On Feb. 21, Lisa Fraustino, professor of English at Eastern Connecticut State University, received word that she had received the Children’s Literature Association Article Award for her book chapter called, “The Rights and Wrongs of Anthropomorphism in Picture Books.”

The ChLA Article Award is an edited collection of essays written by different scholars. One of the ChLA committee members stated, “This essay introduces many key ideas important in animal studies and I will want to bring it into my children’s literature classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It will be sure to generate quality discussions.”

Fraustino shared her fascination of anthropomorphism during the faculty scholar’s forum at Eastern on Feb. 3. “My interest in anthropomorphism grew out of my scholarship on mothers in children’s literature, where I noticed that traditional values of mothering were being transmitted through animal and toy characters in many of the most popular picture books,” said Fraustino during the forum. Her interest in anthropomorphism grew as she proposed a new course on the topic, where she could utilize her students’ ideas to inform her independent research. Fraustino taught a class on the topic at Hollins University in 2011 and here at Eastern in 2013.

Fraustino also published her first e-book in June 2015, called “Wahh! A Day in the Life of Riley O’Reilly,” a humorous story on the life of a young child called Riley. Fraustino has also written four novels. Her most recent work is a collection of essays on the emotional and intellectual impact mothers have on children. “Mothers in Children’s and Young Adult Literature: From the Eighteenth Century to Postfeminism,” is the title of her latest work she co-edited with Karen Coats, a professor from Hollins University. The book will be available beginning May 1, and is available for pre-order on Amazon.