young children’s literature and I have a great appreciation for the impact reading can have on the development of young minds.  Not only can reading at an early age encourage a life-long love of reading and learning, but children can also gain a better understanding of the world around them and the role they play.  These elements will flow, children, as they continue to learn and read throughout the years of their adolescence and well into young adulthood.  Children and young adults alike will find solace in characters they can relate to and escapism in worlds of fantasy so unlike their own.  It is these elements that encouraged me to become a librarian and why I chose this topic. 

    • I found that I was successful in finding reputable resources that could help any audience that may be using this site.  Parents will learn more about their children’s growth and development from the articles and literature shared and will gain a better understanding of how reading will have an impact on their cognitive development.  Educators and librarians will be able to utilize these resources to learn the milestones children will need to reach and how best to help them get there.  Several of these resources can also lend educators and librarians ideas on how to improve their teaching, reading, and storytime techniques as well as help them to find more literature to include in their collections and lessons.

bottom of page