About the NCRCL

Awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for excellence in research in 2001.

The NCRCL runs a flourishing postgraduate programme in children’s literature, both on-site and via distance learning materials, which has attracted home and international students of a high calibre since 1993.
The NCRCL supports doctoral students engaged on a wide range of research projects (PhD supervision). The NCRCL provides a lively environment for postgraduates with conferences, cluster talks, and a congenial cohort.

The NCRCL hosts and co-organises an annual one-day British IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People)/NCRCL MA conference.Each year proceedings are published by Pied Piper Press and edited by Dr Pat Pinsent.
The NCRCL hosts a series of four research cluster talks per year, given by a wide range of experts in the field of children’s literature, which are open to anyone who wishes to attend. Past speakers include Professor Peter Hunt, Professor Maria Nikolajeva, Professor John Stephens, Roni Natov, Francis Spufford, Dr Susan Rowland, Angelica Carpenter, and Professor Perry Nodelman.
The NCRCL ran a highly successful series of Children’s Literature International Summer Schools (CLISS) in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 where delegates attended for five days of intensive study through lectures and seminars delivered by tutors and scholars with an international reputation in the field, and with evening lectures open to the public. The most recent CLISS took place from 11-15 July 2007, and featured leading international authors and academics in the field.

All members of the NCRCL team continue to publish in diverse areas of children’s literature. Published research in edited books and refereed journals by NCRCL team members reflects the diversity of children’s literature studies, including work on: adolescent fiction; Victorian children’s literature; visual texts; the translation of children’s literature; Jungian approaches to children’s literature; multicultural publishing; intercultural exchange through picture books, and religion and children’s literature. Please see the NCRCL members page for a list of selected publications

Since 1995 Dr Gillian Lathey has administered the biennial Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation, and organisation of associated events.
Since 1995 Dr Penni Cotton has directed the European Picture Book Collection project, with international collaboration, to produce teacher training materials for teachers working with European picture books; and a follow-up ESF-funded conference in Murcia, Spain, on ‘Books and Reading for Intercultural Education’ (2005).
The NCRCL has been involved with the London Writers' Competition since 2002, when the 'Fiction for Children' prize was first established. Dr Lisa Sainsbury acted as a judge for this prize in 2002 and since then has selected judges for this prize on an annual basis, working with Charlie Catling at Wandsworth Borough Council. Laura Atkins (2002), Dr Pat Pinsent (2004), Dr Gillian Lathey (2005) and Dr Susan Hancock (2006) have also judged this section of the competition.
Roehampton University published the findings of the NCRCL reading survey, Young People’s Reading in 2005 , by Sally Maynard, Sophie Mackay, Fiona Smyth and Kim Reynolds. This publication builds on the survey of 1996 with a pilot project Young People’s Reading in 2001. An Executive Summary is now available via this link.

The NCRCL is committed to supporting the specialist Children’s Literature Collection in the University Library. The NCRCL team were involved in the successful bid for the Richmal Crompton archive which is now housed in the University Library.

National Centre for Research in Children's Literature (NCRCL)