Ralf Thiede’s new Monograph

Ralf Thiede, who is one of the cornerstones of the linguistics program in the English Department, has just published Children’s Books, Brain Development, and Language Acquisition with Routledge. This book, which complements the department’s strength in Children’s Literature and Studies, correlates English-speaking children’s brain development and acquisition of language with the linguistic input that comes from children’s books. Drawing from the most current research on the developing brain, the author demonstrates how language acquisition is exclusively interactive, and highlights the benefit that accrues when that interaction includes the exploratory language play found in early childhood literature. Through discussions of specific domains of grammar, the relation of these domains to children’s literature through scaffolding, and the resultant linguistic and cognitive advantages for the child, this volume offers an innovative approach to early brain maturation.