With her recent book, "Paint the Wind" (2007), hitting the shelves this fall, author Pam Munoz Ryan delivers a welcome addition to the 25 plus books she has written for young people, including her award-winning novels "Esperanza Rising" (2000) and "Riding Freedom" (1998) and picture books "Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride" (1999) and "When Marian…

Confronts the question of who the audience is for "children's" books and how the audience is determined. Considers publishers' attempts at identifying audience and empowerment of child readers as audience. Concludes that the voices of children need to be included in consideration of what such audiences will read in the effort to establish lifelong…

Presents four short interviews with some of the most respected names in children's literature: Jane Yolen, Kyoko Mori, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Joseph Bruchac. Discusses particular book subjects, how the writers came to be writers for children, new books, and characters described in the stories. (SC)

Discusses how looking at child readers as audience means looking at how books for children are defined, how child readers are described, and how childhood itself is regarded. Considers several other points such as understanding the evolving concept of childhood, acknowledging the publisher's perspective, identifying underlying ideologies, and…

Considers how hidden ideologies of adults, who control the production, selection, and presentation of children's literature, influence what gets attention and use. Discusses how teachers share with students books that have touched their hearts. Presents annotations of 10 picture books suggesting they are for child and adult audiences. (SC)

Discusses the use of literature clusters (8 to 12 children's books on a particular topic) to enhance learning and instruction. Concludes that the process of developing a literature cluster on intergenerational relationships will result in a cluster that expresses both the participants' experiences and their understanding of the intended audience.…

Considers how the book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"'s achievement of the status of a modern classic provides evidence that children's collective voices can sometimes cause the walls erected by the field's adult gatekeepers to come tumbling down. Discusses reasons for the popularity and controversy surrounding the book. (SC)

Considers how teachers engage children in character education and analyzes core values in books winning the Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award. Finds that these books are rich sources for examples of core values that are common features of character-education programs. Observes many teachers using short stories and picture books to insert…

Uses Orbis Pictus Award Committee criteria (accuracy, organization, design, and style) to examine an informational book, "Rice Is Life," by Rita Golden Gelman. Subjects the book to a deeper critical analysis. Suggests that it is important to help students become critical thinkers about everything they read, including informational books.…

Analyzes three novels by three authors and conducted interviews to gain insights about their work. Explores with the authors their perceptions of their protagonists as role models or heroes. Discusses with the authors whether or not they would describe their protagonists as conformists or non-conformists. Gains insights from the authors regarding…

Shares one strategy used to empower preservice and inservice teachers as they respond to children's literature--the creation of Personal Text Sets. Examines teachers' reflections concerning their Personal Text Sets. Considers how teachers share with their students books that have touched their hearts. Describes how they create communities for…