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)

Discusses how the author blends oriental myth, fantasy, and science to produce unique science fiction. (PRA)

Discusses what makes fantasy writing and science fiction easy. States that, for the writer, science fiction and fantasy allow more freedom to develop the story. Asserts that science fiction allows adolescents to explore their concerns in a seemingly safe and removed way. Notes that it is difficult to write believable and consistent stories for…

Asserts that not all science fiction is great. Discusses ways to tell the difference between the good and the bad. Encourages even those teachers who are most leery of a genre with which they are unfamiliar to jump in and try science fiction as a way of opening up student minds and imaginations. (PRA)

Fostering storytelling in adult literacy programs helps learners build confidence, gain experience in using literacy skills, and encourages a sense of community. (SK)

Discusses trends in writing and publishing of children's books during the 1980s. Explores issues of economic background, change in educational structure, racism and sexism in children's fiction, immediacy in fiction, multicultural writing, and the need to offer children a range of reading materials. (MG)

Contains a speech from the 1992 American Library Association annual conference where the author and editor, Hazel Rochman, draws upon memories of her South African childhood to describe the effects of apartheid on white South African children and how this provided the motivation for several books created around a multicultural theme. (seven…

This annotated bibliography includes 27 children's books, 15 of which are fiction, and 12 nonfiction. Of the nonfiction books, three discuss historical topics and nine cover nature-related topics such as rainforests, the ocean floor, snakes and other animals, and rural farm life. (SM)

This selected bibliography features a combination of standards and best sellers in African-American studies. Juvenile titles are marked. Fifteen works, largely nonfiction, are listed. (SLD)

Interviews Nicholasa Mohr about her background, experiences, motives, and interests as they relate to the authoring of works of fiction featuring Puerto Rican-American children and adults. (MG)

Shows how Mark Twain's fictional adolescent Tom Sawyer shares many characteristics with the typical young adult readers of today. Considers the challenge of getting students interested and enthusiastic about reading. Claims that young adult novels are suitable for engaging high school students. (HB)

Describes young adult novels that may prove to be classics of the genre. Discusses "The "Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier, "The Outsiders" by S. E. Hinton, "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare, and "On Fortune's Wheel" by Cynthia Voight. (HB)

Discusses how some recent short story collections written for young adults can make studying the genre exciting and interesting for students. Describes how teachers can awaken new vision within students by using the short story in the literature classroom. Focuses on stories written especially for adolescents. (HB)

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…

Focuses on plot in children's stories. Suggests that folktales can be used to demonstrate the three main stages of plot development, and illustrates with specific examples. Presents activities for engagement, exploration and explanation, evaluation, and extention. Includes a sample worksheet for developing the plot of a story. (AEF)