Examined the effects of infant age on parent-infant interactions during picture-book reading. Subjects were 3 groups of parent-infant dyads with infants aged 9, 17, and 27 months. Found that parents reading to younger infants used more attention-recruiting verbalizations and more elaborations, compared with parents reading to older infants, who…

Demonstrates the benefits of intergenerational reading to children, seniors, parents, and libraries, and surveys library programs in Arizona, California, and New Mexico that mix generations with books and reading. The programs described vary from scheduled to spontaneous. (EAM)

Science fiction is a good teaching tool for elementary students because it stimulates the imagination and prepares children for the idea that the world will be different when they grow up. The article presents a science fiction unit, recommending books and activities about aliens, the future, and time travel. (SM)

The article reviews elementary level books that help students deal with life's unpleasant moments. Stories focus on self-centeredness, making excuses, first day of school, bossiness, cultural differences, adjusting to seventh grade, completing assignments, and being different. Teaching tips for presenting the stories to the class are included. (SM)

Examines effectiveness of project designed to increase inner-city children's opportunities to interact with storybooks in their classrooms and at home. Finds that 75% of children interacted with storybooks at a higher level of emergent reading at the end of the project, and 10 of the 28 children attempted to track print at postassessment, whereas…

This study, involving 16 intermediate-grade children with mild mental retardation, 29 children with learning disabilities, and 37 children without disabilities, found that all groups recalled cohesive story versions better than noncohesive versions. Statements in the stories' causal chain were better recalled than statements not in the causal…

Studies the relationship between the components of dialog style and children's story comprehension. Measures children's ability to accurately retell a story when various components of dialog were manipulated. Shows that the use of questioning during initial storytelling greatly aids the recall of stories. (DSK)

This study developed an intervention that used social stories in a computer-based format with three elementary-aged boys with autism. Results indicated the multimedia intervention was effective in reducing behavioral and social problems in the boys. (Author/DB)

Discusses the difficulty children with learning disabilities have in making friends and describes a strategy for incorporating children's literature into teaching friendship skills. A practice lesson that used this strategy with five elementary children with disabilities is described and found to be effective in promoting friendship skills. (CR)

Examines longitudinally how mothers structure shared book reading interactions with their children across the preschool period. Addresses consistency of individual maternal styles over time and comparability of storybook reading styles across familiar and unfamiliar stories. Finds three maternal stylistic groups: Describers, Comprehenders, and…

Examined the effects on reasoning performance of incorporating cultural factors into task material presentation and context. Low income African American students listened to stories under high movement expression (HME) or low movement expression (LME) conditions. Story content contained either high or low movement themes (HMT/LMT). Children…

This study investigated the effects of teaching mothers of low socioeconomic status (SES) to use decontextualized language during storybook reading with their preschool-age children. A multiple baseline design across behaviors and participants evaluated the effects of the intervention for five dyads. Mothers' and children's use of decontextualized…

This article addresses some key criteria for educators as they choose CD-ROM storybooks for young children's literacy development. The article includes: (1) A review of the pertinent literature on the quality and appropriateness of CD-ROM storybooks for literacy development; (2) An evaluation questionnaire to guide teachers in selecting CD-ROM…

Previous research has found few quantitative differences between children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and well-matched controls in the length, complexity, and structure of their narratives. Researchers have noted, however, that narratives of children with ASDs have an unusual and idiosyncratic nature. This study provides…

Everyone loves a good story. Reading brings back pleasant memories of being read to by parents or others. Literacy is encouraged when students are continually exposed to stories and books. Teachers can encourage students to discover their parents' favorite stories and share them with the class. In this article, the authors recommend the use of…