Metamorphosis

About Metamorphosis:

First published in 2009, Metamorphosis features scholarly and creative work at COPLAC member institutions across the United States and Canada. The journal is interdisciplinary by design, highlighting work in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts and professional programs. Undergraduate research and creative activity has become a "COPLAC Distinctive" with all member campuses focusing on this recognized "high impact" educational practice. Work published in Metamorphosis must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate campus committee or undergraduate research director. The URSCA director must send the approved work to COPLAC for publication. We do not accept work sent directly to the journal by the author/artist.

Submission Guidelines

We request two documents, each sent electronically to bailey@coplac.org:

Doc One: Summary

  • Document must be in MS Word
  • Title this document with your last name and school acronym (for example, Bill Spellman at UNC Asheville would title his Summary Document spellmanunca)
  • In this document please list the following in this order:
  1. Title of Presentation Author(s)
  2. Faculty mentor(s) School
  3. 200-250 word abstract (submissions over the 250 word limit will be edited)
  4. Up to 5 keywords related to your submission

Doc Two: Research

This is your actual paper.

  • Document must be a PDF
  • Title this document with your last name, school acronym and the letters RD (for example, Bill Spellman at UNC Asheville would title his Research Document spellmanuncaRD)
  • On the first page, include paper’s title, author(s), faculty mentor(s) and school name
  • Document should be single-spaced text with 1” margins, 12 pt font, and a maximum of 10 pages
  • All references are to be organized as endnotes

Spring 2026 / Current Issue

I Can Read All by Myself, I Can Read Without your Help: Analysis of Contemporary Early Reader Books

Savannah Duursema
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Allison Speicher
Eastern Connecticut State University

Abstract

Learning to read is a crucial time in childhood because literacy is the basis for all future learning. Early reader books are the first stories a child reads independently, which piqued my interest because they provide children's first opportunity to take in the story, without an adult co-reader skewing meaning. Literature scholars have yet to focus on the content of early readers, though, instead labeling them as simply teaching tools and stepping stones to more sophisticated literature. This research aims to change this perception using a well-vetted sample of recently published early readers recommended by prestigious children’s literature periodicals and the Geisel Award committee. The analysis demonstrates exactly what implicit concepts young readers are exposed to in these stories, specifically societal biases towards young people. Findings include four major assumptions targeted at our youngliterates: 1) friendship and social skills must be taught, 2) children relate to, and therefore prefer animal characters to human versions, 3) children don’t want to (learnto) read, and 4) there’s a lack of realism and time awareness in childhood. For the purposes of this paper, I limit discussion on the final assumption. Early reader books may seem simple, but they hold immense power over the young minds that internalize their messages, so they cannot be ignored by scholars anymore.

❐ PDF

Keywords: Early Reader, Children’s Literature, Anthropomorphism, Friendship, Implicit Assumptions

Metamorphosis Archive