Describes the use of international children's literature in a third and fourth grade class. Summarizes (based on teacher journal entries) the class's five-week experience with African Cecil Bodker's "The Leopard," describing four phases of study: orientation, exposition, integration, and completion. Suggests several works of contemporary…

Notes several kinds of book clubs (for adults, children, and both) and the joys of sharing reading with others. Discusses 32 children's books (books of poetry, lessons for young writers, on the realities of young people's lives, and books that lead to talk about real heroes) that lend themselves to passionate and spirited book talk. (SR)

Describes how the authors implemented a plan that involved building conceptual knowledge through the use of manipulatives and common threads in literature to teach a week-long unit on Rosa Parks. Notes that the students were guided to build conceptual knowledge as they personally connected with fictional heroes and real heroes, such as Rosa Parks,…

Outlines what educators and academics describe as the "power" of children's literature and multicultural children's literature, which includes African American children's literature. Explores what four African American third-graders have to say about the "power" of six African American children's books. Concludes with the…

Discusses three recent books that focus on discussion as a way of engaging children, of helping them deepen their understandings of themselves and the books they read, and of structuring a literature-based curriculum that supports their comprehension and critical reading development. (SR)

Notes that "Tears of a Tiger" is the story of a young African American man's responsibility for a drunk-driving crash that killed his best friend. Offers a reading of "Tears of a Tiger" and "Whirligig" through the lens of critical race theory. Suggests that, paired together, these novels afford a powerful opportunity…

Shares selected observations on bilingual children's language and role choices within literature circles, focusing on one particular student. Concentrates on one child within one cycle of literature circles, but notes that the data speak to learner behaviors that also were observable in other instructional groups and cycles in this classroom. (SG)

Describes four books written for children about the struggles to survive, to escape, and to gain freedom of children who are refugees. Describes how fourth-grade children responded to these books. (SR)

Discusses four different paths that literature can take: the positive path; the negative path; the creative path; and the transformative path. Concludes that a literature curriculum that invites transformation, justice, and healing to happen points in stark contrast to how truly inadequate standards-based, test-driven education is to addressing…

Argues that the primary value of literature lies within the work itself, an appreciation of it, and the connections readers make to it. Discusses how a reader response approach offers one way to open the door for children to the lived-through experience of literature as art with intrinsic value. (SR)

Examines if literature for urban youth can reflect reality and validate the significance of the minority individual as well as give them a vision for a better future and a sense that it is attainable. Identifies a strong correlation between the fictional experience as expressed in 20 novels and the characteristics of the urban life of minority…

Presents nine student responses to "Pink and Say" by Patricia Polacco. Gives the students opinion and often times their response to some of the scenarios presented by the book. (SG)

Considers how in this modern world a teacher masters children's literature for the purpose of guiding selection and literary experiences. Presents three vignettes illustrating different uses of literature today. Discusses a workshop, the Children's Choice and the Teacher's Choice projects. (SG)

Examines the reading interests of middle school students as revealed through student-written annotations of books read during the school year. Finds a wide range of reading interests, with 63 percent of the titles annotated only once. Discusses characteristics of the 20 most popular books. (RS)

Describes an extraordinary experience teaching comprehension strategies to fourth-grade reluctant readers through literature study. Notes how the experience was a fusion of three critical elements: an extraordinary group experience, a text that taught itself, and an instructional model that met the students' needs. (SR)