Discusses stereotypes of prevalent social attitudes in juvenile historical fiction. Examples of stereotyping of Blacks and native Americans in several well-known children's books are described. (MES)

Provides a sampling of new writers and titles that are representative of "nineties publishing" for young adults. Themes include the rebellious sixties; family life and racism; urban teens and father/son conflicts; adventure and sports stories; African-American experiences; sexual abuse; and homosexual parents. (AEF)

Mark Baker in "NAM: The Vietnam War in the Words of the Men and Women Who Fought There" (1981) tells a war story, and war stories tend to elevate the masculine combat adventure as inherently more profound, and therefore more valuable, than other experiences. However, now that the emotional considerations of war are no longer being…

For educators' summer reading enjoyment, "Kappan" editors recommend three books on nature (Robert Richardson's biography "Emerson: The Mind on Fire, William Cronin's edited book "Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature," and Gary Snyder's poetry volume "Mountain and Rivers Without End"). Also…

This supplement/newsletter contains booktalks, news, and other information of interest to librarians and adult readers. This issue includes reviews of fiction and nonfiction books for adults; an article, "How I Turned into a Booktalker--Overnight!" by Kaite Mediatore; and a new feature, "Talking with the Talkers," which focuses…

Summarizes and reviews newer works of nine writers and illustrators for children. Describes the writing as fresh, innovative, and addressing interests and concerns of today's children. Praises the illustrations, which represent a wide variety of styles, techniques, and subject matter, as among the best to ever appear in children's books.…

Annotates 112 children's books selected by children as the best of those published in 1989. (MM)

Recommends many books for summer reading enjoyment, concentrating on historical and contemporary fiction. Different cultures clash in William T. Vollman's "Fathers and Crows" and John Demos's adventuresome "Unredeemed Captive." Other suggestions: "Snow Falling on Cedar Mountain" (David Gutterman) and "Foxfire" (Joyce Carol Oates). For professional…

Asserts that picture books offer a unique opportunity for children to develop visual literacy because they are able to return to the visual images in books to explore, reflect, and critique those images. Reviews 71 works of children's fiction in which the main characters engage in meaning making through art. (PRA)

This collaborative review finds much to criticize in this fictional portrayal of the experiences of a young girl at the Carlisle Indian School, including a lack of clarity about the fictional nature of the story. Stereotyping and historical inaccuracies make this book add to the great body of misinformation about Native-American life in the United…

Teachers and education professors suggest various nonfiction and fiction books for summer reading enjoyment, from Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone," C.A. Bowers's "Let Them Eat Data," and Larry McMurtry's "Roads: Driving America's Great Highways" to Kent Hauf's "Plainsong, J.M. Coetzee's "Disgrace," and Michael Cunningham's "The Hours." (MLH)

Presents brief annotations of the 31 books chosen most often by middle, junior, and senior high school students. Notes that problem novels abound and that romantic fiction, sports, fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, and nonfiction are included. (RS)

"Kappan" editors recommend Michael Ignatieff's biography of Isaiah Berlin and insightful novels by Barbara Kingsolver, Pat Conroy, Wally Lamb, Edwidge Danticat, and Doris Lessing. Neil Postman's "The End of Education" (1995) advocates exploiting diversity to define standards. Ernest House's "Schools for Sale" (1998)…

Contains 130 reviews of works of interest to the multi-cultural educator or anyone interested in cultural awareness arranged under broad subject categories of humanities, biography, history, social sciences, reference, juvenile works, and nonprint materials. Includes fiction and nonfiction. (SLD)

Examines four novels for children, each told in the voice of a bicultural child, which express four states of cross-cultural experience--dual rejection, selective rejection, attempted dual identities, and self-created inclusive identity. (MM)