Sheila Egoff
Sheila Egoff University College, London | |
|---|---|
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of British Columbia |
Sheila Agnes Egoff OC (January 20, 1918 – May 22, 2005) was a Canadian librarian, literary critic, and historian who was Canada's first professor of children's literature. A recipient of the Order of Canada, she was known for her studies of children's fiction including The Republic of Childhood (1967), Thursday's Child (1981) and Worlds Within (1988). The Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize is named after her.
Life and career
Sheila Agnes Egoff was born in
British Library Association.[4] Alongside her studies, she worked as a librarian at Toronto Public Library where she curated the Osborne Collection of classic British children's fiction.[4][5] She also worked at the Canadian Library Association.[4]
In 1961, the
School of Librarianship.[1] Her academic career, which spanned over 25 years, saw her become the first tenured professor of children's literature in Canada.[1][5] Known as a literary critic and historian,[6] she wrote books, developed graduate courses and organized the Pacific Rim Conference on children's literature. According to scholar and collaborator Judith Saltman, her work had "a profound impact" on the teaching, criticism, publishing and librarianship of children's books in Canada.[7] Through texts such as The Republic of Childhood, Egoff both promoted and criticized Canadian children's fiction.[6] Her writings about international fiction in English include Thursday's Child, which won the American Library Association's Ralph R. Shaw Award, and Worlds Within, a study of fantasy literature.[7][8]
In 1983, Egoff retired from her academic position and resumed her librarianship at the
Bibliography
As author
- The Republic of Childhood: A Critical Guide to Canadian Children’s Books, 1967 (revised as The New Republic of Childhood, 1990, with Judith Saltman)[8]
- Notable Canadian Children's Books: An Annotated Catalogue, 1973[8]
- Thursday's Child: Trends and Patterns in Contemporary Children's Literature, 1981[8]
- Worlds Within: Children's Fantasy from the Middle Ages to Today, 1988[10]
- Canadian Children's Books, 1799–1939: A Bibliographical Catalogue, 1992[8]
- Books That Shaped Our Minds: A Bibliographical Catalogue of Selections Chiefly from the Arkley Collection of Early Historical Children's Literature, 1998[8]
- Once Upon a Time: My Life with Children's Books, 2005, with Wendy K. Sutton[9]
As editor
- Only Connect: Readings on Children's Literature, 1969, with G.T. Stubbs and L.F. Ashley[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Martin, Sandra (May 28, 2005). "Sheila Egoff, Librarian and Academic 1918-2005". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ a b
Pedro, Kelly (August 17, 2001). "George Egoff A Self-Made Businessman, Volunteer". ProQuest 266973139.
- ^ a b
Egoff, Sheila A.; Sutton, Wendy K. (2005). Once Upon a Time: My Life with Children's Books. Orca Book Publishers. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-55143-793-4.
- ^ a b c "Cambridge Hall of Fame: Sheila Egoff (Inducted 1998)". City of Cambridge. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ a b
ISBN 978-0-19-969514-0.
- ^ a b c
Bostian, Frieda (2001). "Egoff, Sheila A.". In ISBN 978-0-52-155064-2.
- ^ a b c d
Saltman, Judith (2005). "'Only the Best is Good Enough for Children': A Tribute to Sheila Egoff, Pioneer, Canadian Children's Literature Critic and Professor of Children's Literature". Resource Links. 10 (5): 48–49. ProQuest 215239260.
- ^ a b c d e f
Miyake, Okiko (2006). "Egoff, Sheila A.". In ISBN 978-0-19-514656-1.
- ^ a b c
ProQuest 242190177.
- ^
McShane, Rose Marie (1989). "[Review of] Egoff, Sheila A. Worlds Within: Children's Fantasy from the Middle Ages to Today". JSTOR 40323505.
