Reports on a study that examined children's understanding of written direct and indirect speech by testing reading comprehension of two passages using cloze tests and referent location tests. Found that children have difficulty in interpreting written direct speech, especially when it contains a variety of pronouns. (ARH)

Defines "junior reading books," shows that evaluation of such books is desirable, discusses four possible approaches that could be used in evaluating the books, and provides a detailed analysis of part of the "Wide Range Readers," books widely used in British schools. (FL)

Reviews research on the portrayal of the elderly in United States print media. Finds that children are learning subtle stereotypes of the elderly. Offers recommendations to editors, publishers, writers, illustrators, and teachers to help children develop more realistic attitudes toward both the elderly and the aging process. (RS)

Reports on the use of reading schemes in British infant schools, as indicated by survey responses of 631 infant school heads. Notes that most schools adopt a similar policy to beginning reading, using one principal reading scheme that is supplemented by a varying number of other schemes. (GT)

Argues that real books attract, intrigue, and illuminate their young readers, making them laugh, touching their feelings, and clarifying situations. Argues that real books provide many lessons about reading, about print, about text, and about life. (RS)

Presents sample passages from children's readers to show deficiencies in the coherence of such texts, particularly in the way they relate to accompanying illustrations. (GT)

An experiment in which teachers attempted to read basal readers encoded in Greek orthography suggests that using such materials helps teachers consider ways of fostering reading strategies, think about the nature of reading as a psycholinguistic process, and remember how it feels to be a beginning reader. (GT)

Presents a summary of the deliberations of a primary school teacher concerning her use of an "apprenticeship approach" to beginning reading instruction. States that it is the teacher's role to use a child's pleasure in a book as a key to the development of reading skills. (RS)