In this paper, I explore moments in past research when my sense-making faltered, my confusion/joy/longing proliferated, and my own feelings got the best of me. I discuss the generative potential of these 'analytical conundrums' via a queer map of messy 'complaints'. Within/across these complaints, I playfully attune to the sonic frequencies of…

Fairy tales are ubiquitous in Australian primary schools. Drawing on a review of key literature, this paper aims to determine the implications of teaching fairy tales in the twenty-first-century primary classroom. Research points to the benefits of including fairy tales as a tool to improve all subject areas of the curriculum. Fairy tales present…

When mostly white, middle class, female undergraduate preservice students enter social studies, reading, and language arts methods courses, they usually have not yet been asked to think critically about the curriculum they will be responsible for teaching. One of the primary conduits for sending messages to students about themselves and the world…

Writing and literacy development are crucial for the academic and social success of new language learners in the primary grades. Over the last 25 years, several terms have been used to describe the talents and needs of children learning new languages in early childhood settings. The term that the author prefers, and which he uses in this article,…

Offers a cross-sectional review of fairy tales and folk tales, new and old, defining each of these categories and describing early collections, literary collections, controversial collections, and recent collections. (TB)

Discusses how Natalie Babbitt combines fairy tale with psychological realism in "Tuck Everlasting" by using the motif of the hero's journey as a metaphor for a character's changing perceptions of himself or herself and the world. (MG)

Examines the possibly factual origins of several elements of fantasy literature, including giants, dwarfs and goblins, fairies, talking animals, and the ability to transform beings into other shapes. (HTH)

Shows how Sachar adapts some of the characteristics of fairy tale, such as magic objects and formulae, stereotypical roles and repeated motifs, within a story set in a desert penal establishment for young offenders. Notes that because of the blend between fantasy and realism, a number of otherwise unbelievable coincidences does not overtax the…

Provides a rationale for using trickster tales in the classroom. Introduces representative trickster tales from many cultures, and samples activities that teachers can use to introduce trickster tales to their students. (SR)

The year, 2005, is the bicentennial of this great children's writer. What better time to teach his timeless tales? Andersen was born April 2, 1805, in Odense, Denmark, to a poor cobbler father and washerwoman mother. Andersen felt misplaced and believed that he was destined for greatness; he would be a great writer, an acclaimed poet, a person of…

Discusses how Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" uses the motif of storytelling to describe the journey taken by the heroine Gerda. Identifies a story as that which is alive and active and which causes catharsis for those who participate in it. (MG)

Discusses integrating technology education into the elementary language arts curriculum. Shows how elementary educators teach about technology as a process in problem solving and can apply it to such stories as "The Three Little Pigs." (JOW)

This paper presents and discusses the responses of a class of first-grade students and a class of fourth-grade students to the elements of psychological maltreatment in the fairy tales "Cinderella" and "The Twelve Months." Responses of the first-grade students indicate that both boys and girls felt that the fairy tale heroine let herself be…

Cautions that biography about adults, written for children, should not be allowed to replace other forms of literature, such as fairy tales, that are psychologically healthier for children's emotional levels. Biography tends to prematurely impose highly complex rational descriptions of life upon unprepared minds. (RAA)

Discusses the life and writings of George MacDonald (1824-1905). Suggests that the most striking feature of MacDonald's children's books is his sensitivity toward spiritual values and the power of change within the lives of his characters. Appends a list of questions to stimulate student response to MacDonald's writings. (RS)