The document contains 27 stories selected for adults who are reading from the second grade to 3.5 grade level. The title of the story, its appropriate grade level, and the author's name are listed for each story. Included with each story are several content-oriented questions of varying formats. (AG)

This study examined word identification, phonological recoding efficiency, familiar word reading efficiency, orthographic choice for familiar words and serial naming speed as potential correlates of orthographic learning following silent reading in third-grade children. Children silently read a series of short stories, each containing six…

The author, an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher, believes that for stories to be a successful tool in classroom instruction, they need to have universal themes, and they must deal with situations that the students could readily identify with regardless of their language, culture, or religion. In this article, she introduces the unknown…

How much do preschool children look at print within storybooks when adults read to them? This study sought to answer this question as well as to examine the effects of adult verbal and nonverbal references to print on children's visual attention to print during storybook reading. Forty-four preschool-aged children participated in this study…

This paper outlines the use of the "Writing with Symbols 2000" software to facilitate emergent literacy development. The program's use of pictures incorporated with text has great potential to help young children with and without disabilities acquire fundamental literacy concepts about print, phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, vocabulary…

Storytimes, lap-sit programs, and other services for young children are a major part of most public libraries' missions. According to children's librarians, these services play a significant role in preparing children for success as readers. This article discusses the positive relationship between children's services and early reading success by…

Since ancient times, humans have sought explanations for the mysteries of nature's beauty and variety. Like other kinds of folk stories, pourquoi tales can be considered parables about how humans and animals originated or why they look or behave the way they do. Pourquoi tales have high appeal, are generally simple and straightforward in…

Imagine an active happily engaged, communicative, curious group of four-year-old children investigating and discovering as they play together in an early childhood classroom. Imagine yet again, the teacher beckoning them to gather on the rug to listen to a story. What happens next? Are the children allowed to continue in this curiosity-seeking,…

In these days of increased testing and continued failure of inner-city and poor rural schools to meet the grade, it is becoming more and more necessary to turn to the public library to help students reach the ever-increasing goals being set for them. It seems somewhat unfair to hold the schools solely responsible for continued failure when the…

Social, political, and technological changes in the United States during the twentieth century have greatly increased the number of living grandparents potentially available to young children (Clingempeel et al., 1992). In 2000, one-third of American parents were baby boomers (Longeno & Earle, 1996). By 2030, this cohort of potential…

We investigated the effects of a highly rated commercial electronic book (e-book) for young children on kindergarteners' emergent literacy skills within the context of paired peer versus individual use of the e-book. The sample of 110 kindergarteners had a mean age of 5.64 years and approximately equal numbers of boys and girls, randomly chosen…

Infants aged 9, 14, 20 and 24 months were observed looking at picture books with their mothers. The integration of pointing with verbal and visual behaviors together with activities pertaining to the task, such as page turning, are described. (Author/JMB)

Why was Plato so respectful of the myths and tales which formed the imaginative world of the Greek poets? Looks at the role of the story in balancing the "inner" and "outer" worlds of man and its importance for children. (Editor/RK)

Presents ideas for public library family programs and discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of including parents in the programs. (MES)