Offers a school policy for reading, arrived at as a product of a whole school inservice program. Discusses word recognition, sound-symbol correspondence, prediction, classroom environment, reading with an adult, parents and reading, assessment of reading, and reading material selection. (RS)

Provides three responses from reading professionals concerning a question about students who cannot relate story ideas after reading. Suggests determining the students' reading interests to help them find books which they will find more enjoyable. (MG)

Presents a rationale for utilizing picture books in adult literacy programs along with book selection criteria and suggested titles for use with emerging literate adults. (NH)

Expresses a concern to look beyond happy endings in reading materials to texts whose bleakness, harshness, and grimness deal with complex human issues. Provides ideas and methods by which teachers might accomplish this. Discusses relevant literary texts. (HB)

Studies one struggling reader and her self-directed pathways to progress as she consistently chose old basal-sounding, beginner-oriented materials over newer, aesthetically constructed literature. Investigates differences between beginner-oriented texts and aesthetically constructed literature. Concludes some struggling readers need repetitious…

Describes the author's experience as a student teacher facing an angry parent who challenged a book choice (a young adult novel by Chris Crutcher) that caused otherwise bored and disinterested students to read with interest and passion. (SR)

Discusses the value of reading picture books aloud to secondary school students. Describes how to select picture books and discusses strategies for reading aloud. Lists 17 suggested picture books for reading aloud. Argues that reading aloud to middle and high school students demonstrates a teacher's enthusiasm for reading, which can be contagious.…

Presents brief descriptions of 24 recently published children's books, including sequels and new works from award-winning authors, easy readers and transitional books, folk and fairytales, poetry, and new books from award-winning picture book artists. Relates the book to numerous landmark children's books. (SR)

Examines ways in which children's literature reflecting the Irish can be effectively integrated into a multicultural curriculum. Uses J. A. Banks' Model to show how children's literature relating to the Irish can be made part of the curriculum in the elementary and middle school grades. (SR)

Offers brief descriptions of 10 books for children and adolescents in which characters attempt to sort out the cultural conflicts that result when cultures meet. (SR)

Describes 15 children's books (published in 1998 or 1999) that offer diverse representations of gender. Discusses them in tandem with landmark children's books in categories of picture books (from traditional tales to contemporary and historical representations), series books (fitting into and breaking the mold), and chapter books (navigating…

Discusses six specialized bibliographies that can help teachers and librarians find literature that supports on-going inquiries or that feeds children's interest in the newest hot topic. Includes specialized bibliographies on Native American Literature; math books; children's literature in social studies (teaching to the standards); children's…

Describes how text sets (a group of related texts of varied genres and reading levels) can help meet the needs of the diverse population of students enrolled in community college developmental reading courses. Describes how to develop a text set, and describes four text sets used by the author. Discusses how cooperative learning and journal…

Highlights the work of author/illustrator Patricia Polacco. Discusses her picture books in terms of themes, including family stories; "passed down" stories featuring a babushka; stories that emphasize diverse communities; stories that contain magic or a miracle; and stories that help to raise social consciousness. (SR)

Considers literacy survey findings of year 7 students who had experienced difficulties with reading. Highlights the range of texts and events that these students chose to engage with outside school and the mismatch between home and school literacy. Suggests a need to go beyond the traditional reading test to uncover the texture of literacy…