Children's Literature + Library Services to Children
Spark a love of reading
From picturebooks to young adult literature, classic works to contemporary fiction, explore the artistry, boundary-breaking, and innovative brilliance of literature created for young people. Simmons University's Children’s Literature (MA) and Library and Information Science (MS) dual degree program — the first of its kind in the US — combines deep literary study with concrete experience developing collections and designing youth services.
Join a vibrant community that reads widely, thinks deeply, and shares your passion for making a difference through literature. In both elements of the dual degree program, you’ll engage with questions of access, equity, and ethics, and explore how power and justice shape the reading lives of young people and the services that support them.
Work closely with a faculty advisor who will offer you advice, support, and guidance as you work toward your career goals.
Develop your skills in critical inquiry, literary analysis, and communication as you learn to bring exceptional literature into the hands of young people. Be part of shaping the future of libraries and the communities they serve.
Why Pursue a Dual Degree in Children’s Literature (MA) and Library and Information Science (MS)?
Our dual degree program integrates theory and practice across two disciplines. You’ll tailor your studies to professional goals — whether you're interested in youth or school librarianship, doctoral work in children’s literature, or a career in children’s book publishing.
In our program, you will:
- Strengthen your critical reading and writing skills through rigorous academic study of literature across genres, including picturebooks, verse novels, informational texts, speculative fiction, fantasy, realism, folk and fairy tales, and graphic novels.
- Consider the past, present, and future of texts for young readers as cultural products that reflect and innovate.
- Participate in cross-disciplinary and cross-professional conversations that center on multiple traditions and practices.
- Apply professional standards and best practices across the information field and your specific area.
- Select, implement, and create programs and resource systems that respond to the needs of diverse communities and stakeholders.
- Access internship opportunities in culturally thriving Boston at organizations such as Boston Public Library and The Horn Book Magazine.
- Take advantage of our partnership with The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art to expand your horizons.
Alumnae/i Impact
Graduates of our Simmons Children’s Literature (MA) and Library and Information Science (MS) dual degree program are leaders in the field. They are known for their excellence, advocacy, and enduring impact on youth literature and library services.
Alumnae/i have served on major children’s book award committees, such as the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Sibert, and Printz Awards, among others. They also have served as panelists and judges on regional and state book award committees.
Our Faculty
Cathryn Mercier
Professor and Graduate Program Director of Children's Literature
Amy Pattee
Professor
Anita Silvey
Adjunct Faculty
Spotlight on Children's Literature Students and Alums
The Story Listener
Breanna J. McDaniel ’14MA is the author of four acclaimed picturebooks and the recipient of the 2025 Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award. On July 26, McDaniel will present a presentation with author-illustrator Vashti Harrison at the Summer Children's Literature Institute at Simmons University.
Gregory Maguire ’78MA Defying Gravity
Gregory Maguire '78MA, best-selling author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, reflects on his time as one of the first graduates of the Master of Arts in Children’s Literature program at Simmons, now celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Alumnae/i Receive Awards from American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) announced winners of the 2025 Youth Media Awards, including Breanna J. McDaniel ’14MA, Gabe Cole Novoa ’19MFA, Stephanie Seales ’09MA, and Sacha Lamb ’20MS/MA.
Blowing the Horn for Children’s Literature: One Hundred Years of The Horn Book Magazine
In October of 1924, the first issue of The Horn Book magazine appeared. It began as a newsletter from the Bookshop for Boys and Girls, one of the first children’s book shops in the United States, established in 1916 by...
From Mock Printz to the Real Deal: Simmons Dual Degree Student Shares Her Awards Committee Experience
Elena McVicar ’11MA/MS shares her experience serving on the 2021 Printz Award Committee, and how her Simmons studies uniquely prepared her to work in the Children's Literature field.
Children’s Literature Alumna Receives Mentor Award at 2024 Carle Honors
On September 26, Elissa Gershowitz ’00MA, Editor-in-Chief of The Horn Book, received a Mentor Award at the Carle Honors ceremony in New York City. Bestowed by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art these annual awards celebrate individuals and organizations who have elevated the art of children’s picture-book making.
Simmons Children’s Lit Alum on Judging the Horn Book Awards
Rodney Fierce ’12MA, a Humanities Teacher at Sonoma Academy, shares what led him to study children’s literature, his work at the Academy, and his recent experience on the Horn Book Awards Committee.
Children’s and English Literature Alumna Named Agent of the Month
Amy Thrall Flynn 95’MA, ’21MA, Senior Literary Agent of Aevitas Creative Management, has been named “Agent of the Month” (for October 2024) by Writing and Illustrating, a blog devoted to children’s literature authors and illustrators.