Presents an annotated listing of books about all kinds of heroes for elementary school students. Stories include the young King Arthur; an assertive, baseball-playing heroine who becomes a princess; an older brother dealing with his younger brother; a Christmas story; civil rights icon Rosa Parks; and the cow who jumped over the moon. (SM)

Paul Ricoeur's narrative theory, when combined with the social theory of Pierre Bourdieu, fosters a fresh perspective on the debate about the language of business and its influence in librarianship. It is suggested that narratives about readers hold promise because they capture the active nature of reading. (Author)

Notes that educators must provide time for children to read books of their choosing. Features books themed around what might be referred to as "the culture of childhood," focusing on categories such as childhood curiosity, sports and games, familiar stories and tales, shared and vicarious experiences, and children's victories. Presents a list of…

Describes what some fifth-grade students read in the summer and why. Discusses 39 children's books in the following categories: summer experiences, trips and journeys, family experiences, and the lives of children in troubled times. Offers an excerpt from a discussion of middle school readers in response to reading the books on children in…

Relates how the Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) Committee of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) works and describes one librarian's formation of teen book groups to get young adults involved in the public library and to solicit their personal opinions on titles to nominate for BBYA committee consideration. (AEF)

Suggests that learning more about what draws adolescents to particular texts and practices can help teachers to facilitate literacy events that are meaningful to students. Concludes that, by allowing youth's ways of constructing meaning and identity to inform academic practices, play becomes a fruitful endeavor both in and outside of classrooms.…

Models of persuasion (e.g., Petty & Cacioppo, 1986) and conceptual change (Dole & Sinatra, 1998) acknowledge that reader elaboration of and engagement with a given text increases the potential for belief change and that the process of elaboration or engagement is fueled by reader motivation. However, little is known about the predictive powers of…

This paper contains excerpts from a report by the National Endowment for the Arts, issued by its Office of Research, headed by Mark Bauerlein, a contributor to "Arts Education Policy Review." The excerpts do not include the report's tables, figures, or appendices, but numbers have been retained in their original sequence (see notes).

Previous research has established that interest in a text is related to better comprehension and recall, but the impact of interest on comprehension in testing situations has not been widely investigated. This study used Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) to examine the relationship between students' interest in reading passages and their…

Developed by students at Harrison Elementary, Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a web site celebrating Iowa's sesquicentennial, this booklet presents a variety of material about literacy in Iowa. The first section of the booklet provides information on professional and state organizations dealing with literacy and presents the school's home page. The next…

Many English teachers face the widespread misconception that if a work of fiction is enjoyable, it cannot be good, or, conversely, if it is good, it cannot be enjoyable. Critics of horror fiction, for example, would likely argue that better reading materials are available for students to read. Inclusion of materials other than "classics" into the…

Shares some ideas for motivating students to read. (RB)

Describes four samples of research designed to gauge the extent and effectiveness of those literary experiences which many English teachers regard as basic to instruction. (RB)

Reasons are given for encouraging adults to read books published for children. (PF)

This publication lists 123 current magazines for children, arranged in alphabetical order. A concise description of each magazine is provided, along with information on target audience, subject, distribution method, editor, publisher, editorial address, ordering address, and how to obtain a sample issue. The publication also contains an…