Alyson Simpson is a Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney, Australia. She was previously a teacher librarian. Her life-long passion for children’s literature informs her pedagogy, practice and research. Alyson lectures in undergraduate and postgraduate pre-service teacher programs in the area of English/ literacy education. Her research projects in higher education and primary schools examine the power of children’s literature, designs for e-learning and concepts of visual literacy. Current research projects include work on dialogic assessment with pre-service teachers and the impact of digital technology on reading practices and pedagogy.