Kenneth Kidd, Ph.D.

Professor of English

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

2024 Awardee

Kenneth Kidd is an internationally recognized expert on children’s literature and how the books read by kids and young adults influence lives and cultures. His work delves into the intersections between children’s literature and psychology, philosophy, critical theory, environmental studies, gender and sexuality. Kidd recently began examining all of those aspects within a Floridian context. He has also explored fanfiction, digitization and the question of what makes a literary classic.

Kidd has published three books on children’s literature, all of which received critical acclaim. His first book, covering the cultural influences of social groups such as the Boy Scouts, received a recommendation from Slate.com. His second book, on psychoanalysis and children’s literature, earned the Children’s Literature Association Honor Book Award in 2013. He has co-edited six books, one of which received the Silver Medal at the 2022 Florida Book Awards.

In addition to his solo-published books, Kidd is a prolific editor and contributor. He has provided chapters for more than a dozen other books and served on editorial boards, including several for significant journals in his field such as the Children’s Literature Association Quarterly. He has also published many peer-reviewed articles and book reviews.

Kidd is not just a writer and professor, but also a mentor and advocate for students. He has directed 18 doctoral students to completion, who have since taken on teaching and advising roles at colleges across the country. He has served on many more committees for doctoral and master’s degree candidates and also worked extensively with undergraduate students. A frequent guest speaker at conferences around the world, Kidd has given talks on his research and presented awards in children’s literature.

“His invitation to keynote the Australasian Children’s Literature Association for Research Biennial Conference as well as his collaborative work in the United Kingdom attests to Professor Kidd’s increasing international reputation,” says Sid Dobrin, a professor and chair of the Department of English.