Children vary widely in their number knowledge by the time they enter kindergarten, and this variation is related to their future academic success. Although talk about number predicts children's early understanding of foundational number concepts, we know little about whether interventions can increase this talk nor about the types of number talk…

This article highlights the State-Wide Read Aloud Days of the picturebook "My Shadow is Purple" (Stuart, 2022) held across and beyond the state of Georgia in response to the firing of elementary school teacher Katie Rinderle under Georgia's trio of censorship laws. The goals for this article are to: (1) document and analyze the emergence…

Preschoolers' (n = 32) attention to print and pictures was documented during an electronic storybook reading session. Children (M = 51.06 months; SD = 7.34 months) looked at a 12-page book that contained three types of pages, each of which was presented four times over the course of the book: (1) silent presentation of print, (2) print that was…

In this year-long qualitative case study of literacy teaching and learning, we utilized Bakhtin's ideas on speech genres in social contexts as a theoretical base for the analysis of a storybook read-aloud event. We first discuss Bakhtin's theories on language and literature and then apply the theories to a read-aloud activity in a kindergarten…

One of the most common types of interaction between parents and their very young children is picture-book reading, with alphabet books being one of the most popular types of book used in these interactions. Here we report two studies examining alphabet letter learning by 30- to 36-month-old children in book-reading interactions with an adult. Each…

The topics including bullying, family diversity, homelessness, disabilities, and incarceration are often referred to as "tender topics." They can be difficult for teachers to explain to or discuss with children. In their work with children, families, and teachers, the authors have seen that it is not necessarily the topic that makes conversations…

This article discusses the benefits of using picture books with adolescent readers, describes strategies that can be taught with picture books, and provides examples of books the author has used. Some of the topics discussed include: reading comprehension, visual literacy, interactive read-aloud with facilitative talk, literary elements, and…

Five 1st-grade teachers read aloud two Caldecott Award-winning picture books to their classrooms of diverse, urban students. In this two-phase study, researchers analyzed teachers' transcripts for common elements, interviewed 1st-graders and focused on one teacher's read-aloud events while comparing them with her students' responses. Findings…

Discusses the development of the market for books for infants; presents reasons why even young infants can benefit from being read to; and provides guidelines for selection of appropriate books for babies. The guidelines include sturdiness and developmental appropriateness. A list of recommended books is appended. (SKC)

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Preschool Services and the Parent Education Committee compiled a list of recommended books (published between 1993 and 1997) appropriate for use in group settings with children between the ages of 18 and 36 months. Bibliographic information and a short description are provided for each title.…

The readability level of 52 picture books was analyzed, and it was learned that the levels ranged from grade one to grade seven. (MKM)

The annotated materials contained in this list of children's books for 1983 have been selected for literary merit, usefulness, and enjoyment, and are intended to reflect a year's publishing with a balance between books to be enjoyed for free reading, for reading aloud, and for individualized reading programs or as background and supplements to the…