Children’s literature as teaching material in the EFL classrooms for years 1-3

Sammanfattning: The English language surrounds young children from an early age, and as they growolder, it will continue to be an important part of their lives, both inside and outside ofschool. The ability to read English is therefore essential to participate in a democraticsociety. Previous research suggests that reading stories from an early age can supportyoung learners in acquiring new language. Therefore, this study aims to investigate howteachers select and use children’s literature in their EFL teaching for years 1-3. SixSwedish primary school EFL teachers have participated in this qualitative study. Theempirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The results show thatteachers express a positive attitude towards using children’s literature in their teachingand suggest several important factors when choosing and using it. However, the resultsalso indicate that teachers face challenges when implementing the materials, due tofactors such as time constraints. Despite the time constraints, several teachers usechildren’s literature because of the benefits, such as offering authentic language thatpupils can use in their daily life, both inside and outside of school.