Textbook publishers are under attack for producing books that are superficial in content and oversimplified or confusing in language. They respond that their products are the inevitable result of applying the many textbook selection formulas to book production. Efforts by educators to improve textbooks are currently being organized. (PGD)

Discusses appropriate reading material selection in light of content area reading instruction. Presents some ideas for determining the difficulty level of textbooks and other materials. Concludes that teaching reading in the content areas is one way to focus on the process of reading as an instrument to develop cognitive skills and thought…

It has been customary to simplify texts to increase their readability for young readers. Recent studies suggest that it is the predictability of texts that is the key to their readability and that simplification may actually create problems for the reader. (RBW)

This article introduces and discusses some aspects of the complex problem of textbook reform, and suggests what the future holds for textbooks. (DCS)