The english teacher should explore the values--both artistic and humane--present in a variety of literatures, even the worth of nonliterary modes of expression, in order to preserve the tradition seen in Shakespeare and Keats, Dickens and Homer. (Author/RK)

Reviews 15 recently published books that deal with the joys and struggles of Latino people. These fiction and nonfiction books deal with a variety of topics and are sure to hold the interest of young readers. (SLD)

Presents brief descriptions of 19 children's books that deal with the difficulties of life: changing family structures; abuse, neglect, and violence in the lives of children; and death and dying. Discusses the selection and use of such potentially controversial books. (SR)

Discusses benefits of booktalks, including encouraging children to read good literature, guiding students' reading selections, and increasing library circulation; and offers suggestions for successful booktalks, including techniques to calm young children. (LRW)

Finds that many nonfiction books chosen were at inappropriate reading levels for the primary-level students. Suggests what hindered some teachers was lack of knowledge of what is available and lack of access to quality nonfiction. Provides a portrait for classroom in which a wide variety of nonfiction is available and a variety of reading levels…

Describes characteristics of fairy tales. Discusses use of fairy tales and novels for teens in the classroom. Presents annotations of 31 titles including both picture books and young adult novels grouped by nine popular tales. Concludes that through comparing picture books and teen novels, there is one last chance to introduce fairy tales to older…

Studied story selection by preschoolers, ages 2 through 4. Presented children with three sets of books, each set consisting of three books depicting protagonists in romantic, violent, or scary stories; titles were read aloud to reinforce content. Found that with age, girls showed a growing preference for romantic stories, while boys showed a…

Contends that secondary students with reading difficulties usually avoid reading, which contributes to their lack of academic success. Describes a unit in which students read a play and a story that included scenes of courtroom drama. Concludes that the students were highly interested in the reading, in using newspaper articles and online…

Discusses the importance of the selection of a first short story in a modern fiction class. Proposes that compact stories about memorable protagonists in familiar settings can engage students' interests in first class meetings. Outlines two examples of such stories: Jim Shepard's "Ida" and Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour." (PM)

This article discusses interactive information book read-aloud, an instructional approach that supports both non-readers and non-fluent readers prior to the introduction of instruction in cognitive and comprehension strategies. Key components of the approach are presented, including interaction, information books, teacher awareness of text…

Examines the literary practices four children chose to engage in outside of their inner-city school located in Sheffield, England. Suggests that children use literacy in richly diverse ways for purposes they see as meaningful. Concludes that while literacy presented by these children reflected community literacy practices, children also acted with…

This article describes a number of books at third to fifth grade reading levels whose themes and action make them good choices for middle and high school readers who read at those lower reading levels. A list of suggested fiction trade books for struggling middle and high school readers is attached. (Author/DB)

The Basic Writing course at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst was altered to give voice to marginalized minority students. The reading list was changed to include predominantly non-White authors, and students were encouraged to reflect on these readings and express in writing their own experiences of marginalization. (SK)

Reports the results of a survey that was conducted to determine the success achieved in increased reading of English associated with the use of graded readers for individualized reading in Japan. Recommendations are suggested for improving the program. (nine references) (GLR)

Shares an account of efforts by a teacher to try and involve 7- to 11-year-old children in a book investigation which would provide them with investigative strategies applicable to subsequent works. (MG)